It was back in 2006 that the King of Charisma himself, former President William Jefferson Clinton, announced the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. This alliance, which was a collaboration project of the William J. Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association, was hailed by many across the nation who had seen childhood obesity issues become more and more troublesome.
The plan was to reduce, by a tremendous proportion, the amount of unhealthy sodas and junk food available in public schools, specifically through drink and snack vending machines. The voluntary program had sponsors from a series of companies that typically fill those snack vending machines, including Mars, Campbell Soup, Dannon, Kraft, and PepsiCo.
Yet here we are, just a handful of years later, and not much has changed. In fact, one could even argue that the childhood obesity problem has gotten worse, as most statistics show junk food and sugary soda availability in public schools is higher than ever. On top of that, many critics are quick to point out that the availability of these junk food and soda products has nearly doubled, as the number of snack vending machines in schools is at an all time high. And what did we expect? The Alliance for a Healthier Generation was a voluntary program, and since when has any industry shown a willingness to voluntarily regulate itself? Going out of your way to cut down on profit margins? That's just bad business.
The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, while admirable in its intentions, was no different than if any other former World Leader had stood up and said they wanted tobacco companies to help public health by removing their products from gas stations.
But really, it's a ridiculous notion to suggest the presence of snack vending machines is the reason for childhood obesity. No one is forcing these kids to purchase items from the snack vending machines, and on top of that, no one is forcing these children to pick unhealthy items. There are other products in soda vending machines other than 400-calorie soda, you know.
The best way to prevent childhood obesity isn't through some government-created initiative being crammed down our throats (no pun intended). Like anything else, it starts at home. If a child is receiving a healthy diet in their parent or guardians home, they are going to continue these habits as they grow older. One bag of M&Ms from the school snack vending machine isn't going to turn them into Augustus Gloop.
For a child to suffer from serious, worrisome obesity, the problems will likely extend far past the school cafeteria. Until more American parents start realizing the buck stops with them and not the schools, problems are going to continue to arise in our nation's children.
Author Resource:-
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