Vending Machines In Schools

School lunch and nutritional policies are not as effective because the undermining ways of snack lines and vending machines. In almost every school, there are stations separate from the lunch lines where students are able to buy other foods. The foods offered in the al-a-carte lines are almost always unhealthy, snack foods. Vending machines also play a key role in the eating habits and diets of the students. “Many said they would purchase fruits and vegetables, and water, milk and fruit juice at school if these items were available in school vending machines” (Kubik, Lytle, Fulkerson 496). For many students, school is simply a race against the clock and doing everything as fast as they can is a necessity. Trying to fit a healthy food …show more content…
Schools view that as long as there is nothing there for students to buy, they will not make the reach for the unhealthy foods. This, however, will only push them more towards the unhealthy, convenient snack foods. “The usual suspects: time, cost, availability, and convenience were identified as key factors that influenced food choice and the choice to be active physically” (Kubik, Lytle, Fulkerson 497). As a busy high school student, I can agree with the statement above. The convenience part of it is a bigger part than price, time and availability because your food must fit into your schedule, not the other way around. The convenience of providing healthy choices in vending machines is a missed opportunity to affect a student’s health in a positive …show more content…
Truman. The constant changes to the original plan has lead to it getting away from its original intention of providing students with a wholesome and filling meal that will allow them to focus and get through their day. With a more diverse population today than ever before, the policies have not been able to provide for these students. Instead, schools have resorted simply giving students boring and tasteless meals that do not always supply them with the necessary nutrients. The policies also have a hard time with providing education to the students so they can be able to live a healthy lifestyle on their own without having it forced upon them. It is also not always up to the students themselves; it has a large part to do with their parents. The fact that students absorb so much from their parents throughout their lives makes them a key part in developing a child’s healthy lifestyle. The policies have not been able to gain the support of parents, which creates a barrier between the policies and the children they are trying to help. Despite arguments that the policies have been effective in making children healthier, both parents and students feel that some policies are overstepping their rights and are in fact bullying the students into these healthy lifestyle