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Junk Food in School

The article is about the school policy on junk food.

In April 2014, the Department of Agriculture banned junk food sales at schools in the United States. In particular, the ban limits school cafeteria and vending machine from offering or selling students of foods that are high in fats, sugar, and calories or “junk food”. Junk food according to USDA is responsible for making millions of schoolchildren obese, a condition that is associated with a number of health problems. Good examples of junk foods are soda, cheesecakes, hotdogs, candies, potato chips, and any food that has little or no nutritional value.

Study of obesity suggests that overweight and obese people are at risk of diabetes, coronary heart disease, a certain type of cancer, and tend to have a shorter life. Children with weight equal or greater than the 95th percentile are obese and likely to acquire a long-term chronic disease and psychosocial development problems. Poor food choices and consumption of junk food, a widely available, inexpensive, and effectively promoted on television and other media often cause obesity.

Obesity, according to study is a disease linked to children’s poor nutrition and significant time spent on watching television. Junk food, on the other hand, is linked to weight gain and insulin resistance and therefore increased the risk of obesity and Type 2 diabetes.

School Policy on Junk Food

Evidently, there was no national policy regarding junk food in the United States before 2014 and therefore no reason for schools to create an internal policy on this matter. In fact, according to 2006 survey, only 25% of schools had a school policy regarding junk food while a quarter of schools are developing #JunkFoodKids by allowing promotion and consumption of chocolate candy, cookies, pastries, baked goods, and soft drinks in schools. Some schools earned from vending machines that are so popular for their junk food content while others sell junk foods to the community so they can raise money.

Schools with the junk food policy are commonly against vending machines and selling foods with little or no nutritional value. They raised funds from selling vegetables and fruits. The national policy restricting the sale of junk food at schools is a challenge to the majority of schools to create policies that could make a difference such as a junk-free school environment. Their role as educators should include teaching students on appropriate health choices, provide knowledge and encourage students on the benefits of nutritious food and exercise.


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Teachers and school staff are role models and therefore must be at the forefront of the junk food free school campus initiative. Operators of school cafeterias and vending machines should start thinking about students’ well-being rather than sales and profit. Teachers should be familiar with how junk food is marketed to kids, recognize junk food from tables, and the difference between subtle and not so subtle junk food. Similarly, school officials may consider a wellness policy that includes more innovative fundraising strategies, fairs, field trips, and athletic competitions. More importantly, they should not fall for advertising money and firmly reject the promotion of junk foods in their respective schools.

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J.K. Garcia: <strong>Name:</strong> J.K. Garcia <strong>Education:</strong> University of California San Diego (UCSD) <strong>Current occupation:</strong> Senior editor for PrivateWriting.com, academic writer, and education blogger with more than 170 published articles. <strong>Recent works:</strong> “Full List of the Most Trending Argumentative Essay Topics”, “Descriptive Essay: A Closer Look at Descriptive Essay Writing”, “Definition Essay: A Powerful Guide to Writing an Excellent Paper”, “12 Steps to Writing a Research Proposal”, “The Contribution of Academic Institution in Children’s Well-Being”, “Home Schooling is an Ideal Way to Obtain Quality Education”, “Download Sites Violate Copyright Rules”, “Bullets in Victim’s Head: Hate Crime or Parking Space”, “Scholarly Articles Broaden the Student’s Outlook”, “Commemorating Pi on 3/14/15”, “Honesty is Sometimes Not the Best Policy”, “What Education Do You Need to Become a Master Chef?” Hobbies: Scuba diving, sphynx cats, European football, fine arts. <strong>About me:</strong> I work full-time as a senior content editor for an education platform Private Writing. As a freelancer, I contribute to blogs and online magazines in the fields I’m interested in, which include sports, arts, education, and animals, to name a few. My writing skills are diverse and engaging, giving me an opportunity to write in different styles and genres. I have put on several roles as a writer, from a guest blogger to an editor in chief for an academic writing company. Today it feels like the role of a senior editor suits me the best giving me an opportunity to work and supervise many talented writers enabling them to grow as professionals. My biggest accomplishments as a writer are to always go through with my assignments until the end and giving out 110% of what I’ve got until the final result lives up to the expectations. This one time a colleague of mine, a novice writer with a huge potential in academic writing, approached me for a piece of advice on how to be a better author. This gave me a huge boost of inspiration to be a better mentor for my fellow writers and be a more accomplished author when it comes to my own writing. I’m a native English speaker, also well-versed in Spanish and French, which are both my second languages thanks to my father’s ancestors being half Mexican and French. I read a lot of books and blogs to keep my skills on point. I’m a strong believer in the theory that the English language is an ever-evolving organism that changes every minute. So to keep up with the changes it’s necessary to read a lot in order to be up to speed.