TDSB votes to stock milk, water and juice in vending machines this fall
Posted June 23, 2011 10:48 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Toronto students will have an array of healthy new beverage choices when they start the new school year this fall.
On Wednesday night, officials at the Toronto District School Board awarded the right to stock school vending machines to HealthyVendCanada.
The small, five-year-old Rexdale company beat out such beverage heavyweights as Pepsi and Coca-Cola.
HealthyVendCanada was given the exclusive rights, promising to stock a selection of 60 items, such as vegetable cocktail, two per cent milk, assorted juices and water, all at no more than a dollar each.
With increasing numbers of childhood obesity, the Ontario government has recently imposed tough restrictions on what type of food and drink schools are permitted to sell. Pop, sports drinks and iced tea aren’t allowed to have more than 40 calories. Juice must be 100 per cent fruit and have less than 28 grams of sugar, and all drinks must have less than three grams of fat.
In 2004, the government banned the sale of fast food in vending machines in elementary schools. In 2008, it banned the sale of food with trans fat in high schools.
