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Off-campus cravings.

Article Excerpt
Byline: Anne Williams The Register-Guard

CORRECTION (RAN Oct. 31, 2007): The Eugene School District has signed a contract with Coca-Cola Bottling Co. and is still negotiating with Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. An article on Tuesday's front page incorrectly stated the status of the contracts.

It's hard to fathom that, just seven years ago, the Eugene School Board was debating not whether to keep soft drinks in high schools, but whether to double the number of vending machines stocking the sugar-laden, nutritionally barren stuff.

Tempted by potential sales proceeds and up-front payments that bought stadium bleachers for all four high schools, the board said yes to eight-year deals with Coke and Pepsi.

Soon after, the national spotlight fixed on the escalation of childhood obesity, triggering a seismic shift in attitudes about what foods and beverages should be available in schools.

Today, pop sales are banned on all Eugene campuses, and the district boasts one of Oregon's strictest wellness policies (all districts had to adopt such policies in 2006 under a federal mandate). Candy, fried chips, doughnuts and other so-called "junk foods" have all but disappeared from school lunch lines, vending machines and student stores.

But whether the turnaround in views and policies has trickled down to students is another matter.

Witness the hordes of students halting traffic at 11:30 a.m. weekdays as they cross Bailey Hill Road to the Churchill Market, where you can buy a jo-jo basket and a liter of Mountain Dew for $2.45. Or the cars peeling out of the Churchill parking lot en route to Carl's Jr., McDonald's, Pizza Hut or a half-dozen...

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