Influencing Children's Diets

That old adage of "You can take a horse to water but you cannot make it drink", is as true of horses as it is of children.  In this instance, however, it is healthy, nutritious food choices offered to children that causes them to balk with disinterest at the offerings.  Children prefer what their mouths and their appetites find more appealing.  Commercially prepared and altered convenience food that is distinctly unhealthy in comparison to whole, unadulterated foods.

And school boards, making an earnest and well-meaning attempt to guide children toward better eating patterns are discovering, to their dismay, that the best laid plans of responsible school boards do often go astray.  Talking reasonably to children about the need to consume healthy whole foods rather than junk food simply doesn't work.  They know what their taste buds appreciate and that's what they're consumed with, as a matter of speaking.

The Ottawa-Carleton School board is facing a loss of revenues that will put them firmly in the red.  Cafeteria revenues are down substantially, with children deciding with great deliberation to pass by the healthy offerings in favour of going outside the school to pick up junk food available at nearby establishments that sell the heavily salted, larded and sugared food and drinks they far prefer.  Leaving the board faced with a $900,000 loss.

The Toronto District School Board has its own woes with respect to its own $1.2-million cafeteria food shortfall.  "We put a man on the moon 40 years ago.  don't tell me that we can't make healthy, delicious, tasty, attractive food for teenagers in the province of Ontario in 2012", said Premier Dalton McGuinty recently at a press conference.  It's not moon science, however, that teens will eat what appeals to them, not what their elders consider best for them.

Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and British Columbia have all undertaken the mission to regulate what their students can purchase at school cafeterias.  With varying levels of success.  A gradual change-over as has been the experience with the Halifax Regional School board, resulted in far more success; something that Edmonton has been able to emulate.

"We had to get ourselves up and running and determine what was an unhealthy choice.  Because french fries by themselves once in a while is not an unhealthy choice but eating every day it is", explained a spokesperson for the Edmonton Public Schools. 

Revenue loss is a serious matter, because it is linked to additional programming.  Cafeteria funds are used for field trips, academic tournaments, clubs and sport teams; in some places revenues support cafeteria infrastructure and maintenance.  School officials warn that the revenue losses will result in parents having to pay more for their children's school activities, and elsewhere cafeterias may be forced to close.

Closing cafeterias will be further inimical to the health of students in lost after-school activities, and growing obesity problems.  Life is complicated.