Essay On School Lunches

Stephanie Nebehay of Reuters Media states “Obesity has more than doubled worldwide between 1980 and 2014, with 11 percent of men and 15 percent of women classified as obese”(Nebehay 2). This stunning statistic stated by the World Health Organization drives the point home that something in our society needs to change. According to “Gales opposing viewpoints in context”, “students on average consume 20 to 50 percent of their daily calories at school.”(“Junk Food”) This shows that if the government required more nutritious meals to be served at school with less Junk foods available they could drastically turn around this obesity epidemic with the younger generation. School lunches should be required to provide healthier, more nutritious meals as an alternative to junk

The author of the article “Junk Food” states “Snack food producers such as Coca-Cola and Frito-Lay paid school districts to allow them to market their food products inside the schools generally through vending machines.” (“Junk Food”) This shows that junk food companies are targeting schools as an opportunity for advertisement. This is perfect for the companies because schools need funding however in the long run it is very expensive for the government and taxpayers because this can lead to childhood obesity. The article continues by acknowledging that “By 2009, about 98 percent of all American high schools contained vending machines.”(“Junk food”) This shows just how widely accessible soda and other junk foods are for students. Stephanie Nebehay from reuters medias adds“Drinking fewer calorific sweet drinks is the best way to curb excessive weight and prevent chronic diseases such as diabetes, although fat and salt in processed foods are also at fault, WHO officials said.” (Nebehay) This statement from the world health