The Department of Education says the regulations are aimed at combating obesity among the city's more than 1.1 million public school children, about 40% of whom are overweight. By restricting bake sale offerings to goods limited in calories and wrapped in packaging that lists nutritional information, schools will help children reduce their intake of unhealthy snacks, officials say.
Among the approved items: Glenny's Brown Rice Marshmallow Treats, baked cheddar and sour cream chips and a variety of granola bars, popcorn clusters and cookies. None has more than 200 calories or 200 milligrams of sodium per serving. The Pop-Tarts weigh in at 200 calories each.
But critics say the numbers are beside the point because the rule discourages home-baking practices that teach children to value fresh food and give people a reason to go to a bake sale, which can bring in several hundred dollars to pay for extras such as field trips and school supplies.
"Why would you go to a bake sale to buy baked potato chips?" said Mitzi Dulan, a nutritionist and registered dietitian whose clients include the Kansas City Chiefs football team and the Royals baseball team. A better plan would be to offer parents recipes for healthier snacks to sell, she said.
David Cantor, the education department's spokesman, said the city was simply in line with a nationwide effort to combat childhood obesity, which First Lady Michelle Obama has made one of her priorities.
"We restrict sales of homemade food because we cannot monitor its nutritional value," Cantor said, adding that "homemade is not synonymous with healthful." A recent photo of items at a bake sale showed a sign for bacon chocolate-chip cookies, he said.
Perhaps a better solution would be to provide guidelines for what is acceptable at a bake sale.
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