Vending Machines

In School Vending Machines Thesis Statement: By looking at studies of in-school vending machines you can see that they are becoming a true problem. This is important because vending machines are lowering education standards and are contributing to the obesity epidemic. Introduction â€Å"Can I go to the vending machine? † This is common questions teachers are asked everyday in the class room. In-school vending machines have shown to be a problem for years now. Food sold out of school vending machines should make positive contributions to children’s everyday diet and health.As it is, parents have a hard enough time guiding their children’s eating habits, but with school vending machines it makes in nearly impossible. This has also become a common excuse to skip as much class as possible, causing distractions. By looking at studies of in-school vending machines you can see that they are becoming a true problem. This is important because vending machines are lowerin g education standards and are contributing to the obesity epidemic. Body I. Education is important. A. Vending machines have become easy an excuse. 1.If schools ban in-school vending machines then students would no longer have the opportunity to easily skip class and walk around the hallways freely. 2. Without vending machines teachers would be able to conduct a class room with fewer distractions and more faces. B. Some people argue that vending machines aren’t a classroom problem. 1. Food provides energy which helps students think. 2. Schools should have policies regarding specific times students are allowed at vending machines. C. Everyday I see peers ask teachers if they can go to the vending machine.This not only makes the teacher lose focus, but the students as well and we all know how hard it can be to get a classroom full of students back on topic. When students skip class they do not learn, which is the exact opposite reason students come to school. Transition: This i sn’t just an education problem, it also effects the obesity epidemic. II. Obesity has become a major problem. A. Dispensing junk. 1. A nationwide survey of vending machines in middle schools and high schools finds that 75 percent of the drinks and 85 percent of the snacks sold are of poor nutritional value. 2. 5 percent of teens who describe themselves as overweight say they buy junk food or soda at school.B. Some say vending machines have to much focus 1. Critics argue that by focusing on school vending machines, states ignore other ways to help children lose weight like promoting a balanced diet and increasing physical education and nutrition classes in schools. 2. Many people argue that a restrictive approach where you single out a particular food or beverage is never going to work because children can simply go to a near by covenant store and purchase the exact same things a vending machine offers. C. Soda and low-nutrition snack foods are a key source of excess calories in children’s diets, contribute to overweight and obesity, and displace more nutritious foods. Obesity rates have doubled in children and tripled in adolescents over the last two decades. Studies show that children’s soft drink intake has increased, and children who drink more soft drinks consume more calories and are more likely to be overweight than kids who drink fewer soft drinks Transition: School lunches have the right nutrients. III.School lunches offer healthier choices. A. School lunches are down and vending machines are up. 1. Junk foods in school vending machines compete with the more nutritious meals offered by the School Lunch Program. 2. Senator Tom Harkin said â€Å"Congress should step in and ensure that soda, candy, chips, and cookies don’t become the de facto school lunch. USDA needs to set standards for all foods sold in schools that participate in the federal school lunch program. † B. Many students say that school lunches are gross. 1 .During lunch I often hear students complaining of having the same thing two days before assuming it is the left overs. 2. Many students believe that school lunches are equally or sometimes even less nutritional then food sold out of a vending machine. C. . The governmental School Lunch program exists from the reason of providing nutrition to all the students. There is a set nutrient content and portion size for official school meals, meaning that the lunches served at Republic high school might seem cheap and gross, but they are far more nutritional than vending machine snacks.Conclusion The facts and statistics prove that vending machines do more harm than good for students and faculty. Vending machines have become just an annoyance for the faculty because of the students’ constant requests for hall passes that lead them directly to the vending machines. They also have to deal with students desiring to have sodas and snacks in the class room which destroy equipment if spill ed. Vending machines are harmful to students primarily because they assist in producing poor heating habits that can carry over to adulthood.Removing vending machines would assist to refocus attention on learning and not caffeine and sugar rushes.Works Cited Chang, Alicia. Schools across the U. S. Target Vending Machines in Obesity Controversy. N. p. , 26 Feb. 2004. Web. 1 Nov. 2010. Lipman, Richard. Children's Weight Gain From School Vending Machines. Enzine Articles , 21 Dec. 2009. Web. 1 Nov. 2010. . School Vending Machines â€Å"Dispensing Junk†. Center for science in the public intrest, 11 May 2004. Web. 1 Nov. 2010. . .