Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

Daily Dose: Interview With Michael Jacobson

Aired September 15, 2003 - 11:37   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Now, the group that told us about the dangers of fettuccine alfredo and movie popcorn is now taking on school vending machines. The Center for Science in the Public Interest says that schools should offer alternatives to all the cookies, candy and sodas in the machines.
The group's executive director, Michael Jacobson joins us now from Washington for our "Daily Dose" of health news. And I have to say on this one, Michael, I doubt that you'll get very much -- you won't get nearly as much criticism or flak as you did over the fettuccine.

But on this one, tell us, though first of all, is there anything -- is there any one constant theme that you find in all the machines in schools across the country?

MICHAEL JACOBSON, CSPI: Soda pop, chips and candy. It's junk. And what parents are doing from coast to coast is getting upset, saying, I care about my child's health at home. I want the schools to care about my child's health when my child is under their care.

And some school systems, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, are getting rid of much of the junk, especially in elementary schools. It's harder to do in high schools, but that's happening also. And they're starting with the biggest junk, which is soda pop.

HARRIS: Now, why pick on the soda first? I would think -- I look at machines, and I would think that you first go after things like the Twinkies or the cup cakes.

JACOBSON: Well, the pop machines are the most popular. That's where kids are getting most of their junky calories from those. But there's certainly honey buns and all kinds of other junky foods.

So we've published a school foods tool kit to help parents and organizations improve the foods, get rid of some of the junk or all of the junk and replace it with raisins, Chex cereal mix, lowfat milk or skim milk, orange juice, some real food. Give the kids something. And some school systems have found that they don't lose money.

HARRIS: Really?

JACOBSON: That they make as much money selling these better foods as they did selling the junk.

HARRIS: Well, what kind of real foods are these schools that are doing this and finding success at? What kind of foods are they using? Because I'm guessing, if I know any kid as I know myself and I go to a machine see broccoli or carrots in there, I'm not going to buy anything in there.

JACOBSON: No, they're not filling them with broccoli and carrots yet. But raisins, skim milk or lowfat milk, orange juice. There's some real foods that kids actually enjoy. Bottled water that you'll look a little hip carrying that bottle around.

And kids are buying it. And it's really unfortunate that we've come to this point where school systems, to make the budget, are selling junk to kids undermining their students' health, just for the sake of a few bucks. That's got to change.

HARRIS: Well obviously, it's a big money-maker. There's got to be a lot of money that's coming into these machines that would make schools think it makes better sense to keep them in.

How many school systems do you know of that have actually changed over and have done like what you say is being done in Philadelphia?

JACOBSON: Well, there's some big school systems. New York, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Francisco, Philadelphia, as I said, and many smaller ones. But if you think of a school system like New York or Los Angeles can make these improvements, certainly any smaller school system can do the same.

It takes some effort. Usually it takes pressure from the outside, from concerned parents, dentists, pediatricians. And our school foods tool kit explains to parents how they can build these kinds of coalitions, how they can propose some attractive alternatives so the schools won't go broke and really make some progress for the benefit of the kids' health.

HARRIS: I'm going to say, that picture we had up next to your shot a second ago, there was a shot from a machine we've got here in our hallway. I've got to think if you looked at that machine, you'd be hard pressed to find anything healthy in there.

Let's see what Tom Finton's (ph) is going to have for lunch now. Tom is going for...

(CROSSTALK)

HARRIS: I want to see what Tom is getting here.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: He's getting Multi items. This is lunch, this a buffet.

(CROSSTALK)

HARRIS: He's going to get something decent now that we're watching. But if we weren't here...

KAGAN: Peanut M&Ms?

HARRIS: He'd be on the Nutty Buddy in a minute.

KAGAN: He skipped the ice cream bar machine that we have.

HARRIS: We do have the ice cream machine.

(CROSSTALK)

JACOBSON: Well let's start with schools first and then we'll get out to CNN later.

(LAUGHTER) OK. You got it. Appreciate that. Michael Jacobson, the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Thanks a lot and for the advice and here's hoping that people take your advice across the country.

JACOBSON: Thank you very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired September 15, 2003 - 11:37   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Now, the group that told us about the dangers of fettuccine alfredo and movie popcorn is now taking on school vending machines. The Center for Science in the Public Interest says that schools should offer alternatives to all the cookies, candy and sodas in the machines.
The group's executive director, Michael Jacobson joins us now from Washington for our "Daily Dose" of health news. And I have to say on this one, Michael, I doubt that you'll get very much -- you won't get nearly as much criticism or flak as you did over the fettuccine.

But on this one, tell us, though first of all, is there anything -- is there any one constant theme that you find in all the machines in schools across the country?

MICHAEL JACOBSON, CSPI: Soda pop, chips and candy. It's junk. And what parents are doing from coast to coast is getting upset, saying, I care about my child's health at home. I want the schools to care about my child's health when my child is under their care.

And some school systems, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, are getting rid of much of the junk, especially in elementary schools. It's harder to do in high schools, but that's happening also. And they're starting with the biggest junk, which is soda pop.

HARRIS: Now, why pick on the soda first? I would think -- I look at machines, and I would think that you first go after things like the Twinkies or the cup cakes.

JACOBSON: Well, the pop machines are the most popular. That's where kids are getting most of their junky calories from those. But there's certainly honey buns and all kinds of other junky foods.

So we've published a school foods tool kit to help parents and organizations improve the foods, get rid of some of the junk or all of the junk and replace it with raisins, Chex cereal mix, lowfat milk or skim milk, orange juice, some real food. Give the kids something. And some school systems have found that they don't lose money.

HARRIS: Really?

JACOBSON: That they make as much money selling these better foods as they did selling the junk.

HARRIS: Well, what kind of real foods are these schools that are doing this and finding success at? What kind of foods are they using? Because I'm guessing, if I know any kid as I know myself and I go to a machine see broccoli or carrots in there, I'm not going to buy anything in there.

JACOBSON: No, they're not filling them with broccoli and carrots yet. But raisins, skim milk or lowfat milk, orange juice. There's some real foods that kids actually enjoy. Bottled water that you'll look a little hip carrying that bottle around.

And kids are buying it. And it's really unfortunate that we've come to this point where school systems, to make the budget, are selling junk to kids undermining their students' health, just for the sake of a few bucks. That's got to change.

HARRIS: Well obviously, it's a big money-maker. There's got to be a lot of money that's coming into these machines that would make schools think it makes better sense to keep them in.

How many school systems do you know of that have actually changed over and have done like what you say is being done in Philadelphia?

JACOBSON: Well, there's some big school systems. New York, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Francisco, Philadelphia, as I said, and many smaller ones. But if you think of a school system like New York or Los Angeles can make these improvements, certainly any smaller school system can do the same.

It takes some effort. Usually it takes pressure from the outside, from concerned parents, dentists, pediatricians. And our school foods tool kit explains to parents how they can build these kinds of coalitions, how they can propose some attractive alternatives so the schools won't go broke and really make some progress for the benefit of the kids' health.

HARRIS: I'm going to say, that picture we had up next to your shot a second ago, there was a shot from a machine we've got here in our hallway. I've got to think if you looked at that machine, you'd be hard pressed to find anything healthy in there.

Let's see what Tom Finton's (ph) is going to have for lunch now. Tom is going for...

(CROSSTALK)

HARRIS: I want to see what Tom is getting here.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: He's getting Multi items. This is lunch, this a buffet.

(CROSSTALK)

HARRIS: He's going to get something decent now that we're watching. But if we weren't here...

KAGAN: Peanut M&Ms?

HARRIS: He'd be on the Nutty Buddy in a minute.

KAGAN: He skipped the ice cream bar machine that we have.

HARRIS: We do have the ice cream machine.

(CROSSTALK)

JACOBSON: Well let's start with schools first and then we'll get out to CNN later.

(LAUGHTER) OK. You got it. Appreciate that. Michael Jacobson, the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Thanks a lot and for the advice and here's hoping that people take your advice across the country.

JACOBSON: Thank you very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com