Should School Lunch Menus Display Calorie Counts?
A North Carolina school district is testing new technology aimed at fighting childhood obesity. The schools have licensed food boards resembling those at fast food drive-thrus, but in the place of prices are calorie counts. The school board realizes that providing the calorie counts alone won’t do much to make a positive change, so teachers will devise lessons for the classroom to help kids make healthier choices. Crest Middle School principal Amy Jones commented, “We really don’t want to make them afraid to even pick up anything and put it in their mouths, but we also want to make them educated, that’s our job.” It’s important for kids to understand how their food choices affect their bodies, but I can also see how providing calorie counts for kids could be sending a confusing message. What’s your take on this experiment?
