Food served in public schools is generally unhealthy. Eating unhealthy while an adolescent is dangerous. Junk food is food that is calorie-dense and nutrient poor. Too much junk food can be life threatening and cause a greater chance of obesity, diabetes, and even depression. Students should not be exposed to junk food in their own school cafeterias because of its effect on their bodies and learning. The typical meats served in public schools have a high amount of salt and preservatives and can negatively affect your health. More attention should be paid to the choice of foods available to public school students.
The issue of democracy relating to improper meals in public schools is targeted at the lack of action that the government has towards this issue. There is not enough money being funded to supply the proper meals and nutrients that need to be in a school environment. Therefore, not only is it being proven that these unhealthy foods that are being consumed every day by thousands of students are deadly, but the government is aware of this and isn't taking action to prevent it from going any further.
According to recent studies done by the NEA (National Education Association), the meat provided to our nation’s public school cafeterias does not meet the requirements by some fast-food industries. The food served in public schools is less quality than food served in fast- food places like McDonalds. In an article about McDonalds on the EndAllDisease website, it talks about how a majority of the food and drinks served contain tertiary Butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), a chemical preservative that is so deadly that just five grams of consuming it can be fatal. One gram of TBHQ can cause nausea, vomiting, ringing in the ears, a feeling of suffocation, and collapse. If the food going to public schools are even worse than fast food, like McDonalds containing TBHQ, the food is extremely harmful.
On the NEA website it states “ The standards for meat sent to schools and retailers are so desperate that ground beef from a plant with salmonella outbreak this past august was recalled by retailers, but ground beef from the same plant produced during that outbreak was still shipped to schools.” Salmonellosis illness usually lasts a week to months, depending on how severe the case is. Children who get Salmonellosis need to take a break from school, causing them to miss assignments and lessons. Also, USA Today investigated fast food compared to school lunches: “McDonalds, Burger King, and Costco, for instance, are far more rigorous in checking for bacteria and dangerous pathogens. They test the ground beef they by five to ten times more often than the USDA ( United States Department of Agriculture) tests beef made for schools during a typical production day.” If the unhealthy food served at school is making students ill and not physically present to school, it should not be served.
Some meat certified by the USDA is donated to almost every school district in the country and served to 31 million students a day, 62% of them receiving these meals for free, according to USA Today. The schools are giving these unhealthy foods to students because they are donated; the schools don’t have to go out of their way to buy healthier foods. The district is not thinking about endangering the health of their students, but they’re thinking about money.
President Obama also noted earlier this year that, for many children, school lunches are “ their most nutritious meal - sometimes their only meal-of the day.”, if so, why is the government's relationship with school districts not progressing? It needs to be a priority for the government to gain a mutual understanding with school districts in order for their to be growth; to guarantee safety for students. This is an issue that stands alone and doesn't need to be recognized any further for people to understand where the gap lies between education and health. These two go hand-in-hand with each other which is why it is crucial that they function properly. The lack of healthy food in public schools is putting kids in a very risky state; causing their learning development to be postponed. If the government is investing so much money into making sure children are learning properly, the correct meals have to be exposed to children in order for this to happen.
Outside Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_meal#Finland
http://www.nea.org/home/37485.htm
http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/reasons-eating-junk-food-not-good-3364.html
http://www.endalldisease.com/mcdonalds-fast-food-toxic-ingredients-include-putty-and-cosmetic-petrochemicals/
The issue of democracy relating to improper meals in public schools is targeted at the lack of action that the government has towards this issue. There is not enough money being funded to supply the proper meals and nutrients that need to be in a school environment. Therefore, not only is it being proven that these unhealthy foods that are being consumed every day by thousands of students are deadly, but the government is aware of this and isn't taking action to prevent it from going any further.
According to recent studies done by the NEA (National Education Association), the meat provided to our nation’s public school cafeterias does not meet the requirements by some fast-food industries. The food served in public schools is less quality than food served in fast- food places like McDonalds. In an article about McDonalds on the EndAllDisease website, it talks about how a majority of the food and drinks served contain tertiary Butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), a chemical preservative that is so deadly that just five grams of consuming it can be fatal. One gram of TBHQ can cause nausea, vomiting, ringing in the ears, a feeling of suffocation, and collapse. If the food going to public schools are even worse than fast food, like McDonalds containing TBHQ, the food is extremely harmful.
On the NEA website it states “ The standards for meat sent to schools and retailers are so desperate that ground beef from a plant with salmonella outbreak this past august was recalled by retailers, but ground beef from the same plant produced during that outbreak was still shipped to schools.” Salmonellosis illness usually lasts a week to months, depending on how severe the case is. Children who get Salmonellosis need to take a break from school, causing them to miss assignments and lessons. Also, USA Today investigated fast food compared to school lunches: “McDonalds, Burger King, and Costco, for instance, are far more rigorous in checking for bacteria and dangerous pathogens. They test the ground beef they by five to ten times more often than the USDA ( United States Department of Agriculture) tests beef made for schools during a typical production day.” If the unhealthy food served at school is making students ill and not physically present to school, it should not be served.
Some meat certified by the USDA is donated to almost every school district in the country and served to 31 million students a day, 62% of them receiving these meals for free, according to USA Today. The schools are giving these unhealthy foods to students because they are donated; the schools don’t have to go out of their way to buy healthier foods. The district is not thinking about endangering the health of their students, but they’re thinking about money.
President Obama also noted earlier this year that, for many children, school lunches are “ their most nutritious meal - sometimes their only meal-of the day.”, if so, why is the government's relationship with school districts not progressing? It needs to be a priority for the government to gain a mutual understanding with school districts in order for their to be growth; to guarantee safety for students. This is an issue that stands alone and doesn't need to be recognized any further for people to understand where the gap lies between education and health. These two go hand-in-hand with each other which is why it is crucial that they function properly. The lack of healthy food in public schools is putting kids in a very risky state; causing their learning development to be postponed. If the government is investing so much money into making sure children are learning properly, the correct meals have to be exposed to children in order for this to happen.
Outside Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_meal#Finland
http://www.nea.org/home/37485.htm
http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/reasons-eating-junk-food-not-good-3364.html
http://www.endalldisease.com/mcdonalds-fast-food-toxic-ingredients-include-putty-and-cosmetic-petrochemicals/