Clubs no longer allowed to sell candy due to 2006 state legislation

By Afra Hussain
<[email protected]>

Sophomore Daniel Smith is one of the top candy sellers for this year’s Band Boosters candy sales to benefit the school’s band program. Having sold around $81 of candy this year at school, he said right before class starts is the best time to sell the treats. Smith said he did not know that selling candy and other unhealthy food items will no longer be allowed at school because of the enforcement of state legislation that was passed years ago.

Now clubs and organizations at the school who wish to fundraise must first fill out an application (click here to download the application) and make sure the items they wish to sell follow the Indiana State Code of Nutrition. However, many of the clubs and organizations at the school have sold candy and other unhealthy items for many years.

As for the new food regulations, Assistant Principal Sam Ruff said it came from a routine investigation. He said, “The goal was originally to keep track of all our fundraisers but in the process of figuring that out, this came about.”

The 2006 law states that food or beverages sold to students must meet certain conditions, including they cannot have more than 30 percent of total calories derived from fat. These qualifications instantly disqualify popular fundraising items such as candy. Smith said he was never aware of such restrictions and did not understand why such regulations came about. He said he also thinks that students will continue selling candy at school even when they are not supposed to.

“I guess it’s not their job to control what students eat, but I can’t do anything about it so I don’t really care,” he said. Smith said he sold candy last year as well for the same fundraiser. Smith is a participant of jazz band, marching band, Wind Symphony I, full orchestra and The Ambassador backup band and said the fundraiser benefits the band program greatly.

Ruff said he understood these concerns. “I think, again, we are going to try to be reasonable in what we can and cannot allow,” Ruff said.

Smith said he does not see the point in the regulations because of the difficulty in enforcing them.

“It may stop some people, but a good amount of people will still keep doing it,” he said. He said he personally does not like the regulations himself.

Ruff said he acknowledges the regulations are difficult to enforce. “It would be impossible for us to police essentially a black market of candy,” he said. Students may not sell any of the unqualified items anytime during school. Similar regulations have been enforced with the vending machines at school. All of the new regulations are part of state law and federally mandated.

Smith suggested that teachers enforce the regulations because he noticed that during class was when the majority of the people bought his candy. “You walk into class and ask who wants candy and a bunch of people say, ‘I do’,” he said. According to him, even having teachers police every student during class could get to be a bit much. He said he was just upset with how the regulations targeted fundraisers.

Ruff said he feels sympathetic for the organizations, but said he has not seen widespread negative reactions toward the regulations. “I think the intent is great, it’s just the enforcement,” he said. “I feel bad for groups that have always done a candy fundraiser in the past. So, hopefully they will try to find other ways to fundraise.”