Junk Food in Schools Essay

The school bell rings, signaling the start of the lunch hour and the kids all head out to the same direction: the cafeteria. After hours of sitting through class after class, their minds get weary from having to cram all that information into their heads. Consequently, the need for sustenance is almost always overpowering. Lining up towards the food counter, the children load up their trays with goodies of their own pickings. A can of Coke, a cheeseburger or tater torts, a bag of Cheetos and a candy bar and they’re on their way to devouring their savory spread. Thousands of schools across the globe are now being seen to serve an array of food that is high in calories and have elevated salt and fat content, not to mention the amount of preservatives in them. Cheeseburgers, fries, pizza, chips, sodas and candy bars have become largely available in today’s cafeterias, providing an unhealthy alternative to the traditional cooked meals. â€Å"Junk food†, as is appropriately coined for food that has low nutritional value, has largely become a favorite on our average youngster’s menu. As such, profit-seeking companies have targeted schools to market such products. Not only are they being promoted in high schools but they have now infiltrated the middle schools as well, knowing that most of these children are probably eating the same amount of junk food in their homes too. Although major cola companies are denying several harmful effects of their products, colas are causing children to be caffeine dependent. Crisps and other snacks may be attractive to [Insert Last name 2] kids in that they taste good but the consumption of these â€Å"empty† calories is the leading cause of obesity in youngsters and obese children could end up having chronic heart problems. Thousands of parents have voiced out their concerns and a lot of people are aware of the threat that this issue poses on the children’s health. Some areas actually pass laws prohibiting schools from turning on vending machines during lunch hours. This measure has proven to be ineffective. Such failure is the culmination of years and years of neglect upon the dietary needs of the children. If adults were more vigilant in supervising such an integral part of their growth, this health issue would not be an issue at all. As a result, what adults can do is to wean these kids from this unhealthy inclination and provide them with a well-balanced, highly nutritious yet equally satisfying fare. Regulations in preparing meals should also be implemented with respect to the children’s vitamin and mineral requirements. Fried products should be kept at a minimum as they are high in fat content, having been fried in oil. Burgers, sausages and other types of â€Å"mechanically recovered meat† should be banned from the cafeteria as well as sweets like candy bars, toffees, mints, chewing gum and savory snacks such as crisps, salted nuts and tortilla chips. These food items contain large amounts of sugar, salt, food additives such as monosodium glutamate and polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats. The school is a place where the youth, who are to become tomorrow’s adults, go in order to gain knowledge of all the worldly things that they would need in the future. It is a place where they feed their minds but what they are feeding their bodies in a place of learning might someday lead to unseen health problems unless, the serving of highly nutritious and substantial meals can be strictly enforced in the educational system and that the adults who run the schools keep in mind that the children’s health should in no way be compromised. [Insert Last Name 3] Works Cited â€Å"Junk Food Banned in School Meals†. 19 May 2006. BBC News. 11 April 2008. â€Å"Junk Foods†. 2008. Ask the Dietician. 11 April 2008.