School lunch has been a major issue because of the lack of nutrients and real food given to students. The government controls what is being served in schools. The federal government began getting involved with the school lunch program during the 1930s. Clearly that was a complete fail because the federal government had no constitutional role in school lunches. The lunch was getting worse that students started protesting about the calories they wanted it reduce and way better food. Michelle Obama designed a program to improve the lunch nutrition standards. Some people have compared Americans school lunch menu with other countries and our food is one of the worst. If we do not start changing our school menus it can lead to health issues.
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the United States rising of Obesity and related health problems is a case we are facing it is a challenge that still remain an issue today. In the book “Should the Government Regulate What People Eat?” by Ronald D. Lankford Jr. “’The only real solution is to allow Americans to decide which diet and health products they wish to buy on the free market’” (qtd. Marlow and Abdukadirov 39). If the government controls what then the obesity rate will go down. People have a choice to buy healthy products but in school the food that is being served is control by the government. They created a program in 1946 called National School Lunch Program (NSLP). The cost of the program is very expensive and they sell unhealthy food and the vending machines are part of the program. One good solution will be to take away the vending machines and change the menu of school lunches. In the book “Junk Food” by Ronald D. Lankford Jr. Katie Wilson president of the School Nutrition Association made a statement about changing the school lunch menus. She said “‘Schools can either provide only healthy foods and go into debt, or allow unhealthy options, which generate revenue but are also contributing factor to weight gain.’” (qtd. Wilson 80) Providing healthy products in school lunches will put school in debt and keeping the food the same will still be the reason of weight gain. The NSLP intention is to give children a healthy meal to eat. To be sure the goal is met; the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has set a basic nutrition standard for school to follow. All meals must contain calories, protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, and calcium. “The program forbids foods of minimum nutritional value from being served inside the school cafeteria at mealtimes.” (Lankford80). The school lunch program did not what to give people food that was five percent of the eight specific nutrients. For example foods that supple people with empty calories such as gum, soda, and candy. The NSLP has set up standards to follow but we are still having problems with the food in school students are still complaining. The NSLP decides who gets free lunch or reduce lunch.
Students that get free lunch do not have to pay for their lunch at school while other students that have reduced lunch have to pay for to eat lunch at school. How the NSLP determine who gets free or reduce lunch by the student family’s income. There are a high percentage of students that receive free lunch in the article "Participation in the National School Lunch Program: Importance of School-Level and Neighborhood Contextual Factors." Donka M. Mirtcheva says “Approximately 80% of students eligible for free lunch and become certified”. More and more students are currently bringing their own lunch from home because the food taste awful or students do not receive free lunch. Students that pack their own lunch know what nutrients that are going inside the body. The food that the students bring to lunch sometimes connects to their cultures. Culture is another reason why some students are choosing to bring their own lunch, many cultures are quite the same and also extremely different. “’Barring dietary restrictions, children in most districts can’t bring food to school, either, until high school.’”(qtd. Woldow 48) In Japan children cannot bring their own lunch until they reach ninth grade, through elementary and junior high they have to eat what is being served to them at lunch. In France students are able to go home for lunch or eat the lunch provided by the school. Students bringing their own lunch from home are …show more content…
prohibited. One similar case in the England dealing with students bring their own lunch to school. Before there was no problem for students bring their own lunch but since children in the world have been overweight more than normal, the school started paying attention to what the students brought to eat. In the article of“A Cross-sectional Survey of Children's Packed Lunches in the UK: Food- and Nutrient-based Results” by CEL Evans writes “One percent of children's packed lunches met all the food-based school meal standards for school meals in England, evidence that the quality of food in children's packed lunches is poor.” Students that brought their own lunch had food that was not meeting the government standards that they provided for the school. The food in the student’s lunch box did not contain the five food group. They brought things that contain fatty substances and nothing like fruits, vegetables, protein, and dairy. Students bring their own lunch has been an issue because of what they bring to eat is not the best for their health. More and more students are bringing their own lunch for personal reasons such as culture, allergies and the taste of the school food is not for their liking. All over the world children go to school and have a time to eat lunch. Every country eats different meals from each other. Unpack a school lunch and discover different types of food items. Some news, newspaper, and social media sites have compared American’s school food and to other countries. Children in American want food like other countries because the food that the schools are serving to them is bad for their health. Other countries school food contains fresh fruits and vegetables, less disposable packing food. In the United States children are slowly making a difference in their school food system. Fourth grades in Wisconsin were complaining about what the food that was being served to them. The students were completely terrified of the food. “What’s for lunch” by Andrea Curtis writes “They wanted more fruits and vegetables, less disposable packing, and lunches that reflect the diverse cultures in community, such as rice and beans or Chinese noodle soup.”(12) In Japan on their lunch menu is white rice, fish, fruits and soup. Mexico’s school menu has juice, sandwich and chips that contain protein. In Brazil on their lunch menu has rice, beef, salad and beans. Schools in a American follow the standards set by the NSLP on the menu has a main entrée like pizza, chicken fingers, hamburger or cheese burger, pasta, and many more food entrees. Students are provided with milk to drink, fruits and vegetables. Most food in American schools mostly use can food and frozen so the quality of food is not really fresh and homemade cooked. “The fruit in U.S. school lunches often comes from a can, but more and more schools are offering fresh fruit and vegetables as part of Farm to School programs.” (Curtis 29) Some people want the U.S school systems to follow Japan’s lunch menu. They believe we can learn something about how to serve better food to our children. Dana Woldow has been advocate for healthier food in schools since 2002. She notice just as others that children in America has become more and more overweight it is a huge problem that can be solve with changing the way children eat at school. As a matter of fact, other countries have better food items on their menus and compare to Americans school lunch menus are food causes weight gain and lack nutrition. “’In particular, much of the school lunch diet in the United States is not only non-nutritious but also fattening. This becomes especially apparent when compared with the school lunch programs in Japan and France.’”(qtd. Woldow 47). The way Japan handles their lunch is making lunch same way children are served at home. “The meals are often made from scratch. They’re balanced but hearty, heavy on rice and vegetables, fish and soups… The food is grown locally and almost never frozen.”( qtd. Woldow 48). Having fresh food is healthier than food that is kept in a freezer. The attitude towards lunch is what Japan wants the children to understand they need to eat healthy and well cooked meals. The children that critical and interested in unhealthy food try to improve their eating habits. “’But Japan also invests heavily in cultivating this mind-set. Most schools employ nutritionists who, among other tasks, work with children who are picky or unhealthy eaters.’”(qtd. Woldow 48). Japanese children are expected to eat what they are served. Additionally, Japan is not the only country America should look at, France “ Their reports reveals many of the reasons why school lunch in France, like school lunch in Japan, is far superior to school lunch in America.”( Lankford 50) In France they start off with a salad with mixed greens and chicken.
Next they served themselves slices of cheese, bread, and an apple tart or a piece of fruit. France school lunch is more than just a meal the government teach and to model the pleasure of freshly cooked real food. The French people value the school lunch experience by educating the children their culture. American school lunch despite the government standards is huge on pizza, hot dogs, tacos and burgers. Some Americans will say that those food items are part of the American culture. Americans can learn how to change their school lunch system by following other countries like Japan and
France. Many people have tried to get people to focus more on the National School Lunch Program by changing the food they serve the students. Michelle Obama is one of the recent ones that is more relevant because she is the first lady. Michelle Obama like others had notice the health issues in the children of this century. On February 9th Michelle Obama presented a program called “Let’s Move” to increase psychical activity and to make food healthier in schools. In the article “Michelle Obama Starts Project to Combat Childhood Obesity” by Janice Hopkins Tanne writes “Last spring together with children from a local elementary school, Ms. Obama set up a kitchen garden on the white house lawn”(387) The reason for doing this project was to grow fresh fruits and vegetables and get people attention of about making children eat healthier and eat less of junk food. Michelle Obama wanted to influence the busy parents in their children eating habits. Children being overweight in this generation has increase and to promote fresh food and change the school lunches will get the children on the right path of healthy eating.
Janet Poppendieck is a professor of sociology at Hunter College in New York, and additionally she is the author of several books including her most recent Free for All: Fixing School Food in America. This book centers on America’s recent interest in whether or not our school lunches are healthy. This issue has been put into the spotlight recently through shows such as Jamie Oliver’s School Food Revolution and in the news because recent changes in the Nation School Lunch Program’s dietary guidelines. Poppendieck’s book looks at the in depth reasons into why school lunches have turned into what they are today, what challenges need to be faced in order to fix school lunches, and ultimately how our the system should be fixed. She accomplishes this by interviewing her current college students about their previous school lunch experiences, working in a school cafeteria, interviewing current school employees, and looking at the history and policies of the National School Lunch Program.
Having different food can affect a child health. There are milky ways, cake, cookies, pizza and lets just add some French fries in there and call that lunch. Don’t forget the drink sweet tea, pop and milk that one doesn’t choose to drink it. The students would go back to the class rooms after twenty minutes and be hungry at the end of the da. Garland said, “Instead, we allow school cafeterias to dispense the same junk food that kids could buy in any mall” (621). There has been so much junk food and soft drinks in schools that makes the student health unsafe and a distraction to their education. Garland mentioned that the students are filling up with fat, salt and sugar rather than filling up with fruit, whole grains and vegetables. Schools should be about healthiness, and well balanced diets. With having Students eat healthy can boost up their energy and ability to learn. With that being said when I was in high school it was nothing but junk food for three years. When Michele Obama changed the law on the school lunches my senior lunches have changed. It was nothing but healthy food like whole grain, no sweets, two scoops of fruits and vegetables. At Odessa they had a school store loaded with junk food that would be sold out by forth period. When the law came to the school there was nothing but baked chip and replaced with other baked nutrition food or we had nothing at all. The drink machines were changed out
Schools are spending too much money with this program that could be spent on other benefits for schools. Rather than using the money to get students new technology or property it 's wasted on a lunch program that students do not enjoy nor want to purchase. In the Article, “School Lunch Food is Not Fresh, Students Say” Journalist Audrey Levine interviews high school students about they feel about their school lunches. “It’s way too expensive now, but I’m still buying,” said senior Stephanie Huang. “And I don’t think more people are bringing lunch because
Schools are meant to give our children a healthy and nurturing environment, and yet so much of the lunches in schools are fattening; does this stop schools from achieving the aforementioned goal? Childhood obesity in the United Sates continues to be a growing problem despite so any new programs to help combat it, and new research is showing how schools may be playing a large role in childhood obesity. School lunches are showing to be the problem, they encourage poor nutrition in our nation’s students, and simple reform is proving to not be enough to stop the rise in obesity rates.
I don't think our school lunch is healthy because it has fat and too much sodium. Although it is good it is fattening it is the reason for much of the obesity in the U.S. Many kids have no other option to eat the unhealthy school lunches or they will be hungry.
School lunches are so much more different in France. "Many schools already employ their own nutritionist, who works with a parents' committee to ensure lunches provide a healthy, balanced diet." (5) "A typical schools lunch in France cost anywhere from E1.50 to E4 a head, depending on region. Poorer parents only pay a small portion of that total." (5) What we in America serve our children the French consider adult meals, as the French believe good eating habits start early in life. A French school lunch consists of "a starter of grapefruit, followed by grilled chicken with green beans, then a cheese course and rice pudding for dessert. The day's snack is a tangerine. Once a week chips are on offer but with salmon lasagna, rather than sausage or burgers, while Thursday's pizza is served with a healthy green salad." (5) Children are not aloud pop or soda of any kind; they eat all of their school meals with plain water.
Allowing healthier school lunches will decrease obesity in children because it will give them the proper nutrition to reduce the risk of health issues. Since obesity causes many health issues, maintaining a proper nutrition will reduce the risk of health issues. According to Star- Telegram, a daily newspaper that serves Fort Worth and areas of North Texas states, “[School lunches that have] a meal of pizza sticks, a banana, raisins and whole milk has given way to whole wheat spaghetti with meat sauce, a whole wheat roll green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, kiwi and low-fat milk … This change will help more than 2.4 million Texas students who receive a free or reduced- price school lunch to lead healthier, more active lives—in and out of the classroom”(Par. 2 and 4). School lunches are supposed to guarantee students a well balance meal, so they can have the energy to proceed with their classes throughout the day. Meanwhile, students who receive a f...
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...
But, if they do not like the food served, they won’t eat so they starve for the rest of the school day, which can lead to not focusing on class, feeling sick, and eating too much at dinner. The final reason our school should get a new lunch menu is because there are many problems with the food. For example, many students say the food is cold, fake, and disgusting. Students, Jordyn Gilbert and Leah Gelik, found mold on the lettuce in the salad.
While in America, food is just seen as food and a way of survival; in France, food is a way of socialization. Some french lunches consist a small portion of grilled chicken, fruit, bread, vegetables, and dessert. American lunches include pizza, McDonalds, fried chicken, and other quick meals on the go. Not only is French food different than American foods, but the way the French go about handling food is also different. According to Le Rendez-vous, a French restaurant, most French meals are dealt with the utmost respect and is seen as a full-time activity meant to be spent socializing with others at the table, not in front of the TV. Even studies have shown that people in France consider dining more pleasurable than other hobbies like reading, and see eating without socialization as uncommon and punishment. On the other hand, in America, eating is just a time to rush, quickly eat, and move on to what lies ahead, or perhaps, a time to eat and watch TV (“French Eating Habits”). Spoon University noted that most people in France set aside certain times for eating. They have 6 meals a day each at certain times with a certain purpose; lunch being the most important, but this contradicts how Americans schedule meals. Most Americans have breakfast, lunch, and dinner; breakfast being the most important, with constant snacking between meals at inconsistent times and even dinner differing at times each night. In addition, wine
Lunch time is a time to take a break from the day and recharge for the rest of the day. In elementary schools it is also a time to meet up with your friends and socialize. Lunch time is not only time to eat. It is important for the mental, social, and emotional health of the children as well. Children need them chance to unwind and destress, which is promoted by socializing with friends. “Lunch should be an enjoyable part of the school day for students, offering a break from classroom work and a place to relax, socialize, and become nourished.”("The Cafeteria: Creating a Positive Mealtime Experience", 2013) Lunch time should be done in a setting where
“More than a third of the county's children are overweight or obese.”(Gustin, 1). As shocking as this is, it's true. One of the big reasons that children and teens are overweight is because of the foods that they eat. They are fed these fattening and unhealthy foods by the school system. Their futures can be changed if we change our choices. Having more nutritious lunches can have a positive impact on the health of American teens.
This is not the first time the U.S. has faced problems with the health of the nation. In 1946, President Harry S. Truman signed the National School Lunch Act. This legislation came in response to claims that many American men were rejected for military service due to diet related health issues. School lunch was established as “a measure of national security, to safeguard the health and well-being of the nation’s children and to encourage the domestic consumption of nutritious agricultural commodities and other food (Gunderson, 2013).”
Lunch is one of the most important meals of the day and is consumed mostly in school cafeterias for children and adolescence. Wholesome lunches are vital in maintaining a healthy metabolism and give children energy for the rest of the school day. Children are advised to eat healthily but do not always do so because the choices of tastier, fatty foods offered in school cafeterias. The National School Lunch Program, NSLP, which is a federally assisted meal program operating in public and nonprofit private schools set nutritious guidelines for lunches served in school cafeterias (USDA). However, school campuses still offer foods high in fat as well as selling candy, chips, and soda in their vending machines, as well as their school shops. In order
According to the Centers for Disease Control, “Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years,” meaning that America’s children need to start eating healthier, including healthier school lunches. The National School Lunch Act is a fairly recent addition to American society. For, as the world waged war a second time, the United States began to worry about the strength and health of the country’s soldiers. However, in the beginning, selling excess agricultural goods was more important than building a healthy, well-balanced meal for students. Unfortunately, many children coming from poorer families could not afford well-balanced school lunches, so in order to compensate, the School Lunch Program changed its focus to help these students. This program, however, decreased schools’ lunch budgets, and schools had a hard time keeping up with the amount of free meals they had to provide, so they came up with some extra ways to increase revenue. However, in a small town in Massachusetts, one chef makes a difference in the health of the school lunch students eat each day, and proves that hiring a trained chef to cook real, healthy meals can increase profit. Unfortunately, that is not the case in most schools across the nation. The quality of health of the food being served in school lunches is extremely poor and was allowed to decline even more with a new set of rule changes. However, there are some improvements currently being made to increase the quality of health of the food being served to students, including teaching them all about food and its nutritional information, both good and bad. In order for students to eat healthier lunches at school, the USDA needs to implement healthier ...