To the Editor:

When the phrase "fast food" is mentioned what comes to mind? Usually big name companies like McDonald's, Burger King, Taco Bell, etc. But have the school lunches the children these days are eating ever get mentioned on the list that so many people have in their minds? The answer: not very much at all. This fact should be addressed immediately. The lunches fed to students in schools are just as unhealthy as any other fast food in the country. This is due to quality of the food and school budgeting.

One major category of ingredients in the food fed to children are refined foods. "Today's children face the widespread invasion of GMO foods." Kristen M., founder of FoodRenegade.com explains, "stacked on top of generations of nutrient-skewed refined foods" (KristenM.).

As mentioned earlier, big name fast food companies usually make up the majority of answers when the phrase "fast food" is presented. These companies actually supply schools with their products to feed to the pupils. Dominos is a major contributor to this fact in the East Penn School District and recently Chick-Fil-A has been sold at Emmaus High School as well.

Many will argue that Chick-Fil-A is not as bad of a choice, and it actually is the healthier choice between the two. "Meals served under the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) must, by federal law, meet nutrition guidelines based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans" ("School Lunch"). This statement intends to debunk the myth that schools serve junk food, although schools have been proven to sell junk food.

Why can't these foods be expelled from school menus and replaced with healthier foods? It is quite simple and economic, really. Katie Wilson, Ph.D., president of the School Nutrition Association explains how it is a government influenced decision and that "schools can either provide only healthy foods and go into debt, or allow unhealthy options, which generate revenue but are also a contributing factor to weight gain" (Borstein).

However, this is not a losing battle. If you feel that your child(ren)'s health is being impacted negatively with his/her school lunches, speak up! Create a petition, for example, and present it to the School Board and appeal for a lunch menu reform. But if a silent strike is more your style, another way around school lunches is to simply have your child(ren) pack their lunches so you know exactly what they are eating and how much. In the end this will make for a healthier generation one lunch, and one child at a time.

Ben Smolinsky

Emmaus High School

10th Grade student