Junk food argumentative final~

The public has recently become more aware of the negative consequences that junk foods bring. Eventually, this issue has been debated whether junk food should or should not be banned at schools. The term ‘junk food’ refers to food that contains low nutritional value includes takeaway foods, pre-packaged meals and sugary snack foods (Tran 2005). The nutritional value of food eaten by Australian children has been dropping continuously over the past 3 decades (Weekend News 2005). I strongly believe that junk food should be banned in school for several reasons.

Junk food can be said unhealthy or of low in nutritional content. Most junk food is made by adding chemical additives to improve their flavor and colour. Other than that, the additives also function to increase its vitality. However, these substances have been proven to cause behavioral problems in children such as hyperactivity. They are also said to have caused various diseases to children. Products such as instant noodles, potato chips and chocolate bars raise the kilojoule intake and lead to weight gain (Weekend News 2005). Moreover, Dental Association in Australia found it necessary for the youth to be conscious about this matter. They have urged the government to ban the selling of soft drink due to the drop in the dental health of school children. Soft drinks, hamburgers and chips are some of the most popular snack foods and are low in nutritional value (Health Foundation 2005).

Junk food packaging is also a major problem towards society. Litter is a safety and health hazard, increasing cleaning cost, and is bad for the image of our communities (Family Journal 2005). School teachers also reported that there was a major difference on the litter aspect when they banned the selling of junk foods at their school. The school workers do not have to spend so much time cleaning and has more time for other maintenance plans that benefit the school. In this way, the school can spend the money to other profiting sector rather than focusing too much on hygiene.

There were reports saying that junk food had cause problems toward the student’s academic performance. According to the The Food Show (2005), Poor eating habits of children can induce unhealthy growth and reduce their learning potential. Students are noticed to be calmer after lunch when not consuming junk food. They are more prepared to continue learning compared to when junk foods were available. Teachers noted significant improvement in students’ behaviour in class when junk food and soft drinks are removed from the school canteen. (The Food Show 2005). This clearly shows banning junk foods can create a more appropriate environment for learning.

As the conclusion, I strongly believe that the banning of junk foods is best for everyone. It releases our children from the risk of having bad academic performance and most importantly it avoids them from getting various diseases. School is a place for students to acquire knowledge. If junk food is to be sold there, student will have wrong assumptions that the teacher have no problem having them consuming junk food continuously. Selling junk foods at school gives young people the idea that they can eat junk food whenever they like without any consequences (Weekend News 2005). Plus, based on the reasons above, junk foods clearly bring more negative impact either it is directly or indirectly towards people. The world can be a better place just by this small step. Stop consuming junk foods.