The bills aim to restrict the amount of sugar, fat and salt children consume, at least during the school day.
''The most effective way to prevent obesity in our children is to teach them the right way to eat,'' said Assemblyman Herb Conaway, D-Burlington, a physician who co-sponsored a similar measure in the Assembly.
The federal Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta report a rapid rise in childhood obesity, which puts children at higher risk of developing heart disease, diabetes and some cancers later in life.
Similar proposals have been introduced in at least 17 states this year, according to the national Conference of State Legislatures. Policies are on the books in a few states, including California and Arkansas, while a proposal in Connecticut would extend the ban to high schools.
In New Jersey, the bill that would impose the same food restrictions as the package of Senate measures has already cleared the Assembly and now goes to the full Senate for consideration.
The New Jersey legislation would prohibit public school vending machines from stocking any item that lists sugar as its first ingredient, or anything that has more than eight grams of total fat, except nuts and seeds. The ban would be in effect until 30 minutes after schools closed for the day.
The measures also require that vending machines in high schools be stocked with at least one healthy snack; home-baked goods sold at fund-raisers would be exempt from the restrictions.
Assemblyman Craig Stanley, D-Essex, said easy access to junk food exposes children to a litany of life-threatening diseases.
''Public schools need to be places where both healthy minds and bodies are created,'' said Stanley, who co-sponsored the Assembly measure. ''Sugary, fat-laden foods have no place in our schools.''
