Texas Tribune

Within the next couple of months, the Texas Department of Agriculture could be poised to repeal a state policy that bans deep fat fryers and soda machines on school campuses and places limits on the time and place that junk food can be sold there. In addition, Miller is proposing an increase in the number of allowed fundraiser days – when cupcakes and other sugary, fatty foods can be sold during the school day – from one to six per school year. 

His critics are calling foul, saying that Miller's actions are counterproductive in a state struggling to contain child obesity rates. But the commissioner believes that repealing these parts of the Texas Public School Nutrition Policy will simplify things, pulling the state into line with less-strict national standards. Currently, there are no federal restrictions on deep fat frying as a preparation method.

“It’s simple. If a school district doesn’t agree with any of these changes, then they don’t have to implement them," Miller wrote in a statement, referring to the policy changes. "That’s the beauty here.”

Miller hinted in January that deep fryers would be one of his priorities, and he officially proposed the change in March. A public comment period closed earlier this month, and Miller's nutrition team is now reviewing more than 200 comments. He is expected to announce this summer whether the commission will move forward with the changes.

Not just the deep far fryers but sodas. Would be interesting to see if Miller has taken any money from the soda pop industry. Even if not, what's so bad about letting parents be the ones to decide about feeding unhealthy foods to their kids? I remember when Grapevine schools decided not only to sell soda in machines but put a big ad on the top of their school that you could clearly see flying into DFW airport. (Maybe it's still there, don't know). The question is, why is Miller so het up on wanting children to be unhealthy?