Should Fast Food be banned in schools? Fast Food franchises like McDonalds and Burger King are popping up on school campuses all across the United States. With many schools currently facing budget woes, some school officials have been inclined to allow it in order to make up for the lack of financial funding. However concerns about the health impact associated to long term consumption have ignited a debate about school policies and if junk food should be allowed in school. Opponents are calling for a ban on these foods being allowed in schools because of the negative effects such as health issues, behavior problems, and the idea that better food choices can be made available to students. First, many are concerned that allowing such food to be accessible to students may be detrimental to them and that schools are putting children at risk for long term health issues. Supporters of the ban are urging for the government to step in and regulate nutritional programs. …show more content…
There are several fast food franchises such as Subway, City Greens, and Smoothie King that can offer better food choices. Several other restaurants like McDonalds, Wendy’s and Chick-a-fil do offer salads and grilled options. However when faced with the option of burgers and fries or a salad more times than not the unhealthy option will more than likely be preferred. Perhaps allowing the business to operate, but with a limited menus can help create an equal compromise that allows the school to benefit, the kids to have selective food options but also limits the amount of unhealthy food being served to them. Phasing out sodas and fried foods would certainly limit a large amount of the concern parents have. It would also allow students to have a bit of diversity to choose from but not have access to unhealthy
When you walk into the student union or the Keathly University Center some of the first things to catch your eye will be Panda Express, Chik Fil A and a few other chain restaurants as long with many small stores with and endless supply of snacks. These are the choices allowed to the students on campus. Where many live on campus and do not have transportation, or they do not have the financial support to go out, so they are forced to dine on campus. While it is any kids dream to have a famous chain restaurant like McDonald’s in their backyard the practicality of such is slim to none, but with the advances society has made it is not only a possibility but a way of life on a college campus. An alternative to these food choices should be available for students. Fast food is not healthy food and right now our health is a big factor in our grades. If you want to be successful in school than you have to make sure all other aspects of your life are also in order, your health being one of the most important. According to the Huffington Post they do not have enough healthy choices for us to choose from. If you give an eighteen year old the option to choose between a ...
Since the beginning of time, schools were always a place we could trust. A place where we could send our kid(s) off to without worry of what they may be learning, doing, or eating, but perhaps we should be. As the craving of fast food is growing, so is the demand for it. Some schools have taken advantage of this and brought fast food into their schools, providing it for lunch. A high school in California serves McDonald’s, Subway, and even Quiznos to their students for lunch (Lehmann). The school claims the kids are more likely to buy school food when they see brand foods (n.p.). Schools get money from the National School Lunch Program for every meal they serve, but that money from the government only covers so much (n.p.). To pay the rest of the lunch staff, facilities costs, and food, schools turn to the money they make by selling lunches and breakfast to their students (n.p.). Another school in California has even tried to mimic Round Table, a brand name pizza in their area, with healthier ingredients, but was only able to sell 250-300; when they sold Round T...
"All Food Sales in Schools Should Offer Healthier Options." Should Junk Food Be Sold in Schools? Ed. Norah Piehl. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2011. At Issue. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 14 Apr. 2011.
Unhealthy foods are what make the money for schools and that is why they serve them for students. (Schlafy) Schools feel like they need the extra money in the budget, even though it is at the student’s expense. Data shows that nearly 60% of all middle schools in the US serve soda from vending machines. (Schlafy) Soda is very high in sugar and is not at all good for children, but it is still sold in school vending machines. The ways food in schools is now are way too high in fats and sugars. This is not good for the children and very bad in the long run. Elementary schoolchildren have an estimated $15 billion of their own money that they can use to buy whatever they want in schools, and parents have almost another $160 billion to give students for food money. (Schlafy) Big businesses see this as a big source of profit and therefore encourage children to buy their products, and want them to be offered in school because of th4e likelihood of children buying the business’s product. All in all, obesity in the US is greatly influenced by the foods offered in schools
“More than 76 percent of schools sell soft drinks and sweetened fruit drinks, but fewer than half offered bottles water. Fewer than 15 percent sell low-fat or nonfat yogurt, and fewer than one third order skim milk. Only 25 percent of schools say they've reduced fats and oils in recipes.”(Spake, 2). Choices at lunch range from greasy to unidentifiable. Most students eat school lunches five days a week. So most of the food they eat throughout the week comes from the school cafeteria. Although, the schools do tend to offer healthy choices such as salads, subs, skim milk, and unlimited fruits and vegetables. “Each week Phoenix students are served a variety of fruits and vegetables from guava to grapes and jicima to red peppers. School officials hope that by exposing children to fruits and vegetable they may develop a taste for them and request their parents to buy them.”(Bailey, 1). Real meat is becoming an issue in schools. “According to reports issued by the Physicians Committee for responsible Medicine (PCRM) the USDA dumps hundreds of millions of pounds of surplus beef, chicken, cheese, and pork on the National School lunch Program.”(Lord, 42). Chicken isn't whole white meat; some of it doesn't even taste like meat! Let’s move on to unhealthy foods. There are unlimited amounts of un...
Food To Students." Points Of View: Junk Food In Schools (2013): 2. Points of View
McDonald’s is delicious and convenient, and only cost a few dollars. On days were you are extremely busy they are there to serve whatever you would like from the menu. Sometimes it seems as though you can access it quicker than a trip to the grocery store. Even though, you know you will be hungry again later, you still pull up and go through the drive thru and place the order. While placing your order do you ever think of what this kind of food is doing to your body? Alternatively, that for just a few dollars that conveniently priced meal over time could cause your health to deteriorate. Fast food restaurants are adding to the obesity epidemic. Living in the age were technology has taken the place of personal interactions,
In “Hooked on ‘Caramel-Colored Gold,” Melody Nelson claims “Despite the increased awareness of the benefits of good nutrition, we are a nation hooked on junk food, and many school administrators are taking advantage of the situation ” (par. 3). Nelson propose a ban on vending machines in schools because junk food is unhealthy for children, and they risk future health problems. I agree with Melody Nelson and believe that vending machines should be banned from school campuses, because they sell unhealthy food, they cause more money to schools for hiring extra custodians, and they are affecting children learning abilities.
Schools with enormous food courts where students can buy meals and drinks from commonly known franchises, such as McDonalds and Coca-Cola, are the schools with the most health problems. Fast-food franchises are showing up everywhere, but do these businesses belong in high schools? No! Schools are here to enlighten students for life after school. If high schools promote bad eating habits by placing fast-food franchises in their cafeterias, then how can students eat right and healthy beyond high school.
Obesity is a very serious matter in the world today and there needs to be a regulation to help with this issue. With children becoming less active and eating more, their risk of obesity is much higher. Kids do not need to be rewarded with fast food every time they want it or every time they do something right. Parents and young children around the world need to understand the importance of healthy food so they can make better choices. If they make better choices with food, then the less likely they are going to have major health problems in the long run. My goal is for the U.S. Department of Agriculture is to raise the prices on meats and unhealthy foods that are made in fast food restaurants, and instead lower healthier food that you would buy in the grocery store. Fast food comes from the leftovers of the cow instead of the actual healthy stuff from them. That’s why fast food is so cheap and meat from the deli is so expensive. Fast food meat is not healthy in any way because it has no nutritional value in it. If prices increase at fast food restaurants, then the average American is more likely to stay away from there and just get their things from the store where they are a lot healthier. Yes these meats in the store may cost a little bit more but they get a lot more nutrients out of them along with a couple meals. If one person cooked a couple patties of hamburger or steak, then they would be able to eat it for a few days and change up the way they eat it as well. If one night they want to have hamburgers then they can, and then if they want spaghetti one night then all they have to do is cook the noodles and put the meat in the sauce.
Greasy pizza. Fried chicken. High sugar drinks. These all aspects of the American diet. American citizens and the American government are well known for a certain disregard for healthy eating. Severe health problems such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other weight related medical issues are steadily increasing. “Is Junk Food Really Cheaper?” by The New York Times, “Attacking the Obesity Epidemic by first Figuring Out Its Cause” by The New York Times, “Give (Frozen) Peas a Chance-and Carrots Too” by TIME, and “Edible Schoolyard” by Alice Waters are four articles that discuss the complications Americans face when it comes to the fast food epidemic. Farming, government policy, and schools as well as homes should be making bigger strides
To conclude, unhealthy foods in the cafeteria and the vending machines are the worst examples for the kids to maintain the healthy eating habits. Us Parents have to step in to make changes for our kids because in doing so would determine what kind of foods our kids are consuming. We do know for facts they are not getting the proper nutrients while in school, although they do spend in average of eight to 12 hours in schools. We, the parents, can start to make a difference, by attending the school meetings and being active in our kids functions in schools.
First of all, students aren’t motivated to eat unhealthy, not-tasty food. If you observed students buying lunch in the cafeteria, you don’t often see them buying these kinds, but not limited to, foodstuffs: burritos (which are just beans wrapped in tortillas), “burgers” (meat slapped on two slices of bread), etc. Even the chicken nuggets aren’t very popular. And the prices! $3.75-$4.75 is not worth such “garbahge”, as a teacher would say. Out of the twenty five students I surveyed, 56% stated that they would like to see their cafeteria changed. The reasons being were, “The same stuff everyday – it gets boring”, “Tastes like plastic”, ...
Processed food should be banned from school meals due to increasing health issues in children, increasing academic deficiency and increasing production cost to produce processed foods. There are people who would oppose to this idea due to population growth and an increasing food demand. However, this escalating demand of food is forcing the food industry and other government agencies to resolve the current hunger and lack of resources issues, by hiring processing factories and private companies to manufacture processed foods. The greater part of school age children consume processed foods on a daily basis.
“We need to teach our children to eat real food. No fast foods. No junk foods. No processed foods. Just honest, nutritious, real food.” As the years go by many more people are becoming obese because they consume too much fast food. People need to get in habits to cook at home rather than eating out everyday for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. People in this world are now always trying to look for the easy way out of things. Eating out at a fast food restaurant is not a healthy meal to eat. We the people need to avoid the fast food restaurants and stop being lazy and have home cooked meals everyday. Although fast food is convenient for everyone, it causes obesity and consuming too much fast food can lead to type 2 diabetes.