Are we hardwired to seek out junk food? The answer can be found on the face of my 16-month-old.

Given a taste of a cookie for the first time his expression was clear as day: utter bliss. Ever since that incident he's been asking for cookies, particularly when I present him with broccoli.

There's no doubt in my mind that, if left to his own devices, he would eat cookies all day, every day. That's why I hope that when he reaches school age he won't be given that opportunity.

This legislative session, the Senate Education Committee twice rejected a common-sense proposal by Sen. Pat Jones, D-Holladay, to limit the amount of junk food that's peddled to our kids in the school environment, and that's too bad. Opponents of the bill initially argued that it was an infringement on personal choice. But should kids be given unlimited and unfettered choices?

Most kids, if they had their druthers, would make a host of decisions that would not benefit their long-term health and well-being. They wouldn't, for example, go to bed at night, take baths, brush their teeth or do their homework. Our schools should be places where our children learn skills and habits that will prepare them for success, not poor health and the lost opportunities that come with it.

The truth is that kids spend most of their waking hours in the school environment, and if we facilitate unhealthy habits there, we all pay for the consequences. Sedentary kids with poor nutrition are much more likely to become overweight and obese, both of which are associated with complications like diabetes and asthma. Just an extra 100 calories per day (less than the amount in a soda) translates into 10 extra pounds of weight gain per year. It's no wonder that nearly one-fifth of all kids are now overweight or obese.

Bad health choices that lead to childhood obesity cost all taxpayers money. Obesity-related hospitalizations for children and youth nearly doubled between 1999 and 2005, costing Medicaid $118.1 million in 2005, up from $53.6 million in 2001 -- a 120 percent increase. Obese kids also experience low self-esteem, social isolation and lower school performance.

According to the 2006 School Health Profiles survey, Utah middle and high schools ranked worst in the nation among all states in the percentage of schools offering chocolate candy (85.9 percent), salty snacks not low in fat (75.9 percent) in vending machines or at the school store, canteen or snack bar.

Utah also ranked worst among states with the percentage of schools that restricted access to these foods during lunch periods (18.7 percent).

It's time to stop ignoring the relationship between the availability of junk foods in our schools, childhood health and school performance, and our stated goal of lowering health care costs.

Korey Capozza is senior health policy analyst for Voices for Utah Children.