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Victory in Seattle

 

Great news from the Emerald City! The Seattle School Board voted last week to prohibit advertisements for unhealthy food and beverages on school property, a big victory for PreventObesity.net Leaders and Supporters in Washington.

The board announced several weeks ago that it would allow companies to advertise on school property, such as stadiums and gymnasiums. Board members said the new policy is intended to raise money for student programs and activities.

But many health advocates worried that the policy would also allow food and beverage companies to market unhealthy products to kids on school grounds. That led them to take action — including Leader Vic Colman of the Childhood Obesity Prevention Coalition and Lucy Culp of the American Heart Association.

The pair wrote to PreventObesity.net Leaders and Supporters in Washington, asking that they contact the board to demand it prohibit ads for unhealthy food and drinks.

By the time the board voted on the issue last week, 214 PreventObesity.net Leaders and Supporters took action. Ultimately, the board voted to prohibit unhealthy ads — and board members said hearing from advocates helped influence their decision!

In fact, this is the second big win for kids’ health in Seattle in recent months. In December, PreventObesity.net Leader Carolyn Kramer wrote to Washington Leaders and Supporters asking them to maintain a strict nutritional policy for school vending machines — and the board agreed to do so.

If you are working on a local issue like this that you think could be helped by rallying PreventObesity.net Leaders and Supporters, please contact us! We would love to talk to you about how we can help. You can mail me directly at [email protected], or send a line to [email protected].

Don’t miss the rest of the Inside Track! Click here to find out how the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program is helping schools across the country. Plus: learn how one PreventObesity.net Leader ditched the world of law to teach kids about healthy eating. And don’t forget to get the details on a webinar looking at advocacy opportunities following the Weight of the Nation documentary.