Junk_Food_in_Cafeterias

Everybody agrees that overeating is unhealthy, but having the government dictate its availability is not good either. In the past two years, over a dozen states have considered legislation limiting the availability of junk food in schools, requiring vending machines be turned off during certain hours, or increasing the cost of unhealthy food to discourage its sale. Instead of prohibiting junk food the government should invest more in promoting healthy food. These times, the general people are too willing to give the government an excessive amount of control. Government is not our mother to be chasing us around to make sure that we are eating nutritious meals. By letting the government ban junk food we would not be looking at the big picture, we are giving them the power to dictate our lifestyles. Junk food banned from school campuses would contribute to too much government dependency, an excessive amount of government control; we would take away the effectiveness of parents; it would also be somewhat pointless because if kids want to eat junk food, they’ll find a way, also many schools financial state will be affected as well. By letting the government regulate what we eat we are depending on them to take care of us. Students should be trusted to make their own decisions about their diet. Schools should provide information about healthy eating to the students, but leave the decisions up to them. Government should not even think they’re needed enough to step in and ban junk food. We need to raise our children so that they know what is good for them and what is not. Children should not be pampered or babied; we should start worrying more on how to help a child grow in character so that they know enough to make their own good decisions. Government should not be given the power to dictate what is good or bad; all they should do is their job, to interpret the law or Constitution. The Framers never intended to let the government tell us what to eat. People should know that eating junk food without moderation is very unhealthy but the government should not be able to decide whether or not it should be available on school campuses. It is up to parents to decide what food their children can eat. A child’s parent should be their main influence while growing up but through the decades that ideal has been fading. As time goes by, parents have been becoming less of a part of a child’s life and have been replaced with media, music television and other acquaintances. Around the 1950s, the obesity rate was very low and through time has increased. In that time, there were many more morals that the parents instilled in their child than there are now. By having a parent play a huge part in developing a child’s character, not only can they teach them to eat healthy, but also teach them the morals and values that seem to be lost in the recent decades. Students will attempt to smuggle in junk food even if it is banned. Enforcing such a ban would force school officials to dig through lunchboxes, lockers and desks. This would harm students’ privacy. Students might be more likely to go off the school grounds to eat meals. Food from local fast food restaurants might be worse than school lunches, even if those school lunches contain some junk food. Adolescents are known for thinking they have no boundaries; if junk food is prohibited at school they’ll find more need to “rebel” and find it somewhere else. “Don't bite the hand that feeds you!” Corporations donate millions of dollars to public schools. One of the more popular methods for raising money is for a school or school district to sign an exclusive beverage contract with Coca-Cola or Pepsi in return for a share in the profits. The practice tripled across the nation from 1997 to 1999 and now includes 150 districts in 29 states, including many in Michigan, according to The Detroit New. School districts facing smaller budgets because of state deficits rely on money from vending machine and soda contracts. Minnesota schools make about $40 million per year from soft drink sales. The multi-million dollar exclusive pouring contracts offered to school districts by soda companies are an essential source of revenue for many school districts across the country. Schools can offer healthy options in cafeteria meals without completely banning junk food from the schools. Junk food is not bad in itself – in moderation junk food can be part of a healthy diet. If students learn to only eat junk food once a week maybe, they can still be extremely healthy; junk food is “good for the soul.” This would require the child to be disciplined, a quality that can in turn be useful in many important parts of life. An excessive amount of junk food is bad for anyone, but has the government tell you that you cannot have it is just plain wrong. It would be ideal for children to know what is good for them without having some strangers tell you. Schools will also be hurt by the prohibition of junk food.