Should States Ban Junk Food in Schools?



Directions: The article below was written by Richard Codey, the Governor of New Jersey. Please read the article. While reading, fill out the While Reading chart in a new window (link below). When you are finished filling out the While Reading chart, you may move on and complete the Post-Reading Questions.

In response to rising obesity rates nationally, 16 states have recently adopted school nutrition policies.

    America is facing a crisis because of our eating habits. Sixty million adults (20 percent of the population) are obese. Nearly 300,000 people die each year from complications associated with being obese.

    Poor eating habits that are started at an early age lead to a lifetime of real health consequences. School is where children spend most of their time, and it is where we lay the foundation for healthy habits. That's why New Jersey is the first date to adopt a school nutrition policy that bans candy, soda, and other junk food.

    If you go to a school in New Jersey, the vending machines and school stores, along with the lines in the cafeterias, will no longer be able to sell snacks that are high in fat and loaded with sugar. Items that list sugar as the first ingredient will be removed and snacks will contain no more than eight grams of total fat and  not more than two grams of saturated fat.

    Soda and junk food will be replaced with more-nutritious options. You will still have choices, but instead of candy or chips, you may have to decide between an apple of carrot sticks.

    It has always been the role of the government to help solve problems, including and especially health crisis. Obesity is a health epidemic across our country, and we have a responsibility as a government and a society to do all we can to promote good nutrition and healthy eating so we can undo this disturbing trend.

    New Jersey is proud to be the first one in the nation to adopt a statewide school junk-food ban, and we hope that other states will follow our lead.


*This article came from: http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=10853


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