From Politico:
First lady Michelle Obama will unveil a proposal Tuesday that would ban marketing junk food and sodas in schools — an unusually aggressive position for the administration that could draw the ire of school districts, food companies and conservatives.
Schools would no longer be able to house vending machines that sport images of their flagship sodas, have posters promoting unhealthy food and drinks or use cups in cafeterias that market high-calorie beverages, among other forms of promotion, according to administration officials.
...
The updated standards for foods sold in schools, which have yet to be finalized, would require snack foods, including those in vending machines, to meet at least one of the following requirements: be a whole-grain-rich grain product; have as the main ingredient a fruit, a vegetable, a dairy product or a protein food; be a combination of food that contains at least one-quarter of a cup of fruits or vegetables; or contain 10 percent of the Daily Value of nutrients like calcium, vitamin D or dietary fiber.
The foods also would have to meet calorie, fat, sodium and sugar limits.
There's a lot going on here, but I want to focus on one point: Companies that make junk food/soda can no longer use their images in schools. This kind of has a "plain packaging of cigarettes" feel to it, although there are differences. One is that this law is only for schools, and the "think of the children" defense is always pretty strong. Still, though, isn't some of the value of companies' logos/trademarks being taken away by such a measure?
