The Government Should Not Control What Children Eat Essay

In Laura Dawes book, Childhood Obesity in America: Biography of an Epidemic specifically the chapter titled, “Fat Kids Go to Court,” the author examines various aspects of the food industries role in the childhood obesity epidemic. Dawes explores specific actions taken by children’s advocacy groups as well as junk food companies response to the groups attacks on their industry. The author also highlights the role future litigation could take in changing the advertising tactics as well as possible food reformulation by food industry powerhouses.

Schools are being forced to spend literally millions of dollars in addition to their already overflowing costs of educating the children of our nation’s taxpayers. Since everyone is paying for these meals either way, we should be told that we are paying taxes to fund lunches that are so expensive because of “the requirement to offer both a fruit and vegetable — previously it was one or the other — and make students take at least one of them in order to receive federal reimbursement for the meal” (Watanabe). With all the new costs of school meals, school districts need the government rebates more than ever, so they follow the rules and make kids take foods that they

Have you ever thought why you’re school lunch looks so disgusting? Have you ever thought what it’s actually made of? Or why doesn’t this look like the way I ate it at home? For some schools, lunches lack in many different categories from visual pleasure to taste. If the school lunches taste so bad, why don’t we try another way to make them better. For a school in Greeley, Colorado, they’re doing just that. They’re firing up their stoves and are ready to get the ball rolling. There are many reasons on why the school is taking such a huge step backwards. Like, the routine of buying reheated foods and serving them without hesitation. The schools budget cuts or the kitchen being too old and small for the process of preparing such foods. As well as, the list of ingredients that do not need to be in the foods and the risks of diseases/bacteria in the reheated lunches.

Other people think that it is the government’s problem to fix obesity. Although the government’s efforts have been provided, they have been lackluster and ineffective through society. The government has implemented such organizations such as the ABA to regulate beverages in schools to make for a better lunch. They try to regulate beverages in elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, and even times of day they can and can’t be sold (Source A). This is ineffective because this just causes people to bring in their own unhealthy drinks, and more likely more of them then needed because they can’t buy them in school.

People who support Obama's food policy claim that parents need having their kids eat at school help because cannot ensure their kids are eating properly at school.of course parents can't know everything they eat at school.my second reason is even thinking that schools need to limit food choices this doesn’t make government control right.even though i think they don't have to do that but of course i know you have to watch your food limit but it doesn't have to be like that all the time.my third reason is ‘ The federal standards have faced criticism from nutrition officials as well as students. The independent Government

“We just want changes that don’t unnecessarily increase costs and force students to take foods they have no intention of eating (Source 2, Line 29).” Students would rather eat junk food than the school lunch provided. Although some vegetables and fruits might taste good the “healthy food” they serve in the cafeteria makes the appearance of the food unpleasant. If schools really want to make students healthier they should not be able to buy junk food at school stores. Buying junk food will result in eating the food they purchased at the school store, instead of school

Sugary drinks and fast foods are constantly being consumed by Americans, causing an increase in health problems. Government regulation of what we eat and drink is fair because it will increase awareness of what individuals eat and can prevent higher rates of obesity. The article by Ryan Jaslow, "Sugary drinks over 16-ounces banned in New York City, Board of Health Votes" clearly supports the banning. However, “Should the Government Regulate What We Eat?" argues that the ban puts the American values of freedom at risk. Such regulations are necessary in order to maintain a healthy environment.

In 2010, 43 million children were projected to be overweight because of these products. However, the nation exceeded this statistic by having 92 million children being at risk of obesity (Borghi, De Onis, and Blossner 1). Because of the country’s inability to take control of this problem, lawsuits have begun to be filed against major fast-food companies, such as McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, and Hardees. These companies are being sued because citizens claim they are unaware of the detriments that grease and tons of sugar can do to one’s body. For instance, in the court case Pelman v. McDonald’s Corporation, these people were suing McDonalds because they strongly believed that their fast food was the reason why they were having health issues (Kornblet 209). Though this argument seemed to be valid, countless factors affect weight and health of

When the Obama administration 's Hunger-Free Kids Act was put into motion, children across the nation were in uproar. The act requires school lunches to minimize portion sizes, limit calories, and cut back on protein consumption in general for all students. Most students, including myself argue that the government should not have any say in our diets. The government shouldn 't have control over what we are eating for three very obvious reasons. clearly, the act 's "one size fits all" approach does not apply to every individual student affected. Second, The federal government is being hypocritical with the passing of this act, we can inhale harmful smoke and injest chemicals such as alcohol but we can 't even have a good burger for lunch? Third, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act clearly limits students ' choices and prevents them from making intelligent decisions on their own. Overall, the Hunger-Free Kids Act is not helping children by regulating their diets.

It is essential for the government to continue to regulate the food in our school systems. In the article, “The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food,” Michael Moss shows how the food industry is targeting children in school systems. “A potato chip that tastes great and qualifies for the Clinton-A. H. A. alliance for school...We think we have ways to do all of this on a potato chip, and imagine getting that product into schools, where children can have this product and grow up with it and feel good about eating it” (Moss 488-489). This is a prime example of how the food industry is circumventing regulations already in effect. The children of the United States of America are being zeroed in on by companies finding a loophole, instead of protecting the children, by using

What if tomorrow’s news headline read, “U.S. GOVERNMENT BANS THE SALE OF KRISPY KREME DOUGHNUTS?” How would the country react? According to a study released by the National Center for Health Statistics (2008), “32.7% of American adults were overweight…an additional 34.3% were obese, and that 5.9% were extremely obese” (McGuinness 43). Americans are overweight and obesity is the cause of tens of thousands of preventable deaths in the nation each year (McGuinness 42). The nation is suffering a public health crisis due to overconsumption of nutritionally void food and beverages where “unhealthy eating and sedentary living has become the societal norm” (McGuinness 46). Some believe that the government should intervene by regulating American’s diets; however, others maintain that government intervention would set a dangerous precedent by undermining individual freedoms. Allowing the government to intervene is a slippery slope and could potentially lead to more intrusive actions (“Slippery Slope” 1). Instead of abrogating personal choice the government should re-evaluate the support it gives to institutions that contribute to the obesity epidemic.

The school board is always complaining about the school lunches that are given out. They

The fact is that in our country, any government intrusion looks undesirable. We are so used to making free choice and to having access to everything we need and want that we have already forgotten the value and usefulness of the government control. No, that does not mean that the government must control everything and everyone. What I mean here is that the government control should be balanced with the freedom of choice. Unfortunately, plentiful foods do not lead to improved health conditions. We cannot always make a relevant choice. Our hurried lifestyles make us extremely fast, and eating is not an exception. We eat fast, but fast does not always mean useful. I believe, and in this essay I argue that the government must have a say in our

In 2010, a law was placed that required schools to serve up more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. The law's strict standards led to schools putting out healthier meals, but cafeterias still reported losing money. The School Nutrition Association, made up of school cafeteria administrators, lobbied Congress and demanded more flexibility. The association says that it has become increasingly difficult to keep paying students in lunch lines. Now, after the Senate Agriculture Committee voted in support of the compromise plan, schools are hopeful that they will finally get the flexibility they asked for.

Did you know that eighty percent of schools sell fast food like McDonalds or Taco Bell? When schools sell fast food they obtain more money. The school doesn't need to make their own food which saves money in the long run. The students and teachers will buy more of it than the normal lunches. School should be allowed to sell fast food because they obtain more money, they do not need to spend money to make their own lunches, and the students eat more of it.