Pick any building on campus, and you can be sure to find a vending machine stocked with multiple soda and candy bar choices. Vending machines have become in-building convenience stores. When we're hungry, we grab a dollar and head to the main lobby.
These convenient machines are as popular in elementary and high schools as they are on MSU's campus.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, the prevalence of overweight children was 15.8 percent from 1999 to 2002. Lawmakers are pointing the finger at unhealthy food choices in public schools. As of July 1, public schools across the nation have been instructed to adopt nutrition and exercise goals before the 2006 school year begins.
Being overweight is unhealthy. The law's main objective, however, is aimed more at school performance. According to the National School Boards Association, more school is missed by overweight children than by their average-weight classmates. In addition, supporters of the law say that children's attentiveness has much to do with their diets. For instance, reducing the amount of sugar a student consumes during lunch may improve his or her overall attentiveness in classes.
As the number of overweight children continues to grow, it becomes clear that action must be taken. Schools should offer healthier options at lunch.
The task of remodeling schools' lunch menus is a large one and should be tackled slowly but effectively. For instance, vending machines should still be in place, but they should offer fruit juices rather than sodas. Students should have the option of convenient snacking, but they should have more, healthier options.
Currently schools benefit from contracts with vending machines. Because Congress is not compensating schools for enforcing the new law, keeping vending machine contracts offers a lot of money. Rather than rely on money from popular soda or candy bar companies, though, schools should seek out alternative contracts from healthier food suppliers, such as Nestlé, the maker of Juicy Juice, or General Mills, the maker of Nature Valley granola bars.
Students are in school for up to nine hours a day. It's inevitable that during this time children will need to eat. If packing a healthy lunch isn't an option, schools should supply enough choices that promote good health for children now and in the future.
Bad food choices aren't going away any time soon, but the sooner a habit is started, the harder it is to break.
