Governor Deval Patrick ended the cupcake frenzy yesterday with a directive to the Department of Public Health to scrap its restriction on classroom and similar school fund-raising events which would have otherwise been the death knell for those beloved calorie-indulgent bake sales.
DPH has indicated it will pass emergency amendments to the regulations adopted last year that curtail the sale of sweets in schools. Though bake sales and other fund-raising events will be exempt, the new school nutrition standards will continue to apply to the primary sources of food and beverages in public schools. This includes products offered as a la carte items in cafeterias and available in vending machines and snack shops. The time frame will continue to be the school day itself and the 30-minute window immediately before and after the start and end of the school day.
