People see snack vending machines everyday, usually no matter where they go. They are so common that most aren’t given a second glance unless the person passing needs a chocolate or soda pop fix. One’s only lunch preparation is to make sure to have a handful of change for the machine.
This has made school vending machines a popular thing in schools across the world. This article is going to discuss why these machines are a problem for schools and students alike.
Initially, the idea of having vending machines in schools did not seem too bad. Junior high and high school kids seemed like great candidates for snack vending consumers. This is exactly why schools choose to place the machines in their schools. It is widely known that schools are usually low on money, so what better way to generate some extra income than through their own students!
Kids will pump hundreds of dollars into drink and food vending machines rather than purchase what the school is serving for lunch in the cafeteria. Still, this does not seem like such a bad thing, as the children enjoy the snacks and the school makes a little money. It seems as though everyone wins.
Unfortunately, winning is far from what the children are doing. Supporting the presence of school vending machines makes the people on school boards all across the world hypocrites. In general, schools try to teach good health and nutrition to their students, they even go as far as to have certified lunch programs to show how well their students are being fed.
By allowing these snack vending machines, they are losing everything they have worked for in the past. There are, however, ways to get around this. The fact is that the children will eat and drink whatever is offered, so instead of offering soda, offer water vending.
This notorious issue could be changed quickly. Chances are the children will probably be surprised but not too upset if they are presented with healthier options. This is not to say that candy and soda need to be taken out completely, just less of it.
If the schools intended for their students to eat unhealthy all of the time, then they would not have put forth the effort to teach them about nutrition and healthy food choices in the first place. School vending machines do not have to be a bad thing. With a few changes, they can be useful in many ways.
