Bountiful » Lunch at Bountiful Junior High looks like lunch at most schools except for one thing: the vending machines.

They're stocked only with snacks that meet certain nutritional guidelines. No candy. No pop.

"I don't like the stuff in there," said eighth-grader Asia Smith on a recent school day.

Some kids may grimace at the thought of no fatty, sugary snacks, but at least one lawmaker would like to see healthy vending machines become the norm in all Utah schools. Sen. Patricia Jones, D-Holladay, plans to run a bill this session that would limit what coulc be sold in school vending machines in Utah. If schools wanted to sell less healthy snacks, their school community councils would have to vote on that in a public meeting, according to the bill, which is still in draft form.

Now, it's up to each school district or school to decide what to sell in its machines, which typically earn money to benefit students.

"We know obesity is becoming one of the No. 1 issues for adults and children," Jones said. "It's just causing all kinds of havoc on our health care system. One only has to walk through the halls of our secondary schools to see the problem."

Only 18.2 percent of Utah middle and high schools didn't sell candy or fatty, salty snacks in vending machines in 2008 -- the lowest percentage of 40 states surveyed, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report.

But the issue is not as simple as Oreos versus bananas. Everyone agrees they would like to see kids eat healthier, but some schools earn big bucks selling snacks, and it's unlikely they would make as much money selling only healthy items.

Riverton High School switched to healthier fare over the summer, and the school has lost money. Before the switch, the school made about $2,700 a month off its beverage machines and about $1,900 a month from its snack machines. Now, the school makes about $1,000 a month from its beverage machines and about $700 a month from snacks, said Steve Dunham, a Jordan School District spokesman.

"Because the schools are already so underfunded, any impact of this magnitude affects the programs that are available to offer at the school level," Dunham said.

Some say it's not worth the loss, especially when kids can just walk to nearby convenience stores after school to get their junk food fix.

Bountiful Junior High ninth-grader Mackelle Winchester said she likes to buy Snickers bars after school.

"You'd think the school or district would rather get the money rather than it going to the gas station," Winchester said.

Bountiful Junior High switched to healthier drinks and snacks years ago when Steve Lindsay, who is now the Davis School District's healthy lifestyles supervisor, was principal at the school. He said, however, that he was able to recoup most of the money the school lost by holding positive events, such as a 5-kilometer run and a health fair.

"If they're not buying it from me, then I can sleep at night," Lindsay said. "I don't think we should be condoning it by making it available."

Some districts, including Davis, already have nutritional guidelines for vending machines. And some students are grateful for the healthier options.

Ninth-grader Jake Cutler, who bought baked chips from one of the machines at Bountiful Junior High on a recent day, said he would even like to see fruit in the machines.

Ninth-grader Annie Schmidt said the offerings help her eat healthier.

"When there's junk food in front of you, you're going to eat it," Schmidt said. "It's easier when they don't have it."

The bill also would allow schools to decide whether to follow the snack guidelines, though the beverage guidelines would be mandated, Jones said. But many schools already carry healthier drinks because of a national agreement made between major soft drink companies years ago.

"It gives parents some say in a public meeting as to what they want in their neighborhood school," Jones said. "This is the most local you can get."

Korey Capozza, a senior health policy analyst with Voices for Utah Children, said it's important to send kids the right message. The group was one of many that worked with Jones on the bill.

"We teach our kids health education in our schools, yet they walk out of the classroom, and there's banners for junk food and snack options that have no nutritional value," Capozza said. "There's a real mixed message there."

Scott Bushnell, principal at Murray High, said he can see both sides of the issue. Murray, like many schools, already carries healthier drinks, but many of the school's vending machines, except one that was added on a trial basis, still carry typical offerings.

The school pulls in about $842 a month on its snack machines, but revenue from the drink machines declined from about $1,000 a month to half of that since the school switched to healthier beverages. It's money that Bushnell said he uses to help cover transportation costs for field trips and after-school activities.

"Obviously, we'd love to promote good health, and at the same time we'd love to provide funding for our programs," Bushnell said. "It puts you in a tough position, no question about it."