The food services companies and big markets are making a lot of money from school meal programs, putting a lot of burden on children’s health. Food companies have hijacked school canteen since the 1970s. In order to promote their corporate brand, they have signed a lot of food administration agreements. Food companies have a lot of profit from themselves by providing their services and products such as heat-and-serve items and mass-produced products, i-e, and chicken nuggets. The food companies provide food to ninety-five percent of schools under the NSLP (National School Lunch Program). NSLP is a government-funded program provided to all the public schools across the country.

Schools, who are facing financial problems are more prone to the fast-food choice for the children. When students are not provided with good quality food, it affects their academic performance. When they are not able to perform well, they take help from online assignment writing service. Health specialists and researchers have shown serious concern about the quickly increasing obesity rate among children during the 80s. The long-term effect of obesity has raised the debate on the schools that provide junk foods to their students. Revenue created by selling fast food in school compensates for many other school programs. That is why many schools are ignoring the connection between obesity and junk food.

How schools feed children

The process of providing a meal at the school cafeteria is very lengthy and complicated, taking care of children’s allergies and many more. And when it comes to feeding children, schools have a minimum budget for that. That is why schools lower the quality of food. They mostly opt for food that does not take much time to prepare and is easy for everyone. That means fast food with high fats and sugar. According to research, forty percent of the calories children take at their school. So it is important to provide them with a healthy option. Teenagers and children more than 50 millions attend public schools in the US, which means all of them are at high risk of health problems due to unhealthy food choices. There should be effective measurements at a higher level about fast food in schools. According to recent research, these food companies manipulate financially unstable schools and allow the junk food in their cafeteria for the students and sign a pouring right contract with them to advertise their products to the children.

Banning fast foods in schools

There are several reasons for childhood obesity. One instance can be low-income of the family. When children go to school hungry, they are more likely to choose unhealthy fast food options rather than healthy food. Restricting fast food in school will ensure a healthy option for the children. And the children who do not get well-nourished food at home due to financial problems will get healthy food. One more reason for obesity is that there are a lot of calories in fast food; for example, the big Mac of MacDonald is 563 calories. They have fewer nutrients and more calories which give more harm than good to the health. These high amounts of calories intake exceed the chance of being overweight. It is important to ban junk foods from schools and get free the school canteen from these big food services companies.

Restricting schools from providing junk foods at schools has a huge impact economically and socially. That is why it is not in the acting process. Fast food generally contains more fats and sugar and less nutrition; one reason why its Consumption rate is higher among youngsters is why school authority emphasizes junk food. But the health of students should not be compromised at any cost. When children eat fast foods, they get addicted to them, and they do not like home-cooked healthy foods. Fast food is the main reason for obesity. And it is more dangerous than being overweight. Obesity creates unwanted fats in the body, which cause laziness and respiratory problems and always make you look tired.

As discussed before, fast food has fewer nutrients and high calories; due to fewer nutrients, children can be affected with nutrition deficiency. And when children do not get the healthy option at schools, they will opt for unhealthy food risking their health in danger. Fast food affects children badly; they become overweight, do not have the strength or power to do even a little, and get tired easily. They can not enjoy life like other normal children. And due to higher weight, their confidence decrease, and they always feel inferior to others. That is why fast food affects children not only physically but also mentally. As a result, children’s development phase gets affected. They are also more prone to different other diseases such as digestive, lungs, and heart diseases.

According to research, people who consume fast food are more likely to get depression. Junk food also affects children’s education. When they are depressed, they can not properly give attention to their studies and leave behind their classmates. Obese children are more prone to bullying at school because of their weight, and it leads to the cause of depression in them. Bullying causes them to miss their classes, and in extreme cases, many children stop their studies because of it. When children are bullied at schools, many try self-harm and even suicide. Bullying increases the chance of suicide rate in teenagers. Providing healthy food at school will reduce the risk of all these problems which are caused due to fast foods.

Many believe that banning fast food from schools will not be effective, and it will not stop children from eating unhealthy foods outside the school. But banning junk food in school will restrict food in school and teach them the negative impacts of junk food, and they will be more prone to the healthy choice. Before allowing the fast-food at school, the school administration should think about the children’s and the impacts of fast food on them. And provide healthy food options at school.