Lansing — The Republican-led Michigan House’s proposed education budget prohibits schools receiving state funding for breakfast and lunch programs from selling soda pop or candy on school grounds.
The $21.5 billion spending bill also bars certain ingredients in food served through the program, including bromated vegetable oil, potassium bromate, titanium dioxide and several food dyes.
State Rep. Tim Kelly, a Saginaw Township Republican who leads the House’s K-12 budget process, said there is already a ban on the sale of pop and candy through the state-subsidized school breakfast and lunch programs. The language in the bill unveiled Tuesday would expand that ban to require schools to ensure pop or candy is not made “available for purchase to students” at other points of sale, such as vending machines in school buildings.
“I guess we’re really trying to keep it out of their hands altogether in a school setting,” Kelly said.
Kelly said the proposed ban on the sale of sugar-laden pop and candy inside Michigan schools is inspired by the Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, which is being led by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
“We know that these things lead to all sorts of chronic conditions, so why start them early?” Kelly said.
Sen. Darrin Camilleri, D-Trenton, said he was willing to discuss getting healthier foods in schools. But Camilleri said that he wasn’t sure whether the House GOP plan was the right approach.
Jennifer Smith, director of government relations for the Michigan Association of School Boards, said she was uncertain how many schools sell candy or soda pop and which would be affected by the legislation. The bill does not appear to ban baked goods, she noted, which are also a source of sugar.
Smith noted that many school districts contract for food services, so meeting the ingredient requirement might be difficult.
“We’re not making our food most of the time,” Smith said. “Most districts don’t have their own kitchen. It becomes hard for districts to regulate that.”
The GOP-authored House bill was pushed Tuesday from a subcommittee to the full House Appropriations Committee, where it awaits a vote planned for Wednesday morning.
Both the House and Senate education bills, after they pass their respective chambers, will be subject to negotiations as the chambers work out a final budget for the 2027 fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1.
Michigan House Republicans, in their proposed Department of Health and Human Services budget, also included language that would exclude soda and candy from the list of eligible products individuals could buy with food stamps.
Several states have already been granted waivers under Kennedy’s MAHA effort to prohibit the purchase of candy and soda with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) funds, formerly known as food stamps. Some SNAP recipients last month sued over the waivers that prevent them from having access to sugary drinks and candy.
The language related to the soda and candy ban at schools is contained in a section of the budget that provides state-subsidized breakfasts and lunches to all students.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer set aside about $200 million for the continuation of the universal meals program in her proposed budget introduced earlier this year.
House Republicans, in their budget, set aside $201.6 million but set conditions on the funding, including making the program available to nonpublic schools and prohibiting candy and pop.
Candy, as defined in the bill, does not include “bars, drops, or pieces that contain flour or that require refrigeration.” It instead includes “preparations of sugar, honey or other sweeteners in combination with chocolate, fruits, nuts or other ingredients in the form of bars, drops or pieces.”
Soda is defined in the bill as “any nonalcoholic beverage that contains natural or artificial sweeteners.” It does not include drinks that contain milk, milk substitutes or more than 50% vegetable or fruit juice by volume.
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Michigan House education budget bans sales of soda, candy at schools
Reporting by Beth LeBlanc and Craig Mauger, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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