Processed Food Should or Should not be Banned From School Meals? Essay

Processed food should be banned from school meals due to increasing health issues in children, increasing academic deficiency and increasing production cost to produce processed foods. There are people who would oppose to this idea due to population growth and an increasing food demand. However, this escalating demand of food is forcing the food industry and other government agencies to resolve the current hunger and lack of resources issues, by hiring processing factories and private companies to produce processed foods. The greater part of school age children consume processed foods on a daily basis. The purpose of this study is to examine what are processed foods? What are the associated problems? Also, to determine if processed foods affect students’ health and their academic performance. In addition, what is the position of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and food industry in the distribution of processed foods in schools? Also, to determine the outcome of this study, the behavior and health of students along with the governing agencies were analyzed to establish, if processed foods should be banned from schools or just monitored carefully. Discussion of key terms What are processed foods? It is food â€Å"composed of synthetic chemical additives, such as colorings, preservatives, sugar substitutes and trans-fats† (Fitzgerald, 2006, p.72). Fitzgerald reported that by the â€Å"1970s most meats and dairy products that were factory farmed were laced with growth hormones, antibiotics and a range of pesticides† (p.72). Furthermore, food that is frozen, packaged and canned is considered processed food. A brief explanation of the chemical additives in processed food. 1. Pres... ...tp://www.ceeonline.org/greenGuide/food/upload/studenthealth.aspx Laskawy, T. (2011, December 16). A dollar badly spent. A dollar badly spent: New facts on processed food in school lunches. Retrieved April 16, 2012, from grist.org/food/2011-12-16-a-dollar-badly-spent-new-facts-on-processed-school-lunches/ Mateljan, G. (n.d.). WHFoods: What are the problems with processed foods?. The World's Healthiest Foods. Retrieved April 16, 2012, from http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=107 Nestle, M. (n.d.). Center For Ecoliteracy. School Food, Public Policy, and Strategies for Change. Retrieved April 16, 2012, from http://www.ecoliteracy.org/essays/school-food-public-and-strategies-change Weber, K. (2009). Food, Inc.: how industrial food is making us sicker, fatter and poorer; and what you can do about it: a participant guide. New York: Public Affairs.