WRITING RESPONSE Develop an argument for or against schools serving unhealthy food. Remember to: Read through each of the three passages. Collect evidence to support your claim. Identify evidence to use in your counter-claim. Organize your thoughts and evidence into a coherent argument. Write an introduction in which you present your argument and a conclusion in which you finalize your argument.
PASSAGE #1 New Rules Limit Junk Food Marketing at Schools By: Samantha Bonar February 25, 2014 LAWeekly.com Ads touting junk food and soda would be banned in schools under new rules announced Tuesday, Feb. 25, by the Obama administration. That means the scoreboards in high school gyms won't be allowed to advertise Coca-Cola, for example, but could advertise Diet Coke or Dasani water. The same rules, which would be phased in, would apply to the fronts of vending machines, cups, posters and menu boards, the Associated Press reports. So not only is this stuff no longer sold at schools, it must be wiped from the very consciousness of the nation's youth. Ninety-three percent of such marketing in schools is related to beverages. Many soda companies already have started to transition their sales and advertising in schools from sugary sodas and sports drinks to healthier products. (Allegedly healthier, anyway - there is a slew of scientific data that argues that diet sodas are worse for you than sugary soda. But that would just complicate matters and put the beverage companies in a huff.) Companies spend a whopping $149 million a year on marketing to kids in schools, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The proposed rules are part of First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move initiative to combat childhood obesity, which marks its fourth anniversary this week. The First Lady and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the new rules. "The idea here is simple - our classrooms should be healthy places where kids aren't bombarded with ads for junk food," the First Lady said. "Because when parents are working hard to teach their kids healthy habits at home, their work shouldn't be undone by unhealthy messages at school." The rules also would allow more children access to free lunches, and come on the heels of USDA regulations that now require foods in school cafeterias to be healthier and more tear-inducing. Rules that will take effect next school year will make other foods around schools healthier as well, including in vending machines and separate "a la carte" lines in the lunch room. Calorie, fat, sugar and sodium limits will have to be met on almost every food and beverage sold during the school day at 100,000 schools. Concessions sold at afterschool sports games would be exempt. Rules for school fundraisers, such as bake sales, would be left up to schools or states. (Save the brownies!) Off-campus fundraisers at places like fast-food restaurants still would be permitted. But posters advertising the fast food would not be allowed in school hallways - parents would be informed of the fundraisers in emails, so the little urchins wouldn't get too excited or tempted by direct knowledge of the possibility of a cheeseburger and fries.
If schools don't want to comply with the new marketing rules, they have to drop out of the National School Lunch Program, which allows them to collect government reimbursements for free and lowcost lunches for needy students in exchange for following "certain standards." There really is no free lunch! The beverage industry actually says they're fine with the new rules. "Mrs. Obama's efforts to continue to strengthen school wellness make sense for the well-being of our schoolchildren," American Beverage Association President and CEO Susan Neely said, mindful of all of the lucrative "healthy" beverages for children. The rules being proposed Tuesday would also allow the highest-poverty schools to serve lunch and breakfast to all students for free. According to the USDA and the White House, that would allow 9 million children in 22,000 schools to receive free lunches. Sorry, kids. It's "yucky food" at school from here on out.
PASSAGE #2 School Nutrition: Targeting Junk-Food-Filled Vending Machines By: Oz Garcia, Ph.D., nutritionist December 2, 2010 HuffingtonPost.com Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years. Statistics show that nearly one in three American children are either overweight or obese. I repeat: one in three! Sadly, these statistics have become the norm and for no justified reason. These statistics need to change for a number of reasons, the most important one being that this is a matter of life and death. But where do we start?When our grocery store aisles are filled with candy, cookies, soda, sugary cereals and other heart-unhealthy processed foods and sugary, artificial additives, how do we shake this epidemic? While I believe that parents play the most important role in teaching children healthy habits, I also believe that the U.S. school system plays a very central part in developing a child's eating habits. I recently published my fourth book (coauthored by Natalie Geary, M.D.) called "The Food Cure for Kids." The book is, in a few words, about how kids become better -- or "cured," if you will -- physically, mentally and behaviorally when living on the ideal nutritional diet. While skimming the BusinessWeek website, I came across an article entitled "School Vending Machines Undermine Student Nutrition." The article really hit home and is very closely related to my book. The social issues inflicted upon children who are overweight and obese are highly debilitating and include depression and lack of self-esteem. What type of message are we sending when educational institutions -- the very place that is supposed to infuse our children with thoughtfulness and nourishment -- literally pushes limitless high-calorie and excessively processed foods? The BusinessWeek article examined a study from the Journal of Adolescent Health, showing the negative impact that vending machine foods had on the purchasing choices of students at about 150 different U.S. schools. Eighty-three percent of the studied schools housed vending machines with foods containing minimal nutritional value -- such as
chips, soda and candy. The remaining schools' vending machines contained fruits and vegetables. The findings showed that students without access to junk foodfilled vending machines ate more produce overall. The moral of this story is that children will adapt to what they are given. Put a junk foodfilled vending machine in front of a child and more than likely he will dial for Doritos. When this same child is presented a vending machine with the choice between an apple or a bag of grapes, he will have no choice but to choose one of two fruits and, consequently, develop a taste for fruit. Vending machines do not make sense inside a house of education unless they are offering thoughtful foods that are beneficial to children's health. In my book, I actually note my opinion that vending machines are a novel and unnecessary addition to schools. Principals and parents have begun to see them as a source of revenue to pay for extracurricular programs and school supplies. Parents must realize, however, that the implementation of vending machines are becoming factors of the growing number of children with heart problems, diabetes and other health risks. Parents and principals: If you want healthy, successful and active children, I ask you to look for revenue solutions beyond vending machines; there is a better way to raise money than asking your child to buy a bag of chips. A bag of grapes will support your school's football team or your fall talent show just as well as a bag of chips or a pack of Twinkies. Even better, your kids will walk away with a valuable lesson and maybe even increased self-esteem. Take the time to check out your child's cafeteria and explore what's inside their vending machines. If you don't like what you see, take a stand. Do something. If parents and schools can work together we will find a new generation of children, which are better educated and healthier. What more can a parent want?
PASSAGE #3 Should Junk Food Be Banned From Schools? By: Jae Curtis March 15, 2013 Education.com Another day, another junk food debate; from boycotting bake sales to banning sodas, many schools have joined the national fight against obesity. An August 2012 study from Pediatrics made a startling discovery after following a group of school-aged children: kids who went to a school without junk food regulations maintained about a 37 percent overweight rate from fifth to eighth grade without budging. However, in schools with junk food regulations and bans, the number started at 39 percent in fifth grade and declined to about 18 percent by eighth grade. Of course, the results of the study beg the question: Should junk food be banned from schools altogether? Before you start petitioning your PTA, make sure you have all the facts and know how you, as a parent, can help. •
Teaching at home. While you might be annoyed by the availability of Twizzlers at your child's school, it's important to think about the part you play in the problem. "Unfortunately, blocking junk food is only part of the answer," says Dr. Jeffrey L. Cumro. "If we block junk food at school and the kids are allowed to go home and eat whatever they want, we really aren't solving the problem. We're just delaying it, which could lead to bigger binges." Don't place the blame on the schools completely: parents have to shoulder some of the responsibility as well.
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Getting involved. Most schools make the menu available for parents to read beforehand. While you can't issue a ban on all unhealthy foods, you can talk about the best choices on the menu with your child the night before. Or, head over to the school and take a tour yourself to see what's available. If knowledge is power, knowing what's offered at school means you have the power to steer your kid toward healthier choices.
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Defining junk food. While 16 states have already adopted junk food regulation for their schools, other states might be more hesitant to do so. A lot of the issue boils down to the actual definition of junk food. After all, one parent might think only candy is junk, while another thinks any type of sugar constitutes as contraband. Before
you start any type of action plan to get rid of unhealthy grub in your child's school, take into consideration what junk food really is and temper your expectations accordingly. •Dealing with fundraisers. While getting rid of junk food might sound like a great idea off the bat, consider some of the repercussions at school. "A ban on junk food in schools does not have to prohibit parents from sending junk food with their kids for lunch if they choose," family therapist Patt Hollinger Pickett reminds pro-banners. If your school banned sugary or fat-laden snacks, would there also be a ban on bake sales and sweets-based fundraisers? If you support a ban, try to come up with alternatives for moneymakers at school as well. •Taking the reins. Just because you're not a lunch lady doesn't mean you can't have an influence over school lunches and snacks. If you live in a state where your school doesn't ban junk, consider petitioning for healthier foods overall instead. Melanie Angelis, a teacher and nutritionist, gives some ideas for simple changes to make a big difference at school: "Replacing the soda machine with a water machine is one option, and offering vegetables as part of a stir fry may also help. Choosing the same basic ingredients (e.g., potatoes) but decreasing the processing and unhealthy condiments available is another option," she suggests. "The current trend is that parents expect teachers to assume full responsibility or none at all as opposed to working together." •
Supporting health programs. Most schools offer nutrition as part of their health-based programs. If you really want your child to learn the difference between healthy foods and unhealthy choices, support these programs as much as possible. Talk to your child about what she learned, volunteer to lend a hand and make sure that the curriculum is being followed so that your good teaching habits at home are reinforced in class as well. "We should not forget that physical inactivity is another large issue causing our obesity epidemic amongst the nation's youth," warns nutritionist Jackie Vega. See if you can help out with athletic programs as well as nutrition education.
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Teaching healthy choices. So, should junk food be banned altogether? While it makes sense to limit a child's access to unhealthy foods, chew on this: are you teaching a child to make healthy choices, or simply removing unhealthy options? Some might argue that simply taking away the junk stops your child from learning to make healthy choices on her own, which could be a problem when she's exposed to sweet treats later. A junk food ban doesn't necessarily mean healthier kids, just kids with fewer choices.
It's an issue that might never have a concrete answer. While some love the idea of only healthy foods at school, others don't like the idea of government taking choices away. So, what's a parent to do? First, you can start by getting involved at school and ensuring your child knows the difference between junk and the good stuff. Even if your little one noshes on a chicken nugget at school, it's the perfect time for a lesson on healthy options. Prepare her well and your child will have the tools to make better menu decisions in and outside of the cafeteria.
