Vending machines can be corrosive to children’s health, writes Davis Clark
Evolutionarily speaking, human beings aren’t built to resist easy doses of glucose, hence the proliferation of fast food restaurants all over the rich world. With a slew of fast food chains available in pretty much every major city, it can be difficult to avoid the temptations of junk food and maintain a well-balanced diet.
If this is true for adults who know better, having treats and fizzy drinks sitting in an easily accessible place must be quite the allure for young children, which is the claim that those who point a finger at vending machines in secondary schools make. They argue that the presence of an array of sweets is contributing to the deteriorating eating habits of our youth and the ballooning obesity problem of adults around the world.
According the HSE, some 60% of adults in Ireland are overweight or obese. This number has been steadily creeping up every year since 1975 across many nations, but Ireland seems to be among the worst, and many foresee it becoming the most obese country in Europe in the near future. With these troubling statistics, it’s no wonder that the Government and various organisations are striving to manage the problem with a spate of advertising campaigns and health food initiatives.
New legislation targets TV advertisements, but it’s been difficult to defend against online marketing. The introduction of the sugar tax, which tries to lessen the appeal of soda by making it more costly to buy, has been lauded by health groups and denounced by the food and beverage industry. But in the face of growing concerns, many researchers and legislators have begun to turn their attention to what could be the origin of the problem: childhood habits.
Obese
Multiple studies have found a correlation between childhood obesity and adult health problems. Those who are overweight at a young age are more likely to be obese as adults, and carry with them problems such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
If these findings are any indication, Ireland may be in trouble. In 2017, statistics released by the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration revealed that nearly a third of all Irish children were obese, placing Ireland at 58th in the world.
As these children get older, their diets and lifestyle are informed by habit, meaning that there’s a high probability that many of these individuals will remain obese into adulthood. This foreshadows even greater increases in adult obesity, and a massive health crisis to come.
Thus, much debate has arisen around the presence of vending machines in schools, which offer easily-accessible unhealthy options for students. Junk food is hard enough to resist, some argue, without temptation being showcased at every turn just behind vending machine glass. Chris Macey of the Irish Heart Foundation points out the contradiction between what’s taught in nutrition classes and the pervasiveness of unhealthy foods.
“They learn about the food pyramid and the need to limit their intake of treat foods and drinks but, for many, once they leave the classroom, junk products are everywhere all day long. The temptation pupils face is constant,” he told The Irish Times.
Ideal
As with many things, an ideal outlined in the classroom is immediately undercut by the reality of society, as the careful blueprint of healthy eating goes almost completely unsupported in schools.
These sentiments are echoed by many, and the Oireachtas education committee has recommended the ban of all machines that sell unhealthy foods, along with the elimination of junk food from school cafeterias. Both public and private organisations stress the importance of influencing kids to eat well, by nudging them away from sugary foods and towards more nutritious options.
Their efforts have been met with resistance on several fronts, however. The first objection springs from medical ethic’s idea of autonomy, that individuals have the right to manage their health how they see fit without state intervention.
The second and much more complicated objection is that the presence of vending machines may be a dirty bandage on a much larger problem. Vending machines have become a major source of funding for schools that are unable to cover costs.
Schools receive commissions for allowing vending machines in schools, and supporters of the policy say that this money is re-invested into the schools, indirectly creating a more constructive educational environment. If vending machines are removed without addressing funding needs, some argue that it will be a removal of a funding plug that will ultimately do students more harm than good.
A bill banning vending machines also carries socioeconomic implications. Schools in lower income areas often struggle to feed their students properly, due to both perceptions of healthy eating as the realm of the upper classes, and a lack of healthy options.
Parents often send their children to school with unhealthy foods themselves, and many may not be receptive to the idea of a removal of a cheap and easy food source. If schools are unable to provide alternatives, then the elimination of vending machines will almost certainly exacerbate the problem.
Furthermore, it would be difficult for any government committee to enforce a ban on sugary foods, due to the fact that, despite receiving government support, schools remain independent. Education Minister Richard Bruton expressed this sentiment last year, when he said he did “not have the authority to dictate to schools in this manner. Schools are generally privately managed institutions which, although largely funded by the State, are relatively autonomous.”
If these boards decide that vending machines help more than they hurt, then the Government may be fighting an uphill battle.
There are potential solutions to some of these problems. The Oireachtas committee also recommended an emphasis on teaching home cooking skills at a younger age, which might give families more options when choosing meals. Developing healthy habits while at home could be a major boost to childhood health.
If the Government can’t directly enforce healthy eating, they can attempt to change the culture that promotes it, which begins outside school doors. The continued outreach to lower-income communities to help assuage the perception issues could lead people to make better choices, and, of course, more funding to schools would be a great asset as well.
The committee outlines a series of recommendations in addition to the ban on vending machines, including free drinking water and more time for children to exercise during the school day. By providing more opportunities for healthy activity, the potential damage caused by vending machines could be mitigated and the funding stream preserved.
Some argue that vending machines are rather a symptom than a cause, and that their removal will do little to eliminate the underlying issue of junk food dependence. Minister Bruton says that the only way to correct this reliance on unhealthy foods is a large change in culture. “Through families and communities, we can create an environment in which our young people have the knowledge, skills and resilience to choose to lead a healthy life”.
Removing vending machines may be a step in the right direction, but a combination of factors is needed to empower children to avoid unhealthy choices. Even if schools become places of health and well-being, bad practices at homes can undo any progress made during the school day.