The Ontario government's latest fiat is that schools can no longer sell junk food to students. Who could argue with that? (Not B.C., which has a similar ban.)
The Canadian Taxpayer Federation does. You know: "The nanny state shouldn't tell us what we can and can't eat as a part of their Orwellian plot to force broccoli on us all."
But besides the big, bad government argument, there are other reasons to be against "banning" junk food from schools.
Banning junk food from schools just makes it more likely that, when at the mall, kids will opt for a side of salty, fatty fries and a barrel of sugary drink.
As is true with cellphones and electronic devices, banning things from schools only makes them more desirable.
The best way to help young people make good decisions is to let them practise making decisions rather than legislating their choices.
Ten years ago, when I was principal of a local middle school, students saw drinking fountains as unhygienic and "gross," with dribbly water pressure and the inevitable piece of chewed gum left by the last kid brave enough to stick his face in the oval white germ incubator. Thus, kids weren't drinking water, and they should.
We encouraged a group of students to request that the school install water dispensers in the hallways - the 10-gallon bottles with the little dispensing spigot.
The water dispensers didn't come with cups, so hydrating kids had to decide to bring their own water bottles. They also had to decide not to drip water all over the hallway. Most were successful in this and, because it was their idea, water consumption in the school went viral (sorry) among students and teachers.
I'll bet those middle school kids, now young adults, are still choosing to lug water bottles around their workplaces.
I would also bet that had we chosen to instead ban all drinks except water because it was good for them, those same kids would still be resisting hydrating themselves.
Should schools sell candy and junk food? No. But legislating dietary choices will not result in any enduring commitment to healthier eating.
So unless we are prepared to ban junk food entirely - from hockey rinks, 7-Elevens and our homes - banning it from schools won't help kids resist the haunting call of the Slurpee machine.
