As a kid, nothing was better for lunch at school than grilled cheese, greasy French fries and Doritos, followed by soda to wash it all down.
But according to the New York Daily News, state lawmakers want to make junk food a thing of the past because children are developing an obesity problem.
Schools like New Haven’s Nathan Hale School have banned junk food and soda from vending machines. The “junk food-free school” even discourages bake sales.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 15.6 percent of American children between the ages of 12 and 19 were obese in 2000, which is a 6.1 percent increase from 1974. The Nathan Hale School hopes to promote healthier diets for its students.
But is it fair to punish the other 84.4 percent of children who don’t have a problem? Would the children in public elementary and high schools even eat healthy food the cafeterias plan to serve?
Many students say no.
“My friends and I would be upset because all anyone eats at my school is junk food,” said Annie Tralka, a seventh grader at Mendham Township Middle School in Mendham, NJ. “I guess the parents would be happier because they would know that their children are eating healthy.”
Other students say they would find ways around the bans.
“Mountain Dew helps me stay awake in class,” said Annie’s brother Chase Tralka, a freshman at Mendham High School. “Plus, I don’t eat vegetables so that could be a problem. If they didn’t offer junk food at school, I would just bring my own lunch with candy.”
While the nation’s public elementary and high schools may be banning junk food in cafeterias, Fairfield University’s food supplier, Sodexho, allows students to make healthy choices on their own.
“Sure, Sodexho offers grilled cheese and hamburgers, but they also offer tofu, salad and other healthy foods,” said Gregg Surette ’07. “College students should be able to balance what they eat.”
Other students point out that it is not only cafeterias that lead young Americans to obesity.
“Obesity may occur if all you do is sit all day,” said Jen Recine ’06. “If you never go to the gym, you’re going to gain weight, especially if you stay up late and eat late.”
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