Should schools regulate junk food?
Some schools are becoming very proactive in controlling the junk food being offered within the school. Some states now have laws controlling what food children will be able to buy at school. These laws focus on limiting sodas high in sugar, and other so-called “junk food” sold in vending machines or served at snack bars. Dr. David Ludwig, an obesity expert at Harvard University is quoted as saying, “What are the downsides of improving the food environment for children today? You can’t get much worse than it already is.” Junk Food Laws What effect did controlling junk food in schools have on children’s health? o Less weight gain – children in grades 5-8 gained less weight o Overweight/obese children in 5 th grade were more likely to become normal weight children by 8 th grade The study reporting these promising results was in the online journal of Pediatrics . The researchers studied 6300 children in 40 states across the nation. Duri