Most Middle Schools Still Selling Junk Food in Vending Machines
By Jane St. Clair
A new survey of middle school vending machines found that 75 percent offer snacks and sugary drinks of low nutritional value. The number of such machines has doubled since the mid-1990s.
Amy Virus, a dietician with the Center for Obesity Research and Education at Temple University, led the study, which examined a national sample of 42 middle schools. Virus and her team found that machines offer soda, Gatorade, and sugared ice tea as well as snacks that average 320 calories. Many snacks are dessert foods or high fat, salty varieties such as chips and cheese puffs.
Virus said that middle school students are at particular risk for obesity because they are going through puberty.
Comments
Very disappointing news -- and apparently evidence that too many schools are continuing to put short-term challenges (student complaints, temporary drop in cafeteria sales) ahead of their responsibilities to their students.
As a former teacher, I realize that one of the great frustrations facing educators is that the amount of time/influence we have with our students pales in comparison to what they are exposed to at home, on the web, etc. But this is no reason for a school to default on its responsibility to provide the optimum learning environment -- which includes setting a healthy nutrition example.
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