Soft Drinks in School

[orangeman]

Soft drinks in school are being banned across America. My school bans the vending machines until school is out.

Is this really necessary? I don't drink the sodas, but the water machine is also closed! Soft drinks do add extra weight to a person, but I don't think there should be a ban. I mean kids won't drink just a soda for lunch. They'll often eat a bag of chips, maybe some school lunch, and a soda. But why isn't the snack machines banned? They also contribute to the obesity rate of the youth. And how about school lunches? The food isn't as healthy as fast food. It's not even fresh.

In my opinion, the snack machines should be banned. Not removed, but maybe only availabe afterschool. I need water at times because it gets to 100 degrees F outside. But too bad bottled water is in a vending machine, so I can't buy it.

I oppose the vending machine ban on sodas, because it's just a stupid plan thought up by people that don't know anything about kids.

What do you think of this ban on soft drinks?

[Pugwash]

I'm not affected by the problem, but I don't necessarily see a point in what they're doing. I don't see why they'd ban something that can be bought from a store down the street. If you aren't going to get it in school, then you'll just get it some where else.

I think they should educate people on why it's bad, rather than set a ban on it.

[AznRiceFevah]

I don't drink sodas either. Not only is it bad for your health if you drink it on a regular basis, but it also provides empty calories. However, to ban soda machines from schools is just stupid. Putting the feelings of the students aside, schools make a very nice profit off of vending machines, allowing them to purchase more materials for our classrooms and to fund various school programs. Banning soft drinks from schools is like saying to students, "Hey! Go spend your money somewhere else so that part of the money doesn't go to fund our school!"

[queeniecwt]

Why ban the soda machines? Can't they sell water or diet pop?
I like the idea of sugary-drink ban because people shouldn't drink that stuff anyways!

[chineseguyjl]

wow thats really bad, they atleast give free water right? i know my school doesnt have soda vending machines but it does have powerade and water machines. why would they take those out, i just dont understand it. thats going to be especially difficult for the athletes. i just wonder whos behind all of this.

[panda_shine]

I don't really see the point in banning soft drinks either since soft drinks (especially certain brands like Coco-Cola and Pepsi) are so well known and universal amongst everyone of all ages.

I remember towards my last 2 years in elementary school was when vending machines for drinks were introduced. They wanted to promote something more healthy so instead of pop, it was like canned juice (apple, orange etc).

Towards my last few years in high school, they stopped putting Coca-Cola/Pepsi ads on the outside of vending machines. I am not entirely sure on the reason but I think it had to do with education ministry not wanting those companies to target the young and at places like schools.

[ch3rri3]

I dunno what the school is doing it for but in my opinion, its useless. I mean, how many hours do kids spend at school? after they finished school, they could still drink soft drinks as much as they can if they want to. So there's no point in banning soft drinks in school, the kids wont get healthier.

[tomato_0]

Why ban the soda machines? Can't they sell water or diet pop?

dietpop is worse for your body, it contains an artificial sugar that when drunken too much can cause CANCER ><

anyway, banning soda machines is stupid coz we can get it whenever we want. stupid schools.

[Pugwash]

I dunno what the school is doing it for but in my opinion, its useless. I mean, how many hours do kids spend at school? after they finished school, they could still drink soft drinks as much as they can if they want to. So there's no point in banning soft drinks in school, the kids wont get healthier.

I think it's showing they sort of care. They took action, so when they got their national obesity results, the schools won't be the one to blame, hah. But we all know, they don't give a damn. It's just so they can look good as they were "proactive" about it.

[fish7]

i'm not affected by this but i think it has merits. i received an email before (too bad i erased it already so ican't post it here) that says softdrinks are really bad. there was an experiment done in which they put a tooth in a can of pepsi and after a few days the tooth completely melted. it was a long list of cons of drinking softdrinks but i forgot the stuff it said. this info just got stuck in my head coz it made a big impression on me.

yeah, kids could get softdrinks from other places but with the ban of softdinks in schools, they could minimize their consumption of softdrinks since they're not available in school.

however, banning the whole vendo machine is not really a solution. instead, they should just replace the items in the vending machines with healthier alternatives.

[lemonchicken]

i never knew this was happening in america. i guess the governing body has finally started to do something to tackle obesity - which is a good thing but i think they could do this with other ways rather than the ban on fizzy juices.

i mean, it is extremely easy to get your hands on a bottle of coke (as said above) so i really dont see the point. then again, i havent seen the amount children in schools drink in america so i could be looking at this in the wrong way.

orangeman: i cant believe they dont even have bottled water. so where do people get their liquids from? must they bring it from home or another source? it wont be long enough till someone dehydrates and then they are in big trouble...

[orangeman]

They have it, but it's not always available. It's either shut off until school's out, sold out, or the machine is broken.

For one thing, it's not the soda that makes kids fat. I mean most people walk home, so the effects of soda isn't so bad. The problem is the amount of soda and food. Eat, eat ,eat. And after meals people sleep, or watch tv. There's just barely any exercise in between.

[gifted1]

Heh, my school banned Soft Drink vendoring machine as well, we have Powerade / Water / Tropicana / Nestle though.

If we look carefully, Nestle got more sugar than some soft drinks and Tropicana as well, what's the point of banning all these?

But, school is supposed to educate people and not sell them stuff that the school sponsors anyways...

@orangeman: NO WATER VENDORING MACHINE? I'd leave and find another school if there wasn't a water distribution machine.

[HarmonyCloud]

My school has a lot of vending mechines. But we have coke, sprite, basically anything coke because I think Coke sponsors my school. I personally am really glade we have them because sometimes (I know this sounds disgusting) but when you can't get up at 8 in the morning the caffine in coke...=heaven. lol.

[ene]

I personally am not a fan of soft drinks. In fact, I have subconsciously stopped drinking them for many years now. I prefer water over soft drinks anytime :wink2:

Have you seen the amount of sugar that goes into a small can of Coke? It's :sick:

[chewy]

i think schools are a good place to educate children about healthy eating habits...so it will be good for the children if the schools dont sell sugary drinks especially soda drinks....it can be replaced by fruit juices....it is notjust adding weight to the students but also it may cause more cihldren to have diabetics at a young age...

[orangeman]

i think schools are a good place to educate children about healthy eating habits...so it will be good for the children if the schools dont sell sugary drinks especially soda drinks....it can be replaced by fruit juices....it is notjust adding weight to the students but also it may cause more cihldren to have diabetics at a young age...

I've seen some labels on fruit juices, and they're almost at the same level as soda, in sugar percentage.

Minute Maid Orange Juice has 27g of carbohydrates, which equals that of a Coca Cola Classic. What's surprising is that Coca Cola classic has 97 calories, while Minute Maid has 110. The serving size is 8 fl oz(240ml).

I see no difference in drinking a coke over fruit juice. The "100% Juice" brands are healthier, but it's not available in my school. And they cost twice as much usually.
It's strange for Minute Maid to market "100% juice" when it's just filtered water and concentrate.

[crazygiggles13]

our school doesnt have vending machines anywhere..and there's not another one around for like...at least 2 kms..
and i'd rather not walk that far actually, cuz you'd have to walk back..
we have water fountains around and our canteen sells juice and ice coffee (for those caffine addicts there..me included) keke :D
im not too fussed. its not like i must have it. if i really wanted one, i'd bring one to school. actually i have a bottle of mountain dew in my locker keke..the 1.25L one..

[preciuous4e]

I think this ban of soda in schools is pointless. Banning soda in school won't really promote better health. Kids could just go to the store after school and grab a soda. I think if they really wanted to help the youth of America be healthier then they should educate them on health. I think kids need to learn how to make healthier choices by themselves and balance out the junk foods with the healthy foods.

[disbkoonsta]

that is a pretty retarded thing good thing i'm out of high school. if a kid wants to buy soda then let him buy it. its his choice. the school would lose money too because don't they get a profit from letting coke or whatever put their machines in the school? laws nowadays are getting ridiculous. people just need to exersize more. fat people are ruining things for skinny people like me...i dont want a low fat hot pocket if i'm already skinny!

[xanimeotakux]

yep. soda machines are banned here too. bill clinton is making some agreement with some companies to ban it. =.= all they have is water, diet soda drinks, or gatorade.

the gatorade is freaking small. half of a regular sized gatorade. for $1.00! >:O

[KendoTiger]

Too many fat little kids in school (in America). It's scary.

I'm glad they're at least banning reg. soda, and other such drinks.

Gatorade (aid?), flavored water, etc - those should be okay...

[lovingjay]

I definitely think that banning soft drinks in school is a good start to fighting childhood obesity. Soft drinks are just a can of sugar. A lot of kids in America are overweight and by not allowing sugary drinks in school, it can improve the health of the kids.

In the high school that I use to go to, they suddenly changed all the machines to Snapple juice drinks and water. People didn't really complain about them, because they can still bring drinks from the outside.

But banning soft drinks is not enough. I think the kids should also be taught why these drinks are not good for them and why high-fat/calorie foods are not good for them either.

[kirasuran]

hmm... i just think

1.more education
2. banning, or at least restrictions of soft drinks... (hahaha rationing!!!!)

but..it doesnt really matter, not for me anyway, especially since there are places around schools that you can buy soft drinks anyway....so ppl could just go outside of school to buy it...

but like for me it REALLY doesnt matter, cos i rarely buy soft drink at school...i think ive bought about...4 bottles in 5 years of high school ?

[Sugar&Spice]

I also think that soft drinks should be banned in schools. Because kids should drink healthy things, like milk, water, juice. But I don't like when people try to say that there are too many fat kids in America. I agree there is, but obesity in children are also growing in china. Even though they are tryin to control it. So you really can't just blame one country, when children everywhere should drink, and eat healthy things.

[handstand]

im from singapore. nope no such ban in our schools..but they dont sell it either! so i suppose its just sounds better coz they dun ban it but u dont see it anyway...

yes healthy kids usually dun drink much of those...but i think isotonic drinks shd be ok.

[krystal_thoo]

My school doesnt have any vending machine ! Haha . Its funny . And nowadays I dont see vending machine around , unless you're at the hospital , railway station , airport .. etc !

I had a friend , she doesnt bring water to school , and buys 3-4 cans of soft drinks back to class and drink . In the end , she got diabetes . Aiks ... So , i think its good to ban soft drinks in school . But then I think , isotonic drink is okay for athletes .

Wait , my school outside has 7-11 ! Hahaha .... Whats the point !

[shinjay]

Soft drinks in school should be ban!! You know why...? First, drink more then enough is not good for health as everyone know..soft drink got lots of gases..got sugar and etc. Second..prevent student from throwing the cans here and there.
Thrid, they will drink water if they cant drink anything.. plain water is better then soft drink.

Hey..wait outside my school has 7-11 too! Nevermind...Students can only go out after school right..so they cant buy much..they will just like buy 1 can and go back to house.

So soft drink in school should be ban!

[willywutang]

I don't think soft drinks should be banned entirely. I think it is okay if schools allow kids to have it every once in a while. At my high school, they have vending machined that work only after school has ended. The school also sells pop on every other Friday during the lunch period. I think that is a okay system to go by. Personally, I don't like gatorade, powerade, or any other soft drinks. I like water and tea. Everyday, I try to have a cup of tea and try to drink as much water as possible.

[atomik86]

kids have the right to drink what they want. u shouldnt try to stop them. let them make healthy decisions out of personal choice, and not coercing from adults

[chewy]

in singapore...most primary schools ban vending machines selling soft drinks...this is to prevent children from having easy assess to this unhealthy drinks...If this vending machines r to sell juices or mineral water, I think schools will permit the use of vending machines...

[sinyee]

Thank god secondary schools permit the use of vending machines. I think its a bit too extreme to ban vending machines though. Afterall, the students will still have access to them outside of school so i don't see the need to ban them.

[karyn531]

I hope they never ban vending machines in my country. Not that I frequent them much, but it's handy for desperate measures. :D

If they want to ban vending machines selling soft drinks citing obesity among youth as the reason, then they should ban plenty of other things as well, like those unhealthy snacks and review the food sold at campus cafeterias, they reek of fat. =(

[Singerchick]

Thank god secondary schools permit the use of vending machines. I think its a bit too extreme to ban vending machines though. Afterall, the students will still have access to them outside of school so i don't see the need to ban them.

I heard they were banning soft drink vending machines at our school because apparently there are too many obese children.

[HarmonyCloud]

:D Singerchick Thats really funny actually!
The only people allowed to use our vending machines are middle schoolers and High schoolers (we have K-12 in one building at my school but its pretty big so you never really run into them but we share the cafeteria). But not that many people use them usually the high schoolers will get something with caffine to stay awake, like I have to stay after school and if I don't get a diet coke with caffine I will pass out :bigyawn:
But from what I understand Coca cola (the vending machines we have) sponsors our school therefore my school HAS to have at least one of their vending machines (but chooses to have 4) I think thats what its like with most schools, they get the drinks for free and they keep the profit for themselves...:worry:

[x_rubberduckie]

I don't think that they should be "banned" but if they want to limit the amount of sodas or have kids drink healthier, an good idea would be to at least replace the ones with caffeine.

My school has done the same. The vending machnies (including the Nestle Milk one) are only open before homeroom and starts and are closed until school is out. Meaning only people who stay afterwards say for sports, can use it.

[sushii]

they don't ban soft drinks at my school..but they shut down the vending machines during school and open them up before and after school..which is totally pointless.they also close the water vending machines and the snack machines..i mean i know the school wants to like prevent us from getting obese..but why don't they just take out the soda and snack machinese and just leave the water ones? its really stupid. plus, they don't take into account that people bring food and will go home and purge on food anyway..so really what difference does it make?

[ryosukez]

My school has banned soft drinks such as "Coca Cola" and "Fanta" etc. and replaced them with "70% Less Sugar" soft drinks with have bearly any difference to the Coca Cola brand drinks. If they're worried about students getting obese that it's just stupid because in our school sport in complusory and we have 2 training sessions and complusory Saturday games. Plus P.E classes are complusory as well. Vending machines are also removed from my school. They done all of these things to stop us drinking soft drinks but the problem is that theres a 7/11 shop 20 metres away from our school and nearly all students drop buy there before school to "stock up" on soft drinks for school. Seriously, theres no point in banning soft drinks in schools.

[kwonsang26]

I know it's for the best interest of the kids.But it does sound kind of absurd to ban soft drinks which many kids at their age can easily drink without getting obese.Too much sugar is bad,but that's going a little overboard.

Vending machines also help students feel more comfortable at school so they won't skip school to have fun & buy junk food & soft drinks from another source.I also feel that it is liking taking away more than just drinks,but funding as well.:glug:

[pepprmint]

my hs had this contract with snapple that they would only sell snapple drinks, so all we had to buy from the drink vending machines were snapple water and the can fruit juices, which in my opinion probably had just as much sugar as sodas do. sodas have gotten such a bad rep for making people fat, but in reality, it doesnt have to be soda, sugary drinks and stuff with caffeine can do the same. in my opinion, schools are just trying to make themselves feel better by taking out the "bad" soda machines and replacing them with sugared "fruit" juices. and unless your school's in the middle of no where, chances are you could probably just go outside across the street after school and get yourself a bottle of soda anyways, soo...

[vitaminjaychou]

HAHA THIS POST MADE ME LAUGH! im in high school so they dont even care haha cause we open campus and stuff but after spring break their closing open lunch campus cause we leave a mess and stuff, urggg stupid litters. well for my middle the vending machines are closed after lunch and during homeroom. your middle school or high school must be taking this to a whole another level :D

[ll.jj]

Banning soft drinks for the health of kids could work, if the school allowed people to understand why they're banning it. however, if the school's still selling other 'junk food' then there really isn't much of a point to it...'cause they're still kind of promoting what they believe as unhealthy food.

[~ChinGLiSh<33]

It's better to get rid of it. Kids are in school most of the time so the longer they have access to junk, the closer to bad habits and obesity they get.

[Gelloy]

I think it’s okay if there’s soft drink at school.
It doesn’t make us drunk right? :whistle:
About the effect of our body I think everybody know it contains of saccharin that not good for our body and that consument responsibility to avoid it.
:?

[orangeman]

Update since last year:
They only stop selling sodas, but i'm sure there are som machines that still do. We can buy the Minute Maid fruit juice or Nestea, which is rather pointless, having the same amount of fat and calories as a bottle of Coke. Snack machines are always there.

So either they don't really care or just think only soda is bad.

[aznvinh]

my skool still sells the soda but i think they were thinking of taking it away they took away all the candy but still kept the chips and stuff last year
it is kinda dumb but i guess they are trying to help us

[diaoness]

all the public schools in victoria will soon be not allowed to sell junk food...INCLUDING soft drinks....
as i go to a private school (not being stuck up)...the rule doesnt apply so i can still buy soft drink at school if i want....
but...even if soft drinks are banned, it doesnt affect me much because i rarely buy it or drink it....GO WATER and GREEN TEA!!!! haha...
but yeah...apparantely by cutting away soft drinks from canteens and removing drink machines....it will be the end to our obesity dilemma...pft....

[joce]

yeah dont banned everything...
last year my school have a new rule about soda, so now they dont sell any sodas again in the canteen. but there is still vending machine in our school. they sells juices, pocari, tea and coffee in box and others...
they sell mineral water too although my school have mineral water in every corner...

[mirumodepon]

why would they do that.. i know that isnt good for our health.. but it is unnecessary to ban the vending machine... its better for them to stop those soft drinks advertisement...

[watiwat]

they banned soft drinks at my school, and at the guys school across the grounds, they don't sell coke anymore.. just diet coke and fanta i think..

they banned the junk at our school, but the guys school is less than 5min walk away, and they have a lot of unhealthy food. so that means we still have access to that junk food..

banning junk food at school will just force kids that really want junk to find it someplace else. it's up to the children to know what's good for them or not, rather than people shoving rules down their throats..

<3

[alisadorsey@yahoo.co]

Soft drinks in High School should be limited, because they have so many calories, plus there are alot of kids in HS who have Juvenile diabetes who need to watch their sugar intake. In elementary school no way no how no soft drinks. Those kids would be bouncing all over the walls in the classrooms. Also, there are kids there with health problems who need to watch it as well with the sugar. College, OK, because I would assume that they know what is best by that age.

[hobielover]

There's really no point in banning it. What's the healthiest thing in the cafeterias that kids actually want to eat, anyways? Pizza? Hamburgers? Hot dogs? I used to just kind of poke at it, not really eat it, especially when they didn't have what the menu listed. They might as well have something they're actually willing to drink.

If you think soda's unhealthy, is anything else really healthy? Lots of people are allergic to wheat or nuts. There are also lots of lactose-intolerant children. The truth is, the cafeterias don't always cater to the needs of these children. The food is not healthy for them. Have bread and milk been banned from cafeterias yet? No. So why soda? Why cater to needs of kids with diabetes when you let other kids suffer?

Cafeterias also have desserts. Desserts aren't healthy, are they? Eventually, these kids are going to have to make their own decisions. They're going to go to college and be exposed to all kinds of things, anyways. There won't just be soda. There will be alcohol and most of them will be able to start destroying their lungs legally before they even get out of high school. They should learn to make good decisions earlier. Kids can obviously think for themselves at an early age, or else we wouldn't send them to school in the first place. For most of them, a little soda here and there won't hurt. I couldn't stand to have it everyday at that age, myself. It'd get boring.