Is junkfoods should be probihited in school canteen?

@dong1970 (1572)
Philippines
October 22, 2008 5:45am CST
My wife and I are trying to prohibit are kids on eating junkfoods.My kids are following this rule but i was surprised when i was cleaning their school bags i saw plastic wrappers of junkfoods and i asked my daughter if where dis she bought it.We are trying to teach them to abstain eating junkfoods for it is not good for their health.I've notice that school canteen are selling junkfoods,i am wondering if school authorities are aware of this.Is junkfoods should be prohibited in school canteen?
9 people like this
45 responses
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
23 Oct 08
Our school no longer sells pop and only chips in small packs and 100 calorie packs of cookies and only juice,flavored water and water. Maybe you should bring it to the school boards attention that it is being sold. Or maybe talk to someone so that it isn't sold to your child atleast. But then some other child could buy it for them so that wouldn't help. It is good that you are a health conscious parent alot of parents don't seem to care as long as their child eats something. I have tried changing to the 100 calorie packs and the smaller 100% real juices and flavored waters and Crystal Light instead of pop and sugared koolaid. But as long as junk is out there kids will be drawn to it and eat it.
2 people like this
@ronaldinu (12422)
• Malta
23 Oct 08
Definitely. I think that school canteens should prohibit selling of junk food and shops in the surrounding area should be banned too. In my country a healthy eating policy has been introduced. The problem is how it is going to be enforced since although schools can ban junk food there is no law which controls shops in the surrounding area. So children can buy junk food from the shops outside before entering school. © ronaldinu 2008
2 people like this
• United States
23 Oct 08
I don't think that prohibiting junk food at school will teach your kids how to eat healthy. It'll just teach them that...well...school doesn't sell junk food. People should be able to abstain from doing something without the government having to regulate everything in order for that absenation to occur. We all need to learn how to make our own decisions without the goverment holding our hand. So, simple solution: you don't want your kids eating junk food? Teach them that it's bad and tell them not to eat it anymore. Just because you don't want your kids having it doesn't mean it should be applied to everyone. Sorry if this came off as hostile. Haha. Good post! :)
2 people like this
@tessah (6617)
• United States
23 Oct 08
i would think that if the schools cafeteria is selling it.. the school is aware of it. most schools do now.. prohibited? no... our kids are offered opportunities to make choices and decisions on a daily basis, and learning to make GOOD decisions is an important part of growing up and becoming an adult. youre teaching your children how to make those decisions, teaching them what is and isnt so good for them.. they have to make the decision for themselves as individuals as to whether or not to heed yer advice. sides.. prohibitting certain thngs form being sold.. will only take away options from kids whose parents allow it, and that isnt fair to them.
2 people like this
@savypat (20216)
• United States
23 Oct 08
in US we are trying to limit junk food in schools, but i just read an article that showed how the food manufactures were getting around the rules by putting very small amounts of vitamins in their products and selling them as health food.
• United States
23 Oct 08
I do not think that school should sell junk food. Do you eat pizza? that is junk food. It is okay to eat it in moderation. I tried to do the same thing you are doing and I found that it just caused my child to hord it when she could. What about birthdays? Do you make your kids a cake? It is better to teach them moderation and about eating a well balanced diet then keep them from it.
2 people like this
@trixyteddy (1070)
• India
24 Oct 08
I totally agree with you. Junk food also spoil appetites. I remember when my sons were young, they were given chips and then were never hungry and would not want to eat their food. Moreover, it does spoil their health. The excess salt, the excess sweet, etc. Soft drinks should also be banned and fresh juice should be sold in canteens.
1 person likes this
@djoyce71 (2511)
• Philippines
22 Oct 08
It's good to see your discussion again dong. It shouldn't be allowed to be sold in school canteens. Even soft drinks and tetra packed juices are not allowed, because DepEd knows these junk foods are not good for kids' health. You, as a parent should inform the school administration about this, so that they can make proper action.
2 people like this
@salonga (27775)
• Philippines
23 Oct 08
This is a nice topic! I think all parents should have the same thinking. I admire you for you know what is right for your kids. Junkfoods are not really good for them and so as for everyone young or old. I think the parents must join hands in this kind of drive to eliminate junkfoods from the school premises. But I am just sad that a lot of parents do mot even care if they are feeding their children with junks. Look at the lunchbox of many students...hotdogs, bacons and hams are always part of their lunch. Those processed meat are junks but they are being fed to their kids.
2 people like this
@KUSHANK55 (2437)
• India
22 Oct 08
yes the parents have an important role to play!! in our area after it was reported that the coke and pepsi have some insectides or pesticides in them they ae completely banned in school canteens!! similarly if all the parents join hands and through ptas you can exert pressure on the school authorities to stop the sale of junk foods in school canteens!!
2 people like this
@iyah10 (4115)
• Kuwait
25 Oct 08
I guess to have a better precautions I would agree to prohibited to sell in the School premises about junk foods in the School canteen for the healthier way of living....
1 person likes this
@candymarie (1368)
• Canada
24 Oct 08
Well, then you start the argument of what is considered "junk" foods again. Like Sunchips, they're considered a junk food, and not a junk food, it has multigrains, healthy chip snack, a little greasy YES, but healthy none the less. Chocolate bars - BIG argument here, chocolate is a source of calcium, and is also considered a life saver if lost in the woods, because it will give you energy that other foods wouldn't, and this is also what they teach children when they have a seminar about it at schools. People consider it junk food because it causes cavities, uh, ALL food causes cavities in general. Hrm, let's see, another thing....OH! Any form of processed food is also considered "junk" food, not necessarily, because it's those processed foods (I.e. granola bars) that save us time when prepping the kids lunches, as well as our own. Also, yes, again with the alsos ha ha, your daughter may have very well have gotten it from a friend, traded her lunch, many kids say this reason instead of the truth, just so they won't get in trouble. How about making her lunch fun? slice up some apple, and have a little thing of yogurt or even caramel, since it's close to halloween? use cookie cutters on her sandwiches to make shapes? Well either way, I wish you good luck with this!!
• Malaysia
23 Oct 08
School must have a responsibility to help curb this problem. They must provide guideline to the canteen supplier and must prohibit the food that will not bring any benefit to school children. It's important for school to get more serious on this matter because the children have a lot of time in school than at home. So, school is the best place to show a good example and teach children about this.
2 people like this
• United States
23 Oct 08
For me, junk food should not be prohibited in schools. What's more important is that the school and more so the parents should teach their children self-control. Because in the end, there are lots of avenues to buy junk foods. It's so accessible for anyone to go to a convenience store or grocery. Self-control on the other hand will teach your child what not to eat and what not to do.
@rusty2rusty (6751)
• Defiance, Ohio
23 Oct 08
I understand your concern. But you fail to realize is what you think is not good for your kids. May in fact be good for others. My daughter has lost a ton of weight because of medications she takes. I feed her as much as I can get her to eat. I even try to get her to eat junk food to add weight on her. But so far is not working. Doctors even have said to get her to eat as many calories as possible. You have taken the right step in teaching your kids about junk food. But remember if you tell your kids they can't have it at all. You failed. As they will eat it as soon as you are out of site and they think they can get away with it. Its called rebelling. You need to teach kids that junk food is okay, but in moderation. Not as a main meal. So to answer your question. No I don't think junk food should be prohibited from school. But junk food should be taught to be eaten in moderation. I think the authorities interfere to much as it is on telling me how to raise my child. They need to back off and let me do my job.
1 person likes this
@Annmac (949)
23 Oct 08
Here in the UK one of the Celebrity Chefs did a program about it! He went into a school and tried to change the menu to healthy alternatives but it was surprisingly unpopular! Not just with the kids but with the parents! I couldn't understand why? Surely like you and I they want the best for their children, as school dinners are often the main meal of the day for them, I think, that at least should be healthy and not 'junk'. When my kids were at school the menu sounded like a list of fast food take-aways. It's hard to teach your child that these foods are OK as a once a week treat, but not a good daily diet when the school that educates them are saying this is what you should be eating! Some schools even teach 'nutrition' in classes so is it any wonder our children are confused! Most schools are more frightened of 'restricting a child's rights' than of being accused of helping to form bad habits. They justify it by saying the children have the right to be able to choose! All you can do is encourage your children to make the right choices and hope that more parents will encourage theirs and the sale of the junk will stop!
1 person likes this
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
23 Oct 08
i think u are fighting a losing battle. lol my kids wern't raised on junk food but they are grown now & still eat it, too much.
1 person likes this
@ShellyB (5241)
• United States
24 Oct 08
I understand what you are doing. Have you thought of allowing junk food on special occasions so you can control what kind or how much? You know like a birthday party or a sunday just for fun? And I think for lunch, at school they should be selling whatever they can that is healthy but I am sure they get more of the kids money but selling junk food than healthy food.
1 person likes this
• India
23 Oct 08
hi i strongly believe that junk foods shouldn't be sold in school canteen. Undoubtedly, junk foods cause a lot of health problems. We have done enough wrong things for our next generations and pushed them into uncertainty of effects of global warming by our mindless acts. Now we should at least make a sincere effort not to detoriate the situation. I guess it would wise for you to inform the school authority and make sure that selling of junk foods are totally banned along with soft drinks and other such products.
1 person likes this
@kenchihi (121)
• Malaysia
23 Oct 08
If I were a parent like you, I would definitely want junk foods to be banned in schools. The amount of preservative, coloring, etc has a huge amount of negative impact on a person's growth especially for the young people of the future generation. They should instead serve healthy food, foods which can help the brain absorb knowledge, I believe the school authorities close a blind eye on this issues, because 1) it is profitable to the canteens 2) children just love them Perhaps, we should consider teaching our children in proper eating habits. Hope that helps :)
1 person likes this