Are Ice cream trucks near schools subverting efforts to encourage healthy eating habits?

[The Straight Story]

Novato declines ban on ice cream trucks near schools


Novato (CA) city officials remained cool Tuesday to the idea of banning ice cream trucks and other food vendors from the vicinity of city schools.

"In my opinion, the idea should be to educate our students, and not have our police spend their time policing ice cream," Councilwoman Carole Dillon-Knutson said. "It just doesn't seem like the best use of our time."

The City Council addressed the issue Tuesday at the request of school officials and the Youth Leadership Institute.

Both groups have expressed concerns that visiting ice cream vendors are subverting the school district's efforts to encourage healthy eating habits. The district has eliminated the sale of candy, soda and other junk food on school property, and has removed chocolate milk, beef and even juice from its elementary school menus.

http://www.marinij.com/marinnews/ci_18040978

[wickerwoman]

1. If it's not on school property, I don't see how they can ban it.

They should make schools cashless, put all the school lunches on a card system and then let parents decide whether or not to let their kids bring cash to school to pay for junk off site.

[tammywammy]

2. I grew up in a house across the street from a middle school

An ice cream truck used to park in front of our house after school let out. I was a daycare child, but I remember one day my mom picked me up from school (I was still in elementary school at the time). Anywho, the ice cream truck arrived, and this was a real treat for me and my mom gave me the $2. A principal was out front of the ice cream truck turning kids away including me. I went in the house crying, my mom had to go out so I could get one.

I agree with this city, if it's not on school property they don't have the right to tell a business to not sell to the kids. Just like that principal didn't have a right back then to turn away students, the truck wasn't on school property.

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[tammywammy]

4. So if there's a 7/11 within a mile of the school it shouldn't be allowed to sell ice cream?

What's the difference? I live within a mile of an elementary school, should an ice cream truck not be allowed on my street?

[pat fender]

6. 7/11? TWO miles.

Kids don't need the calories in the garbage they are peddling.

[tammywammy]

7. What about a grocery store?

Should we just ban ice cream period for everyone? I mean no one really needs ice cream.

[octothorpe]

9. lol.

[octothorpe]

8. Ice cream should be banned period. We need to make it illegal for anyone to eat it.

Actually, I'm kidding. I love ice cream and I would hate to see that.

Anyway, I'm guessing if they pass a law to make it illegal for ice cream trucks to be around schools, they would probably have to make it so it's only enforced around the school hours. I think that's dumb too, but that seems to be the only way they'd have any chance of passing. That of course still raises the issue if stores in the "school zone" would also be unable to sell ice cream during that time period.

Dumb idea.

[yawnmaster]

11. They can have my ice cream when they pry it from my cold...

sticky, chocolate covered fingers.

When ice cream is outlawed, only outlaws will eat ice cream.

[yawnmaster]

12. I disagree. Ice cream should be mandatory eating at school...

unless one has a doctor's note.
with chocolate.
nuts and banana optional.

Those are very happy calories.

[JVS]

15. A mile? That's ridiculous.

[TheMadMonk]

5. No. Lazy parents are doing well enough all by themselves. /nt

[yawnmaster]

10. Encourage all they want at school. Stay out of their business outside of school. eom

[guitar man]

13. I dunno

I guess it depends on what kind of ice cream truck it is



:smoke: :hippie:

[mikeytherat]

24. I'll have the Space Yogurt with chopped cola nuts.

mikey_the_rat

[Horse with no Name]

14. Well...ice cream trucks should be banned but not for that reason

You'd be surprised at how many kids get injured or killed running for the ice cream truck.
I worked trauma at a major children's hospital and it is more than you think.

[Zanzoobar]

16. I hope the people who consider this a problem get run over by said ice cream trucks.

Twice. With sprinkles.

[saras]

17. Try this instead

I prefer french toast myself

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xd_NHPDTV8o

[muntrv]

18. Aren't fast food restaurants already a presence in some high schools?

[octothorpe]

20. I remember mine had a tacobell

[SoCalDem]

19. Kids used to have to run inside to Mom & Dad to get money

Kids with money, will buy whatever they want :evilgrin: Kids like ice cream:)

[Skidmore]

21. In Iowa, we want to do federal background check on ice cream truck vendors.

http://easterniowagovernment.com/2011/05/11/ice-cream-truck-drivers-could-soon-face-federal-background-checks-in-iowa/


Ice Cream Truck Drivers Could Soon Face Federal Background Checks In Iowa
May 11, 2011, 6:00 pm
By Mark Carlson/SourceMedia Group News

An Eastern Iowa business owner hopes a new bill will help aid him in hiring ice cream truck drivers. The bill would likely help keep sex offenders out of ice cream trucks.

Tim Bird, owner of Peppy’s Ice Cream in Vinton, said he needs help from the federal government background check system in order to properly screen and hire employees.

“I cannot have anybody driving with a sex offense in their background,” said Bird. “That would be the worst thing I could ever do.”

Now ice cream truck drivers in Iowa are not subject to federal backround checks from their employers because of a loop-hole in the classification required for making the checks
...

[YellowRubberDuckie]

22. I'm more concerned with the people driving the truck than the ice cream.

Here in Oklahoma, they are either drug dealers or child molesters. Possibly an urban legend, but concerning, nonetheless.

[HopeHoops]

23. Not if all they sell is tofu ice cream.

[madmom]

25. We have a pizza parlor, a convenience store and an ice cream stand all

within a block of our school. The school just implemented an closed lunch policy, students are not allowed to leave school property during school hours, without a parent or guardian. After school, there isn't/wasn't much they could do.