Seattle wins award for offering healthier food options in schools and community centers

Cities may not be in the business of selling food, but they can determine what gets sold on public property — which includes schools, community centers, senior centers, and parks.

Seattle is one of nine cities getting praise for implementing policies to help fight obesity.

The city got a gold medal from CityHealth for offering healthy food options in public spaces. Since 2017, the non-profit has been assessing whether local policies improve people's health.

“We’ve all had that moment where you’re really hungry … you run to the vending machine and your only choice is a bunch of super high sugar, very low nutrition candy bars," said Shelley Hearne, president of CityHealth. "That’s not a choice.”

Hearne said that changing food procurement policies doesn't just help people make good decisions. “It’s what consumers want,” she said.

Last year, Seattle got a bronze medal for applying nutrition standards for its vending machines. Now, all foods sold on city property have to meet those standards.

And that decision has earned the city a gold medal.