Most provincial governments are failing parents and students by allowing the sale of junk foods in schools, according to a health advocacy group.

In a report released Wednesday, the Centre for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) gave the lowest marks for school nutrition policies to Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan and Ontario.

They all received an F in a report card that compared provinces and territories to recently recommended U.S. standards, which have yet to be implemented, for vending machines, tuck shops and cafeterias.

As for how the other provinces and territories fared:

• Alberta earned the top mark in the country with the only B.
• Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador were each given a C.
• B.C., Manitoba, Quebec and New Brunswick scored Ds.
• Nunavut, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories had no standards to compare.

The report urged all levels of government to do more to replace junk food in schools with more nutritious foods.

'We need help. We need to rescue this generation from illness later in life.'—Rosie Schwartz, registered dietitian

Childhood obesity is an epidemic in Canada, and something that "causes terrible social and psychological problems for children and leads to serious illnesses later in life," said Bill Jeffrey, national co-ordinator of CSPI, based in Washington, D.C.

He said governments have a responsibility to ensure that foods sold to students are rich in nutrients and low in saturated and trans fats, salt and sugar, but all too often schools allow foods such as ice cream, pizza, candy and cookies.

The group said the average provincial and territorial government investment in school meals programs was just $5.54 per student in 2005-2006. The federal government contributes nothing, it said.

On the other hand, the U.S. government spends an average of $212 per student per year, 38 times more than Canadian government subsidies, the report said.

Schools are stuffing their vending machines and tuck shops with unhealthy foods, according to a new report card released Wednesday.
(Danny Johnston/Associated Press)

The centre said all levels of government should develop and support school nutrition policies that reflect Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating as well as the U.S. Institute of Medicine standards.

The institute in April recommended introducing new nutrition policies for schools demanding that snacks, food and drinks have zero trans fat, no more than 35 per cent of total calories from fat and less than 10 per cent of calories from saturated fat.

Among the other recommendations made by the scientific panel, snack foods should be limited to 200 calories per portion and should not contain more than 200 milligrams of sodium per portion. The institute's standards have not yet been applied in U.S. schools.

Toronto-based dietitian Liz Pearson said the results demonstrate the need to introduce more rigorous, Canada-wide standards.

"They found that any nutrition standards out there are flimsy, inconsistent, patchwork, and I'd have to agree — that's what they are now," she said. 

"The government now regulates what's on the curriculum, I don't think there's anything wrong with government legislating very very specific guidelines about what should or shouldn't be sold in schools," Pearson said.

But, she noted that some schools have successfully changed their cafeterias by adding salad bars and replacing deep fryers with ovens.

Parents should demand changes, dietitian says

Rosie Schwartz, a registered dietitian, said she was disappointed with the poor results, and urged parents to contact their provincial and federal politicians to push for change.

"We need help. We need to rescue this generation from illness later in life," she said.

Schwartz said schools can teach children about the merits of healthy eating using trips to the farm and school gardens.

"Kids need to help make decisions," she said. "They need to be part of the process and then they'll buy into it."

Rising obesity levels among children are a concern for public health officials in North America.

In March, the House of Commons standing committee on health released a report that noted that rates of children and adolescents being overweight and obese have spiked over the past three decades.

In 2004, 18 per cent of children and adolescents were overweight and eight per cent were obese, the report said.