Should government impose restrictions on what kinds of foods can be

served in school cafeterias?

In the United States obesity rates are an alarming all time high with 32.2% of total population

resting in the obese category out of which male adults are at 31.7%, female adults are at 33.9%

and children are at 25.8%. How did a developed nation like United States with large amounts of

parks, adventure sports options, Olympics medals and a culture of skinny jeans and no thigh gap

controversy get to be so fat after all, the answer lies in this question itself, the more developed a

nation is, it seems the lazier its food options are. Nobody is interested in the art of aesthetic and

therapeutic food anymore. We binge on fast food then fight our cholesterol with diets and

manage our health with a cocktail of drugs when the problem at a whole can be avoided all

together by promoting healthy and proper diet supplemented with exercise. Adults are set in their

ways and changing them could be quite an uphill task. But the children are like wet putty, their

minds are impressionable and they can still be taught the importance of a good diet, we all know

the age old adage, “a healthy mind resides in a healthy body.”

It is necessary for the government to step into schools and promote healthy foods. There are

three big reasons for this. First to cut down on obesity rates in children, as health problems like

diabetes, blood pressure problems, heart disease risks and many more increase with increase in

obesity and children getting obese would only append their health problems age their age

progresses, these diseases put a lot of financial and social burden over the government and

healthy diet with good amounts of exercise can be a great factor in cutting down these risks, but

to enforce this behavior children will have to be made understood their importance first and this
can only happen if we focus on providing them with proper healthy foods in the cafeteria. The

second reason is, as we all know that our population across all ages, ethnicities and races is

addicted to fast food, to effect change in them the government will have to promote healthy diets

at the school level when young minds can be easily taught the importance of healthy diet. Third

is it is easy for the government to target schools and change their systems as opposed to targeting

the multibillion dollar fast food industry and fizzy drinks industry, which would result into

lengthy and costly legal battles.

Over the years many people have gone to fast food places. They became so popular and then

they started putting fast food places in high school cafeterias. Even the teachers know it’s

unhealthy, but still they go for it. Detrimental food affects people in bad ways, so we need to

support healthy lunches. Fast foods should not be served in high school cafeterias, the health

problems due to fast food is mainly due to high amounts of sodium in them, sodium leads to high

blood pressure which then leads to a plethora of problems as any problem with blood which is

present all over the body will lead to problems with the body itself. Moreover fast foods are

greasy and this grease clogs arteries leading to heart problems. Research has shown that the food

students eat lead to childhood obesity, ADD, and academic achievement. A new study published

in the Journal of School Health suggests that specific dietary factors affect academic

performance. Students who generally eat less saturated fat, salt, and “empty calorie foods,” and

instead more fruits, vegetables, and grains had higher average scores on academic

assessments. In the study researchers from the University of Alberta surveyed 5000 grade 5

students, gathered information on the dietary intake, height and weight of each student and also

took into account the socio-demographic variables. The researchers calculated that the DQI-I that

represents the intake of foods and nutrients essential to a healthy person’s diet such as fruits,
vegetables, grains, dietary fiber, proteins, iron, calcium and vitamin c reflected in the moderation

score of DQI-I. The students with intake of whole foods had a better score while students with

lesser intake of healthy wholesome foods scored below their peers.

According to researcher Ron Haskins from the Food Museum , “more than 80% of elementary

schools and selected the right foods to eat. But while you can lead students to good food, you

can’t make them eat it.” Adults who love pizza and doughnuts can comprehend why students

have a 90% of high schools offered food choices that would meet guidelines for fat and saturated

fat intake if students tough time making the right choices when just as many bad choices are

offered to them. The actuality in most schools is that pre-made, processed food is the cheapest

way to go. Furthermore, where there is a lack of ingenuity and enthusiasm to tend a vigorous and

sustainable menu, fast-food chains, junk-food vendors, and soda companies rush in to fill the

void, offering partnerships with schools that allow them to market their goods in schools. No

wonder kids are motivated to make unhealthy food choices.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that the average child in the United

States between six and eleven years-old has four times the acceptable level of

organophosphates in their body. Pesticides, such as organophosphates, have been linked to many

harmful health effects, counting neurological disorders, reproductive problems, blood poisoning,

and cancer. These effects are chiefly dangerous to children because of their lesser body volume

comparative to exposure levels, and because their bodies are still emergent. The fruits and

vegetables with the utmost concentration of pesticide residues are often the ones we eat the most,

like apples, spinach, lettuce, and potatoes. Many livestock farms apply pesticides directly to the

skin, fur, or feathers of livestock. And even more significantly, grain eaten by livestock is often
grown extensively with the use of pesticides. These pesticides collect in animal fat and are

passed along to the people who eat the animals.

Junk foodstuff can be tempting for a variety of reasons, including handiness, cost and savor. For

children, who do not always understand the health consequences of their eating habits, junk food

may appear especially appetizing. However, regularly consuming high in calories junk food can

be addictive for children and lead to complications like obesity, chronic illness, low self-esteem

and even depression, as well as affecting how they perform in school and extracurricular

activities. According to the Women’s and Children’s Health Network, diet has a significant

effect on children’s study habits. Junk food and foods with high sugar content exhaust energy

levels and the ability to think for extended periods of time. Energy and focus are especially

crucial for school-age children. Children set the basis for lifelong habits in their youth, making

junk food particularly perilous to their well-rounded development. Physical activity is also

essential for children of all ages, and habitually eating junk food does not provide the necessary

nutrients children need for adequate get-up-and-go to engage in physical activity. A lack of

physical activity is harmful to physical and mental well being and may also rule out a child from

critical social maturity.

A study published in “Pediatrics” in 2004 found fast-food consumption in children was

associated with many hazardous precursors for obesity. According to this study, kids who ate fast

food were more likely to munch through a higher amount of calories, fat, carbohydrates and

added sugars in one fast food meal. They were also less likely to eat as much fiber, milk and

fruits and vegetables as children who did not eat fast food. Children who consumed more

fattening foods while eating fast food were also likely, in general, to eat more unhealthy foods at

other meals. According to a declaration released by the journal “Nature Neuroscience” in 2010,
high-calorie food can be addictive, causing children who occasionally eat fast food to learn

problematic patterns of eating. These factors were found to place children who regularly ate fast

food at increased risk for obesity.

According to the Prevention Institute, experts blame junk food for rising rates of diabetes, high

blood pressure and stroke. Increasing rates of chronic illness affect children who regularly

consume junk food. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts if current trends

continue, one in three U.S. adults will have diabetes by the year 2050. Diabetes can result in

disability and premature death. The Center for Food Safety noted in 2012 that obese children are

also more likely to develop high cholesterol and heart disease later in life. According to the

Women’s and Children’s Health Network, changes can happen in children’s bodies even when

they’re young that are associated with disease at a more advanced age.

Self-esteem and self-confidence are especially important to growing children, and regularly

consuming junk food can unconstructively impact this sense of self. According to “Kids Health

Club” magazine, junk food can affect a child’s physical development in negative ways, counting

damaging weight increase, which can result in self-worth problems. Low self-esteem can lead to

consequences like depression. Nutritionists at MayoClinic.com also report eating junk food can

potentially cause depression on its own. According to the journal “American Family Physician,”

depression -- which can be very dangerous for children -- has negative impacts on growth and

development, performance in school and social relationships and can ultimately lead to suicide.

According an article by Dr. Mercola of mercola.com There are over 61.5 million children under

the age of 14 in the US, and for American businesses, these kids represent one of the most

commanding demographics to be captured. Not only do these children spend $40 billion a year
on snacks, toys, and electronics, using cash given to them by their parents or relatives, they also

exert a authoritative sway on their parents' spending. As noted in the documentary

film Consuming Kids, children under 12 influence adult expenditure worth a overwhelming $700

billion a year, which equates to the collective wealth of 115 of the world's poorest countries.

Researchers say that as obesity in America has risen radically in recent years -- and smoking

rates have declined -- the input of obesity to the burden of disease and shortening of life has

increased while smoking's role has decreased. The study showed that from 1993 to 2008, the

proportion of smokers among U.S. adults declined by 18.5% while the proportion of obese adults

increased 85%. Using findings from nationwide annual health-related quality-of-life surveys

conducted during the same time period, researchers calculated the Quality-Adjusted Life Years

(QALYs) lost due to these two major health risk factors. The consequences, published in

the American Journal of Preventive Health, show that smoking-related QALYs lost remained

pretty stable during this time period at 0.0438, or 16 days of healthy life lost per adult

population.

School food services sell unhealthy kids’ favorites as a la carte items in the cafeteria to make up

for insufficient school meal subsidies. Moreover, they have included them into the subsidized

meals themselves in order to pass up losing student participation in the meal plan. Competitive

foods are sold in most schools. A 2005 survey conducted for the USDA found that competitive

foods were sold in cafeterias as a la carte items in 75 percent of elementary schools and over 90

percent of middle and high schools and in vending machines in 27 percent of elementary schools,

87 percent of middle and junior high schools, and 98 percent of high schools.
The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) requires participating schools to provide free and

abridged price lunches to all income-eligible students. The NSLP then reimburses schools for

every free and abridged price lunch served by the school. In addition to these reimbursements,

USDA provides schools a portion of excess agricultural commodities, and confined school food

authorities can make agreements with provisions companies to also process the commodities into

ready-to-serve foods such as pizza or French fries, or exchange the commodities for foods that

meet USDA nutrition standards. Meal programs also earn revenues from the procure of reduced

and full price meals.

Spirited competitive foods are a source of substantial revenue for many schools. A 2005 United

States Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that many schools generated large

revenues from the sale of competitive foods. The GAO estimated that in 2003-2004, thirty

percent of all high schools generated more than $125,000 per school from the sale of competitive

foods, 27 percent of middle schools generated more than $50,000 per school and 32% of

elementary schools generated more than $5,000 per school.

Competitive foods sold in vending machines, school stores, and fundraisers provide funds for a

wide range of school programs and expenses, including athletic equipment, facilities, and

uniforms; arts programs such as band and chorus; student field trips; school assemblies;

playground equipment; textbooks and school supplies; library supplies; computer equipment;

staff development; student rewards and incentives; scholarships; construction of new facilities,

and general school overhead such as facilities and grounds maintenance. Like school food

service directors, school officials, teachers, parents, and students seeking to promote educational

programs and fill budget gaps also have incentives to sell competitive foods that appeal to

students, and this often means more unhealthy food in schools.

As it is young minds of this country are bombarded with distractions and health risks from

various factors like, using the cell phones, watching TV too much, using the social media

without any moderation and add fast food with all its inherent problems to this scenario. What

we may get is a generation of adults who may have a wide bench of health problems and

psychological problems, their growth is the responsibility of today’s adults and the responsibility

rests on the shoulders of our government and parents. Schools are place where children spent

most of their active time in it can also be made a place where proper diet and its importance can

be taught to children with the greatest efficacy. The government has to step in and take

humongous and high impacting decisions to root out unhealthy dietary practices in school

cafeterias so as to promote a well balanced diet and healthy future of the young children as they

are the next generation who will be running the country and any investment in their betterment

will only improve our chances of betterment as a society.

References:

1. Heller L (2008) Fruit and veg. linked to kids’ school performance, study. Retrieved from

http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/Fruit-and-veg-linked-to-kids-school-

performance-study

2. Jacobson M., (2010) 7 Reasons Why Congress Should Pass Child Nutrition Now.

Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-f-jacobson/seven-reasons-to-

pass-chi_b_781721.html

3. Ralston K., (2008) The National School Lunch Program: Background, Trends, and Issues

p.31. Retrieved from http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/ERR61/ERR61.pdf

4. Government Accounting Office (2005), School Meal Programs: Competitive Foods are

Widely Available and Generate Substantial Revenues for Schools. Retrieved from

http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05563.pdf

5. Poppendieck J. (2010), Free for All: Fixing School Food in America. Retrieved from

http://www.amazon.com/Free-All-America-California-Studies/dp/0520243706

6. Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004. Retrieved from

http://www.fns.usda.gov/TN/Healthy/108-265.pdf

7. Mercola (2014), Junk Food: Just as Bad as Cigarettes, and Marketing Tactics Also Rival

Those of Big Tobacco. Retrieved from

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/06/07/junk-food-marketing-

children.aspx

8. National School Lunch Program Fact Sheet. Retrieved from

http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/NSLPFactSheet.pdf