Americans favor limiting sale of unhealthy school food, says poll

March 14—Two-thirds of Americans say, if given the opportunity, they would vote for a law that limits food sold in public schools to food that meets standards for high nutritional value, according to a new Gallup poll. Three-quarters of parents with children currently enrolled in public school and nearly two-thirds of nonpublic school parents favor this proposal.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently proposed such a policy as part of its mandate to raise school nutritional standards stemming from the 2010 Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act. The proposal aims to prevent students from foregoing cafeteria food in favor of "foods of minimal nutritional value" that may be offered in snack bars and elsewhere on school grounds. The public has until early April to comment on the proposed regulations.