Nowadays, many schools find it profitable to sell unhealthy food and sugary drinks to students during lunch breaks. Is this a positive or negative development?
Nowadays, it is being witnessed that cafeterias informal tuition are serving fast food to young learners during lunch breaks. This has become cause of concern for parents, and health experts alike, for this is precipitating serious repercussions for young ones, and society.
This trend is being derided for promoting fast food culture among the young generation. Undeniably, such edible products are laced with taste-enhancing elements that are addictive in nature, and have a potential to make young minds obsessed with these. Bolstering such food habits in school premises is likely to result in youngsters going back home and asking their parents to afford them the same things. It is feared that this might lead to demise of the practice of cooking meals at home and make future generations completely dependent on processed food, thereby killing the traditional culinary skills.
This does not stop here; it is bound to impact the physical and mental wellbeing of juveniles unfavorably. The ingredients used in preparation of eatables are rich in calories and stimulants but low in essential nutrients such as protein, vitamins, carbohydrates and other minerals, which creates a craving to overeat and override their hunger. This is making youngsters vulnerable to a myriad of disorders and ailments: child obesity is becoming ubiquitous and lifestyle diseases such as type two diabetes and hypertension – that usually affect people much later in life – are inflicting youngsters earlier and more frequently. It is feared that future generations will be unable to contribute to the economic productivity owing to them consuming public resources through the healthcare framework.
Hence, by all means this propensity of schools can be easily termed as detrimental evolution and is bound to cast an evil shadow on the wellbeing of upcoming generations, as well as society.