Debating On School Vending Machines

By Jocelyn Davidson


A vending machine is a machine that is used to sell consumer items automatically because there is no cashier. Most of them are used to sell edibles like snacks and beverages. They are usually installed in many places like schools, hospitals, work places and many other places that have a lot of people. There has however been a lot of debate of whether school vending machines should be allowed. Some people think that it is wrong while others think there is no harm in installing them. The following are some advantages and disadvantages of having vending structures in the schools.

One of the advantages is that these devices can help to save a lot of time that the students would have spent going to the retail shops. School going children need to always use their time in a good manner and this can be achieved if they do not have to walk a long distance every time they want to grab something to eat. The machine usually has almost all the common snacks that a student would want.

Many school managements also like the vending machines because other than selling the snacks, they can be used to carry out other school transactions easily like payment of school activities. They can also be a good way for the management to enhance healthy living habits among the students. The healthy foods will mostly be bought if they are sold at a reasonable cost.

With all the above arguments that support hawking machines in schools, one may think that they have no harm at all. For this reason, before making a decision it is important to consider the other side of the argument first. The following are some common disadvantages that have made many people discourage the installation of selling machines in the school compound.

Truth be told, many people only consider the profits they are going to make when putting up these devices but they do not deliberate on the health of students. School authorities make a lot of money by signing contracts with junk food companies to sell their products to students. This causes a lot of junk eating by the small kids.

Study verifies that the instances of sugar related sicknesses in kids have been increasing radically over time. Some of these sicknesses comprise of diabetes, heart defects, blood pressure problems and also arthritis cases. This has even caused some states to ban the setting up of automatic vendors completely mainly in learning institutions.

The fact that vending machines help to earn a lot of revenue make the schools a perfect market for them. It is unfair to stop businesses from making money so the best way to control the effects of selling junk in schools is to restrict the kind of items that are sold. The education department should help to promote the sale of healthier food and in this way everyone will be happy.

It is also necessary to educate the children about matters of healthy living so that they can understand why it is harmful for them to consume a lot of sugary items. If the facts about vending machines and the effects of consuming junks are explained to the children properly, they will be able to help in making a positive change which will promote their health.




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