Soda, candy, pizza and other nutrient-deprived snacks compete with nutritious meals in nine out of 10 schools, found a new survey from the U.S. General Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress.
The GAO report discovered that 83 percent of elementary schools, 97 percent of middle schools, and 99 percent of high schoools offer these "competitive" foods — meaning foods outside the National School Lunch or School Breakfast Programs, Reuters reported.
These poor kids are besieged by junk food options from the minute they walk in their schools. How can we expect them to make positive food choices when they’re surrounded by candy, soft drinks and other such low-caliber crap?
"Parents should know that our schools are now one of the largest sources of unhealthy food for their kids," Sen. Tom Harkin, who asked for the study, told the Associated Press.
"Would anyone advocate that we take the fences off the playground for elementary schools and just let kids run around in the streets?" Harkin, D-Iowa, said.
"By the same token, why would we allow schools to sort of poison our kids with junk food?"
Good for Harkin to take a strong stand and call junk food "poison."
Of course, as the GAO observed, the reason these quickie carbs and other undesireable foods are offered is money, money, money.
Many cash-strapped schools are generate "substantial revenues" by selling the crap.
As I’ve said before, it’s simply scandalous to put the all-mighty dollar ahead of the health of our nation’s kids.
Can’t these school districts get their acts together and come up with some innovative, more effective, but healthy ways to get needed funds? Just off the top of my head, I could come up with a few options:
- Auction off artwork made by kids.
- Organize a walk-pledge drive.
- Stage an organic foods day, where nearby merchants sell their wares and donate a portion of sales to the participating school.
- Hold a phone-a-thon.
- Do a car wash.
If things don’t change, it’s inevitable that our children will become fatter and fatter and more inclined to get blood sugar issues and other health woes.