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A study published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that U.S. schools are decreasing the sale of unhealthy foods and beverages, United Press International reports. Thirty-four states participated in the School Health Policy Survey in 2006 and 2008. Sixty-three percent of secondary schools in those states reported that in 2008 they did not sell soda or fruit drinks that were not 100 percent juice, an increase from 38 percent in 2006. The median percentage of secondary schools in these states that limited the sale of candy or salty snacks not low in fat increased from 46 percent to 64 percent. Efforts to improve the nutrition environment varied among states: More than two-thirds of secondary schools in California, Connecticut, Hawaii and Maine are not selling baked goods, high-fat salty snacks, candy, soda or fruit drinks that were not 100 percent juice. However, fewer than one-third of secondary schools in Utah, Kansas, Idaho and Nebraska reported not selling such items. Mississippi and Tennessee made the greatest progress, with the percentage of secondary schools that did not sell soda or fruit drinks that were not 100 percent juice increasing from 22 percent to 75 percent, and from 27 percent to 74 percent, respectively. Noting that the “school environment is a key setting for influencing children's food choices and eating habits,” Howell Wechsler, the director of the CDC's Division of Adolescent and School Health said that “by ensuring that only healthy food options are available, schools can model healthy eating behaviors, help improve students' diets, and help young people establish lifelong healthy eating habits" (UPI, 10/5/09; Associated Press/New York Times, 10/5/09; Los Angeles Times, 10/5/09 [registration required]; CDC release, 10/5/09; Brener et al., Morbidity and Mortality Weekly, 10/5/09).