Nov 11, 2008 2:30 pm US/Pacific
California Cracking Down On Bake Sales
PIEDMONT, Calif. (CBS News) ―
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The state of California has banned school bake sales in an attempt to fight childhood obesity.
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In California it's still legal to sell cupcakes, cookies and brownies in a bakery ... but not at a school bake sale.
That fundraising slice of Americana - loaded with sugar and fat - has been banned in California schools by government order, reports CBS News correspondent John Blackstone.
At Piedmont High School, principal Randall Booker has enforced a zero tolerance policy for what used to be a campus tradition.
"I love the bake sales," he said. "I eat them myself. But there are state laws that we just have to abide by."
To combat the epidemic of childhood obesity, new state nutrition guidelines strictly limit the fat, sugar and total calories of any food sold on campus during school days - even before and after school.
At Montclair Elementary, the hall is lined with photos of the annual fundraiser, where eating has always played a central role.
"Food sales are a big part of our community," said Wendy Morrison, the mother of a fifth-grader. "They're more than just the selling of food. It's community coming together."
Morrison mourns the loss.
"It was actually a beloved tradition at the school."
California's effort to get fat and sugar out of school foods goes far beyond the disappearing bake sale tables. School lunches no longer consist of hot dogs, french fries and nachos. Choices now include spinach salad, healthy burritos and grilled chicken.
Principal Booker also says Piedmont High no longer sells soft drinks like Coke and Pepsi.
And the kids miss the junk food.
"Oh, I used to have nachos and sour cream and chili like everyday. They don't sell that any more. But now I have to settle for, like, this whatever," said one student.
Bake sales may once have dominated fundraising, but with the kind of money schools need these days, they're more likely to turn to walkathons, silent auctions or just plain begging for donations.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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