Fast Food and Vending Machines Aren’t the Problem Essay

There has been an ongoing debate as to whether schools should be allowed to subsidize and sell fast food in the cafeterias as well as the use of vending machines in schools. I believe that it is when people who prepared the food started to lose sight of proper nutrition and portioning that made the problem. In some schools, vending machines are also part of the money-making machine that helps fund a schools various academic and day to day activities. At the Old Orchard Beach School, it has been reported that: The team implemented Tulane University’s CATCH nutrition education curriculum and wrote school vending policies that led to the removal of sodas and junk foods, and replaced them with water, 100% fruit juices, and healthier snack options. The vending machine signage was changed to advertise water instead of soda pop. The vendors were very cooperative in making the changes, and vending revenues have remained the same. Students have also taken an active role by writing their own nutrition policies, such as policies regarding foods served for classroom parties. At the Vista High school, Enid Hohn is the Director of Child Nutrition Services for Vista School District. He has learned to use the â€Å"necessary evil† to the benefit of his students and the school system. In 2005, with the support of the School Superintendent, he converted the junk vending machine at the Vista High School into a healthy, popular, moneymaking machine for the school. He relates the success story of his pilot project this way: The Principal was not very enthusiastic about this change. He indicated that he had been receiving $600. 00 per month ($7,200. 00 per year) in vending commission and was not interested in losing it. CNS gave him a $10,000. 00 signing bonus to offset his fears. We had difficulty getting students interested in signing up to try all the free food and beverages so we set up sample tables in a room close to the eating area and coerced students to come in and help us. We conducted food testing for three days and involved about 100 students. Once that was done it was important to set up focus groups with various students. Once school started we determined there was a need for additional machines due to the popularity of the Healthy Alternative Vending Program and the volume of items students were purchasing. (qtd. in Healthy Vending: The Vending Challenge paragraph 16) I am arguing that school vending machines should be allowed to sell fast food that fall under specified criteria controlled by the Child Nutrition Services of each school district based on the above information. The school earns the funding they need while staying within the guidelines of proper health and nutrition, while the children nutritious food without knowing it. Certain school districts argue that selling junk food and sodas in vending machines which are easily accessible to students in between classes since these are mostly located in the lobby cause deterioration in the student’s over all performance. It makes him sluggish, gives him a shorter attention span and prevents him from concentrating. Jeffrey Koplan, vice president of for academic health affairs of Emory University has stated that: Obesity may be a personal issue, but at the same time, families, communities, and corporations all are adversely affected by obesity and all bear responsibility for changing social norms to better promote healthier lifestyles. We recognize that several of our recommendations challenge entrenched aspects of American life and business, but if we are not willing to make some fundamental shifts in our attitudes and actions, obesity’s toll on our nation’s health and well-being will only worsen. (qtd. in National Effort Urgently Needed to Combat Childhood Obesity; Actions Required by Schools, Families, Communities, Industry, and Government paragraph 2. ) In addition, the National Effort Urgently Needed to Combat Childhood Obesity; Actions Required by Schools, Families, Communities, Industry, and Government, report also warned parents and schools alike that: By the time they are 14 years old, 52 percent of boys and 32 percent of girls are drinking three or more eight-ounce servings of soda a day. It would help for us to remember that vending machines don’t stock themselves, we do. This whole argument will prove to be a farce if the parents of the children can’t or won’t supervise the children or serve a nutritionally balanced meal at home. I refer you once again to the opinion of the National Effort Urgently Needed to Combat Childhood Obesity; Actions Required by Schools, Families, Communities, Industry, and Government report: Parents can exert a profound influence on their children by promoting healthy foods and an active lifestyle from an early age and serving as role models. Parents can encourage their children to develop a healthy, varied diet by introducing new foods in a persistent but non-coercive fashion. Studies show that repeated exposure is most critical during the early years of life and that it can take five to 10 exposures to a new food before a child will accept it. (qtd. in National Effort Urgently Needed to Combat Childhood Obesity; Actions Required by Schools, Families, Communities, Industry, and Government paragraph 5 I therefore, would like to reiterate that, there is no real reason with which to ban junk food and vending machines in schools. Instead, schools should learn to package â€Å"healthy† junk food. Learn how to use these things in order to promote good health and proper nutrition. The students will certainly be much more receptive of this approach. Works Cited: 1. Enid Hohn, R. D. , Director of Child Nutrition Services. Healthy Vending: The Vending Challenge. November 2006. November 13, 2006 2. National Effort Urgently Needed to Combat Childhood Obesity; Actions Required by Schools, Families, Communities, Industry, and Government. September 30, 2004. November 13, 2006. 3. Schools and School Districts That Have Improved School Food and Beverages and Not Lost Revenue. November 2006. November 13, 2006. 4. Bruce Buchanan. Getting to Wellness. October 2005. November 13, 2006.