Last week I wrote about a UCLA study reporting that the proximity to fast food retailers yield increased rates of obesity and diabetes regardless of income. This week the BBC breaks another study finding that the elimination of junk food in schools, yields an increase in consumption of fresh fruit, especially when combined with peer pressure.
Children who attended fruit tuck shops where fruit was the only food allowed in school ate 0.37 more portions of fruit per day than those at schools without a fruit tuck shop.
Pupils at schools which banned all types of food ate 0.14 more portions of fruit per day, the research found.
Where there were no restrictions on food being brought into school, fruit consumption was lower than at other schools, even if the school had a fruit tuck shop.
Professor Laurence Moore, from the Cardiff Institute, said: “Our results suggest that children are more willing to use fruit tuck shops and eat fruit as a snack at school if they and their friends are not allow to take in unhealthy snacks.
“This highlights the importance of friends’ behaviour and of peer modelling, and of the need for schools to put policies in place to back up health interventions.”
Of course, for every rule put in place, wily kids find ways to break them. While cupcake and other confection bans at elementary schools are valiant attempts to slow the growing wave of obesity, whatever foods get banned become highly sought after contraband on the junk food black market.
In a new trend, school districts throughout the country have worked to forcefully banish junk food. They’ve replaced soda with bottled water and candy with yogurt and nuts. In doing so, they’ve created a black market of candy sales that takes place in parking lots, locker rooms, hallways and playgrounds. Entrepreneurial students buy loads of cheap candy and snacks at Sam’s Club and Costco, mark up the price tenfold or more, and sell it for enormous profit. Vending machines that sell health food go largely ignored. Meanwhile, bands, drama clubs and other organizations that were funded by the above-board junk food sales are struggling financially while the black market thrives. Few win, many lose.
Haven’t public officials yet learned that banning anything only puts a bright shiny bow that says take me on it. Underage drinking, narcotics. . .
No related posts.
Though some may feel that comparing smuggled cupcakes to purloined vodka bottles may be a tad extreme, you make an excellent point in reiterating that the more attention a banned item is given, the more people will want it.
If schools wanted to make a difference, they simply need to provide fresh fruit at a very low price, and either cease selling junk food or jack the price up to unreasonable levels.
Economic incentives (created by the administration) would be the best method to battle this problem… though kids might be willing to pay an unreasonable price for a Snickers if that means they get to “stick it to the man,” I imagine they would be less likely to pay an excessive amount to the school when apples and fruit cups are available at half the price.
“Entrepreneurial students buy loads of cheap candy and snacks at Sam’s Club and Costco, mark up the price tenfold or more, and sell it for enormous profit.”
I know that’s not the point of the article but this made me laugh. We’re talking about kids and a “black market.” Silly. Good for them for being creative–now if provided some more positive outlets instead of the “black market” we would be heading in a great direction.
Glenn,
Campus vending machines became an easy way to make up for budget short falls in the 90s. Then the obesity epidemic started getting linked to what was in the vending machines. We still have a budget crunch and now we’re banning junkfood in schools. It doesn’t matter what they outright ban in terms of district sales, because kids will just bring it to school.
The ones whose parents won’t give them candy can just buy it off another kid.
Much like Ritalin sales in college dorms.
AJ,
kids would probably enjoy a more business oriented electives. It beats carrot coins in home economics