Food Services ESP — 
Building a Quality Workforce

The Epidemic of Eating Disorders

What, how much, and when children eat is critical to their welfare and affects them their entire lives. Consider the epidemic of eating disorders, obesity, and diabetes among school children. Many of these disorders did not exist among school age children 50 years ago. The reasons for these disorders are complex, but we know they are affected by nutrition.

These disorders present a dilemma for Food Services professionals. On the one hand, it has been determined that 15% of school age children are now "clinically obese."

The incidence of Type II Diabetes in children is increasing dramatically. At the same time, the presence of fast food chains in school cafeterias is huge. Taco Bell resides in a large number of schools in California and many southwestern states. In the east, MacDonalds and Burger King have taken up residence. These particular eating establishments have increased sales for many school districts, which is beneficial from a fiscal perspective. The jury is still out on what impact they have on school children's nutritional and medical well-being.

The Nutritional Tug-of-War

A tug-of-war occurs between increased revenues from fast food — which contributes to conditions like obesity and diabetes in children — and the popular salad bar that many school cafeterias now offer. Salad bars are in general healthy and nutritious. They are, however, linked to a dramatic rise in the eating disorders of anorexia and bulimia in young women and teenagers.

Again, the reasons for these medical challenges are complex and certainly not explained by a salad bar in the school cafeteria. The challenge for Food Service professionals is meaningful training and information about which children are at risk and how to contribute to their health and well being.

To Section 6: Food Services ESP and the 21st Century Community