According to Smith (2005), junk food is defined as any food that is unhealthy and gives no nutrition from its consumption. Junk foods such as cookies, chips and soft drinks contain low nutritional value (Health Foundation 2005). Therefore, junk food is being blamed for the rise of children’s health problems (Smith 2005). Childhood obesity which can lead to future health problems to children is reaching epidemic (Tran 2005). Thus, I strongly believe that the sale of junk food in schools should be banned because it has caused a lot of problems.
Firstly, the sale of junk food should be banned because it is the main contributor that leads to health problems among children. Junk food that contains high in fat, salts and sugar is usually contributes to obesity among children (Tran 2005). From Australian Nutrition Journal (2004), children consume sugar more than recommended intake. In future, it will leads to more serious health problems such as heart diseases, osteoarthritis and cancer (Tran 2005). Furthermore, the decline of dental health among children also is caused from junk food consumption especially soft drinks (Tran 2005).
Moreover, junk food packaging also contributes to the litter problems in schools. Cans, crisp packets and plastic containers from junk food are not treated well and caused inconvenience surrounding in schools. As a result, school have to spend more time and cash to overcome this problem. Schools that have decline the sale of junk food in their canteen can reduce the litter problem (Smith 2005). Thus, the schools grounds man can spend more time on maintaining the school’s project rather than cleaning the grounds (The Food Show 2005).
In addition, chemical addictives are added into junk food to fuel up the taste and color (Smith 2005). However, these addictives cause children to be hyperactive and poor concentration during class. Thus, their learning potential is decreased (The Food Show 2005). Children cannot get the sufficient nutrients they need for growth and healthy development if they eat too much of junk food (The Food Show 2005). Thus, reducing the sale of fast food in schools can improve their character and health (The Food Show 2005).
As conclusion, I strongly agree that the sale of junk food in schools canteen should be banned because of above reasons. However, it is compulsory to educate parents about healthy eating habit at home (The Food Show 2005). Parents spend most of the time with their children at home, and they can take the chance to educate their children about healthy eating habit. Although the school can plays their roles to reduce the sale of fast food, but however it is not the solution to the children health problems.