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Is That An Oxymoron?
By Avery | April 26, 2007
While I understand the thinking behind the move to get schools to replace junk food in the vending machines with more healthy snacks, I can safely say that I don’t think it will achieve its intended goal if it is, in fact, approved.
According to the Washington Post
A prestigious scientific panel urged the government yesterday to ban soft drinks, sugary snacks and other junk food from schools, saying the typical fare available in vending machines, at snack bars and at class birthday parties is contributing to the growing obesity of America’s children.The Institute of Medicine report, which Congress requested, said less-nutritious items should be replaced with healthier stuff such as fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products. It emphasized adding snacks with more whole grains and less sodium, saturated fat and added sugar.
I don’t have a problem with it so far. I mean, in theory I don’t have a problem with it at all. But when the rubber meets the road, this next part? Nuh-uh.
In place of potato chips, chocolate bars and other popular snacks, the report said, schools should sell healthier options such as apples, carrot sticks, raisins, low-sugar cereals, whole-grain tortilla chips, granola bars and nonfat yogurt with no more than 30 grams of added sugar.
I’m tellin’ you what I know: kids don’t eat that stuff when it’s free. Who’s gonna buy it? And let’s not even talk about the quality of the fruits and vegetables that find their way into school lunches. If they tried to sell some of those apples at the grocery store…
I guess the ultimate question is, what are the vending machines there for in the first place? If it’s about having healthy food, then putting it in a vending machine is probably not the best move, because kids are already prone to go to the store before school and buy the snacks they like. The only thing that would change is that instead of buying unhealthy snacks from the school, they would be buying them from the corner store, like we used to do before there were vending machines in the schools. On the other hand, if it’s about making money, then there’s no cotton’ pickin’ way apples are gonna outsell Doritos. No way, no how.
Now. Should schools do a better job of providing healthy food for their students? Absolutely. Is a vending machine the place to do it? I’m not so sure. Healthy food in a vending machine? Isn’t that an oxymoron? Cuz I know me - I ain’t gonna buy nothin’ out of it. But then, maybe I’m just a regular moron.
Topics: Everwhatever |
April 27th, 2007 at 11:36 am
Let’s be clear first about why vending machines are permitted in schools: to generate an auxiliary revenue stream for the school. I’ve never understood why public school systems — esp. high schools — contract with a singular food service vendor, e.g.; Aramark, while allowing vending machines franchised by PepsiCo and others to stand side-by-side. It’s not like PepsiCo couldn’t set up a Pizza Hut or KFC concession for 1 or more schools in a given system.
IMO, if we’re going to permit vending machines in schools the vendors should agree to abide by certain specifications laid out by the school system. I’ve seen enough machines hocking water, non-carbonated drinks (incl. juices), granola bars, and low-sugar, low-carb snacks (e.g.; trail mix) to know it’s not a huge standard to require of the vendors.
April 29th, 2007 at 6:45 am
In some ways, I think my school is ahead of the curve on this issue. They only sell water and fruit juice in the “pop” machines and the other vending machines have only baked Frito Lay products and other healthier snacks. With one exception: Rice Crispy Treats. Guess which product goes first - usually within one day.