Pros And Cons Of Vending Machines In Schools

The Ugly Side of Vending Machines in Schools
“The rise of childhood obesity has placed the health of an entire generation at risk” cautioned Tom Vilsack, a United States Agriculture Secretary (2010, pg. 1). The majority of vending machines in schools today have little or no nutritional value which is believed to contribute to childhood obesity. America has been labeled as an “obese nation”. Those labels can easily change if schools start making the right decisions as to what they put in their vending machines for a simple snack. However, those “simple snacks” barely have any nutritional value and don’t keep students filled up for long. Schools always push students to choose a healthy lifestyle, yet they’re handing them unhealthy treats for their sweet tooth whenever they want. Children are gaining weight from vending machines snacks, the junk food sold to them has no nutritional value and can affect mental processing.
Alexandra Zissu (2013) writer for “Healthy Child Healthy World,” writes “Studies show that kids consume up to half of their total daily calories at school” (p.1). If vending machines stopped spitting out fat and sugar and gave some healthy choices, the parents would be happier too. Studies done in Ohio showed 51% of parents would prefer access to vending machines if healthy choices were offered and 42% preferred no access to vending machines at all (J School Health, 2006, p.1). Teenagers can bring their own snacks from home instead of wasting money on sugary, high-calorie foods. Children get hungry during the day, of course, but when a child is given the option to buy whatever, they choose the fatty