Running Header: JUNK FOOD SALES IN SCHOOLS

Junk Food Sales in Schools Annotated Bibliography

Dana Rucereto
James Madison University

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SALES OF JUNK FOOD IN SCHOOLS

Introduction:
Junk foods are easily accessible to everyone on a daily basis, especially students who attend
school. Students are able to purchase these foods at anytime due to vending machines, school
stores, and a la carte areas which appear to be a great asset. Contrary to popular belief, schools
stock these areas and machines with high calorie, low nutrition foods that contribute to the
childhood obesity epidemic. In my research, I identified how schools can produce profit, while
serving healthy foods to their students. This is a topic of importance because I am a student and
care deeply about what I put in my body, as should my fellow peers and professors.

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Haynes-Maslow, L., & OHara, J. K. (2015). Lessons from the Lunchroom: Childhood Obesity,
School Lunch, and the Way to a Healthier Future. Union of Concerned Scientists, 2-19.
http://www.ucsusa.org
The authors of this article, Lindsey Haynes-Maslow and Jeffery K. OHara, establish a
well-developed argument based on multiple research findings related to the sale of junk foods
and the rate of childhood obesity. Haynes and OHara focus on the increase obesity rates of
American children due to the lack of proper nutrition. They perform a test and examine prior
studies in order to give the audience suggestions on how to improve school nutrition. Throughout
the article they reference the USDA and National School Lunch Program, while enhancing their
argument through statistics, graphs, charts, and tables for easy understanding.
Both Haynes-Maslow and OHara have PhDs and are on the board of Union of
Concerned Scientists, a national organization that is designed to improve the United States in
aspects including the environment, clean energy, health, and many more. Through their article
they reach out to not only educators, but parents as well, regarding the food choices they provide
their students and children. The argument put forth is unbiased and reliable because they look at
multiple variables in regards to childhood obesity, including, ethnicity, gender, age, income, and
location of students. They demonstrate the relevance and currency of their information multiple
times, specifically in the statement, We also reviewed a number of early studies that examined
the impacts of the updated nutrition standards that were implemented in 2012. These studies
reveal a largely positive impact on childrens consumption of healthy food at school (HaynesMaslow & OHara 2015). Since the authors observe the issue based on historical and present
evidence, it creates a very relevant argument of the issue.

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This article is beneficial to my research because it provides a vast amount of background

information on the obesity epidemic and how it has skyrocketed in recent years. On top of that,
the article showcases points about how it is not a responsibility of only the school to encourage
healthy eating habits. For some students, purchasing healthier food is nearly impossible due to
low income levels, and some may never even have an opportunity to eat a nutritious meal
because of the convenience of fast and pre-packaged foods. Overall, this source increased my
opinion of schools implementing healthier food choices into their lunch programs, because some
students do not have that option at home.
Peterson, C. (2011). Competitive Foods Sales Are Associated with a Negative Effect on School
Finances. Journal Of The American Dietetic Association, 111(6), 851-857 7p.
doi:10.1016/j.jada.2011.03.021
In this research investigation, Cora Peterson from the American Dietetic Association,
develops an experiment of her own in order to find out whether or not junk food sales greatly
impact the profits of public schools. Peterson provides her reader with background information
regarding the availability of junk foods in schools and how schools go about using money for
funding. She also provides information on both sides of the argument, justifying the pros and
cons of selling junk foods in public schools. She presents the information in a clear, concise
matter and uses multiple data sheets, charts, and references to enhance her reasoning.
The intended audience for this article are schools and administrators who decide on
which foods will be sold, and how they will provide the most revenue for the school. The article

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is full of facts and statistical information, voiding any opinions of the author to ensure that it is
unbiased and reliable. In her research she found that, Districts use revenues from reimbursable
meals to subsidize competitive foods and other non-reimbursable sales (3). That study indicated
that revenues from school meals exceeded reported costs, whereas revenues from nonreimbursable sales were less than associated costs. One potential financial implication of this
situation is that increased funding for federal school meals programs may result not in
investments in healthier meals, but instead, increased offerings of competitive foods (22)
(Peterson, 2011). Peterson provides evidence on how excess profits are being used today based
on studies that were previously done, proving her knowledge and credibility in the topic of
discussion.
This article is useful in my research on the subject because it disproves the idea that
schools profit from vending machines sales. The actual profit is from the government funded
reimbursable meals, where most of the surplus money remains with future food funding. I can
use this source in my research as an example case study of multiple schools incomes based on
the food they serve. This will provide my argument with more legitimacy on the topic, and
further the idea that junk food sales are not necessary for school funding.
Terry-McElrath, Y. M., Hood, N. E., Colabianchi, N., O'Malley, P. M., & Johnston, L. D.
(2014). Profits,Commercial Food Supplier Involvement, and School Vending Machine
Snack Food Availability: Implications for Implementing the New Competitive Foods
Rule. Journal Of School Health, 84(7), 451-458. doi:10.1111/josh.12165
The Journal of School Health researchers, Yvonne Terry-McElrath, Nancy Hood, Natalie
Colabianchi, Patrick OMalley, and Lloyd Johnston, investigate the relationships between profits
for schools, vending machine availability and whether or not a commercial supplier contract is

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intact. The research team developed a six-year case study of 380 school districts providing the
audience with reliable statistical information and multiple tables of their findings. The vast
amount of data collected provides strong evidence in their conclusion that, most schools whom
have a commercial supplier contract tend to provide more junk foods, but they also found that
schools that served fresh fruit and vegetables tended to have higher profits.
This article is intended for school administrations who currently have commercial
supplier contracts for their vending machines. The research is unbiased and reliable because the
researchers do not provide their own opinions at any point throughout the analysis. TerryMcElrath et al. (2014) explain to the reader, The following patterns were observed: (1) school
profits were associated with increased LNED food availability; (2) district profits were
associated with decreased middle school LNED food availability and increased high school fruit
and vegetable availability; (3) having a company supplier was associated with increased LNED
food availability and decreased fruit and vegetable availability; and (4) supplier say in vending
food item selection was associated with increased LNED food availability and decreased middle
school fruit and vegetable availability. The report was conducted in 2014 demonstrating the
currency of this issue and how many middle and high schools have commercial contracts, just to
ensure a profit.
The study put forth by this research team is valuable information because it demonstrates
that it is not only the schools choice as to what is put into the vending machines, but also
commercial businesses choice. This article changed my negative view on schools slightly
because it is not entirely their fault. I understand that it is crucial for schools to have contracts
with suppliers in order to get any type of food into the school to begin with. However, the school
does pick which supplier they form a contract with, so schools should pick more wisely, if the

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supplier is only filling the vending machine with junk foods.

Thompson, K., & Carman, T. (2015, May 4). Michelle Obama, striving to ensure her
healthful-eating campaign will last. Washington Post. Retrieved from
http://ic.galegroup.com/
This article, written by Krissah Thompson and Tim Carman of the Washington Post,
evaluate Michelle Obamas Healthier America plan and how effective it is and will be in the
future when she is no longer in the White House. They support Obamas achievements, but
question if she is doing enough to end childhood obesity. The authors look at both points of view
and offer evidence in support of Obamas campaign and the backlash of it. Through factual
information and statistics, the authors convey a well-organized article for their audience.
The Washington Post is a well-known newspaper and reaches out to vast amounts of
people. Although, the intended audience of this article in particular are, children, families, and
communities who are threatened by obesity. The first lady is changing the way children eat,
starting with school lunch meals because this is where most children spend the bulk of their days.
The authors write, The school lunch program, which provides free and reduced-price meals to
more than 21 million low-income children, now requires districts to serve more fruit, vegetables,
whole grains, lean protein and low-fat dairy products (Thompson & Carman, 2015). The
journalists provide relevant and current information, as this article was published in the
beginning of May 2015. They also use direct quotes from other lawmakers and health counselors
to support the claims made rather than their opinions, which shows their reliability.
This article is useful for my research because it provides information on a well-known
figure of authority, Michelle Obama, and her opinions on childhood obesity. Her tactics and
small steps towards a healthier nation are necessary in the resolution of this problem. This article

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helps to support my argument for ridding of junk foods in schools. However, the article provides
me with information on how even she cannot change the ways of big business companies due to
money related contracts and endorsements. After reading the article, it opened my eyes to realize
that the sale of junk foods in vending machines at school is a miniscule problem in the obesity
epidemic.
Van Hook, J., & Altman, C. E. (2012). Competitive Food Sales in Schools and Childhood
Obesity: A Longitudinal Study. Sociology Of Education, 85(1), 23-39. doi:10.1177/
In this article, Jennifer Van Hook and Claire Altman of Penn State Universitys sociology
program, perform a longitudinal study to see the correlation between competitive food sales in
schools and childhood obesity. The researchers provide background information based on studies
from the National Science Center of Statistics to discuss the increasing rate of obesity in young
children. Van Hook and Altman also reference Marion Nestle, a researcher in the field of soft
drink companies and their rights as a business, to establish the knowledge of vending machine
contracts. The criticism that surrounds selling soft drinks and competitive foods in schools to
young children is the basis of the argument and study. However, Van Hook and Altman discover
that in order to change childhood obesity interventions need to take place in the community and
in the childrens homes to be fully effective.
The case study is directed at people who share a concern for childhood obesity and are
looking for a way to limit its increasing rate. The information presented is unbiased because it is
a reportage of data based upon students body mass index (BMI), their family characteristics, and
their school characteristics, for example, the schools revenue and how many free meals are
provided. However, biased is used when they reason their evidence to form the conclusion that,
[Competitive] food sales within schools are, on average, unrelated to obesity, but other research
suggests that school-based interventions to reduce childhood obesity are often unsuccessful

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(Van Hook & Altman, 2012). Still, throughout the article the researchers present the information
in a clear concise manner and provide the reader with multiple tables for credibility of their
work. The article, was published in 2012, a time when the Healthier America laws were
beginning, making this study relevant to the time period.
This article, widened my viewpoint on the subject of competitive food sales because their
data resulted in absolutely no correlation between competitive food sales and childhood obesity.
Rather, it aimed the problem at the childs home life and demonstrated that some students based
on their genes or families are more susceptible to being overweight from the beginning of school.
To compare to my other articles, this is the only one to completely go against my viewpoint, but
will be extremely useful in a rebuttal argument based on the topic. Overall, the source did not
change my opinion on the subject childhood obesity rates are still increasing. Thus, proving that
not only do home interventions need to occur, but changes in the education and practices of
schools as well.