It's like the news are constantly reporting about how another state have passed a law limiting or even taking out junk food in (public) schools. You know, replacing potato chips with apple chips or replacing soda machines with milk machines. What's your opinion on this?

I go to a private school, but I think selling "junk" food in schools is a great revenue. Some schools are constantly cash-strapped and selling junk food allows them to at least take some revenue in. Granted, I am in high school so us students are more wary of what we eat (salads are just as popular as pizza here). Of course, the problem of obesity is unsurprising and American children are so affected, schools have to take actions.

I know these laws affect primary schoolchildren more because younger kids don't focus on health facts and stuff, but I think this is an interesting issue.

I read a news article the other week on how this one school has a system where parents can go online to see what their kids are ordering in the cafeteria. Would that not be a better alternative than banning junk food completely?

I don't know how it works in other schools, but in my school district, as far as I know they don't really make more money depending on what as sold- the food service is contracted out, so they probably do get a certain amount, but the rest goes to the food service company (I think the one in my district may be non-profit or something, because I think it's limited to that district only)- I know the company that services my school (college) is an international company that also serves school districts, and they make millions of dollars. so that money is going to them, not to the school.

and I don't think it really needs to be removed. yeah, obesity is a huge (no pun intended) problem in this country, but it's the parents' job to make sure their kids are eating right, not the school's or the state's. but of course that will never happen, because people always look to someone else to blame. obesity couldn't possibly have anything to do with the parents being hands-off on what their kids eat, or how they let them sit in front of the TV all day because they're too busy to do anything with them- it's because the schools are waving candy bars in their faces.

but it's the parents' job to make sure their kids are eating right, not the school's or the state's. but of course that will never happen, because people always look to someone else to blame

This a major point here. Sure, there's health class, and parents don't always have the time to watch what their children are eating, but it'd be good in the long run. My parents constantly remind me to eat healthy (they don't make me, just tell me to), eventually, it got impounded into me that I even ask them to buy more fruits.

JUNK FOOD!!!!! YAY!

I eats lotsa fruits and veggies don't get me wrong... but I can't imagine my life without junk food.

In some schools you can't do anything about it - literally nothing. My senior year in high school (last year) I went to school at a mall (Mall of America). It was a small school (maybe 80 or 90 students) and they had no lunch system. Basically everyone would go out into the mall and buy lunch. Taco Bell, Panda Express, whatever else. Can't do anything about that.

Plus, isn't it rather stupid to baby high school students? Don't they have more important things to worry about, things that will catch up to you quicker such as smoking and drinking? There were very few people in my school that didn't smoke. There were more than a few doing illegal drugs. Who cares about junk food when people are poisoning themselves other ways?

Plus, isn't it rather stupid to baby high school students?

Ah, but what about elementary/primary school? Like I mentioned in my original post, the laws are affecting primary kids more.

Well, around here where I live they don't have snack machines in elementary schools, and from what I vageuly remember they had pretty healthy (though quite disgusting) meals. But I don't know, maybe things have changed since then.

Hehe, maybe they should just enforce more phy-ed... Aaahhh! Noooo!

If you give kids the option of apple vs. chocolate, what's the obvious choice the majority of the time? It wouldn't hurt anyone to take junk food out of schools. If they really need to eat crap, they'll eat it when they go home.

None of our elementary schools have snack machines, but the jr. high and the high school do. (It should be noted, however, that the snack machines do more stealing of money than dispensing of junk food.) And because of some truly ridiculuous bit of state legislation, they removed most of the coke machines (because they were within 50 feet of the cafeteria.)

The trouble with saying that schools shouldn't have to worry about what their students eat is that children, like it or not, spend a great deal of their time at school, and there is some kind of legal precedent that schools act in place of parents. Therefore, they should make some effort to regulate what's being sold on their property. But, in this age of education spending cuts, things are complicated by the fact that schools receive money from the likes of Coca Cola for selling their products.

To be fair, you can't entirely blame "junk food." My school (which at one point actually had money) has been slashing the number of gym credits required to graduate. This lack of forced physical activity (espcially important in high schools, because, by and large, we're all lazy slackers (Fencing is really my only exercise, and that's only part of the year)) is just as dangerous as increased calorie consumption.

Well, i dont know, i never eat heathy... :hehe:

Really, i dont think they should expell junk food. Its an important member of our society...

I think that highschool students are old enough to decide for themselves what kind of food they eat. In my highschool, we had soda/snack machines around the building, but none in the cafeteria. They only had fruit juice and bottled water machines in the cafeteria.

As for young children in elementary/middle school, junk food availablity should probably be more limited. Parents can't control what their kids eat at school (unless they pack the child's lunch for them). We had no soda or snack machines in my middle or elementary school. All we had was an ice cream counter where you could buy a snack after lunch if you parents gave you enough money.

Bottom line: I dont think it should be banned, especially not for high school students. They are teenagers, and should have the right to eat what they want. But it should be limited for younger students.

i think aswell people should be old enough to decide what's good enough for them or not ...

so to me i find this "rule" redicilous (sp?) ... :)

Love,
Mirna

I'm glad I'm out of high school, because I lived off of junk food :lol: I can sort of understand taking out, or at least limiting, junk food in elementary/middle school, but once you get to high school, you should know what to eat and what not to eat. It's their decision at that age, especially since that's when kids start driving, they can go to the corner store and buy candy anyway :D

I'm going to be a school teacher next year, so my perception on this might be a little different. :)

I think schools should provide all different kinds of food- not just junk, and not just healthy. They should have milk/water/juice vending machines open throughout the school day, and then open soda machines after school hours. Chips and stuff like that should be available, but I would say after school, or (at the very least) after lunch.

And yeah, High School students should be old enough to decide for themselves what to eat and when to eat it!

Those are just my thoughts. :)

They should have milk/water/juice vending machines open throughout the school day, and then open soda machines after school hours.
That's what my high school did - we had soda machines, but they weren't on until after school. Who needs a bunch of hyperactive teenagers during the day, anyway? :P

I'm glad I'm out of high school, because I lived off of junk food :lol:

Same here, that's my lunch a lot of days (but I always balance it out with chocolate milk ;))

We never had vending machines in elementary school, the only time junk food was sold at school was after the grade 7/8 dances to get rid of it all. A good thing just because kids are annoying enough without having a lot of sugar in them.

I don't agree with taking junk out of high schools though, for the reasons people said above. They should maybe try to provide more healthy options though... I know my school sells veggies/dip at lunch, and I think they might have apples but I really have no idea... the focus is on the yummy deepfried hot food (ew).

That's what my high school did - we had soda machines, but they weren't on until after school. Who needs a bunch of hyperactive teenagers during the day, anyway? :P

What time did you start? We start at 7:20, so there are people who quite literally live off caffeine for the first part of the day. As you could guess, ours are on all day, but the ones in the jr. high are only on after school.

We started around that time, too, and got out around 2:30. It makes sense to keep the soda machines off during the day, especially when you consider that the first lunch period is, like, 10:30 in the morning.

If my school would served real food, I might eat it. so If I want to actually eat I have to buy a pack of chips or ice cream.

We started around that time, too, and got out around 2:30. It makes sense to keep the soda machines off during the day, especially when you consider that the first lunch period is, like, 10:30 in the morning.
Coke at 10:30...that's nasty. First lunch period for us is 11:00, so I suppose it's a bit better. Our Coke machines are near the lockers, which are miles away from any classroom, so it's harder to go by and get something. So they're effectively off during the day.

If my school would served real food, I might eat it. so If I want to actually eat I have to buy a pack of chips or ice cream.

:lol: That's the other problem, school lunches. The usual side dish at school is a great big helping of greasy french fries. My school serves veggies, but if you saw them, you'd understand why no one eats them. (Especially the peas...) Their concept of a salad is a bowl of iceberg lettuce-with enough ranch dressing to drown it. In an effort to make themselves look like they were trying, they decided to try serving Healthy Choice meals, which weren't too well-received.

Its a very good point, because they can't very well justify taking out junk food when what they serve is junk food in itself.

Even my college was horrible with that. The cafeteria was fine, but we kind of had this "fast food" place as an alternative. A meal was on the meal plan, but anything healthy cost extra. Yogurt, fruit, and water weren't on the meal plan (they used to have a spout for water on the soda machines but got rid of it, therefore making us buy bottled water). I think I got fat because of that place, because I didn't want to spend $1 for a thing of yogurt :P