Childhood obesity is again in the news today. The San Francisco Chronicle is running a story about Fresh Start, a program that provides fresh fruit to school children for breakfast and snacks. According to the story, the California Legislature cut the $11.1 million proposed by Gov. Schwarzenegger for Fresh Start in order to cover a $366 million funding gap in the education part of the state budget.
The pending decision comes on the heels of preliminary evaulations of the program by UC Berkeley's Center for Weight and Health, which found that fresh fruit offerings tripled at participating schools during Fresh Start's first year.
The article, written by Carol Ness, said state superintendent of schools Jack O'Connell called on legislators to restore Fresh Start during conference hearings at the end of June. Ness also quoted a spokesman for the governor as saying the program "is something we are going to continue to fight for."