Most people know the adage: You are what you eat. Thanks to modern technology and science, most people also know that a healthy, balanced diet and lifestyle are the key factors to ensure a healthy, balanced person. This adage is especially applicable to growing kids in their forming years. Then WHY do almost 30 percent of school children suffer from obesity and other forms of chronic illnesses such as allergies, diabetes, acne and overall poor health?
One of the biggest culprits of this modern day phenomenon can be found in the so-called school kiosk. Time is money and many parents prefer to give their kids pocket money or a daily food allowance to buy food at the school instead of packing lunch boxes. That would have been no problem IF they bought fruit, fruit juices and healthy meals or snacks. Unfortunately, the content of most school meal vending machines causes obesity and poor health as it mostly contains unhealthy snacks, sweets and sweetened cool drinks with little or no nutritional value.
Much has been said and written during the past decade about the alarming increase in obesity and other diet-related conditions among young children. There are many contributing factors, such as the electronic era of TV and TV-games and crime that keep kids indoors, but over-eating and indulging in junk food remain the biggest culprit.
During the past decades, these school feeding programs changed according to the latest trends, nutritional values and economics. Many countries could not afford to maintain these programs and/or the quality of the meals decreased to make it more affordable. Today, only a few countries still provide free school meals to all pupils regardless of their financial ability to pay.
Entrepreneurs soon saw the gap and privately owned kiosks became a popular alternative to formal, regulated meal programs in more affluent countries and schools. Unfortunately, the profit to be made out of these fast food outlets played a bigger role than the quality or nutritional value of the food sold - with detrimental consequences.
Studies have shown that most of the food sold at these privately owned kiosks have very little nutritional value and consist mostly of sweetened cool drinks, chips, candy, confectioneries and pies. Fruit, healthy fruit juices and even water or milk are rarely available. In many cases, schools stopped providing the latter due to a lack of interest. What kid would buy and apple if he/she can buy candy or chips?
Another age old adage is that knowledge/education begins at home. Children will follow whatever example is set. Adults (parents, teachers and government officials) will have to lead by example if they want to save the world's youth from the deadly side-effects of modern day's luxuries.
Very few countries - only Finland, Sweden and Estonia - can afford to offer free meals at all their schools. In many countries, similar feeding schemes failed due to poverty, corruption or bad management. It remains the primarily duty and responsibility of parents to ensure that their kids develop healthy eating habits. However, educational institutions and governments also have a responsibility to ensure that whatever food are offered at schools, are nutritional and beneficiary, not harmful, to the kids they are intended for.
One of the biggest culprits of this modern day phenomenon can be found in the so-called school kiosk. Time is money and many parents prefer to give their kids pocket money or a daily food allowance to buy food at the school instead of packing lunch boxes. That would have been no problem IF they bought fruit, fruit juices and healthy meals or snacks. Unfortunately, the content of most school meal vending machines causes obesity and poor health as it mostly contains unhealthy snacks, sweets and sweetened cool drinks with little or no nutritional value.
Much has been said and written during the past decade about the alarming increase in obesity and other diet-related conditions among young children. There are many contributing factors, such as the electronic era of TV and TV-games and crime that keep kids indoors, but over-eating and indulging in junk food remain the biggest culprit.
During the past decades, these school feeding programs changed according to the latest trends, nutritional values and economics. Many countries could not afford to maintain these programs and/or the quality of the meals decreased to make it more affordable. Today, only a few countries still provide free school meals to all pupils regardless of their financial ability to pay.
Entrepreneurs soon saw the gap and privately owned kiosks became a popular alternative to formal, regulated meal programs in more affluent countries and schools. Unfortunately, the profit to be made out of these fast food outlets played a bigger role than the quality or nutritional value of the food sold - with detrimental consequences.
Studies have shown that most of the food sold at these privately owned kiosks have very little nutritional value and consist mostly of sweetened cool drinks, chips, candy, confectioneries and pies. Fruit, healthy fruit juices and even water or milk are rarely available. In many cases, schools stopped providing the latter due to a lack of interest. What kid would buy and apple if he/she can buy candy or chips?
Another age old adage is that knowledge/education begins at home. Children will follow whatever example is set. Adults (parents, teachers and government officials) will have to lead by example if they want to save the world's youth from the deadly side-effects of modern day's luxuries.
Very few countries - only Finland, Sweden and Estonia - can afford to offer free meals at all their schools. In many countries, similar feeding schemes failed due to poverty, corruption or bad management. It remains the primarily duty and responsibility of parents to ensure that their kids develop healthy eating habits. However, educational institutions and governments also have a responsibility to ensure that whatever food are offered at schools, are nutritional and beneficiary, not harmful, to the kids they are intended for.
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