“Doritos or Popcorn?”, a clueless student ponders, as they stare at the vending machine in front of them. The machine is filled with snacks and drinks, just waiting for a student to feed it a dollar in exchange for hunger relief. The student’s mind is spinning, as they are faced with the decision to grab a quick snack and head back to class, or leave the machine alone and avoid the unhealthy options. This is not an uncommon struggle; in fact, studies show that these vending machines have no benefit to the consumers.

Vending machines used to be placed in offices or stores, but they are being placed in a more tempting spot…schools! According to thinkprogress.org, 97% of schools contain vending machines in at least one spot in the building. What is even more concerning is the fact that most vending machines contain junk. Take Mayfield’s vending machines, for example. Mayfield Middle School’s vending machines do have some healthy snacks, but the majority of foods are Doritos, Hot Chips, Fruit Snacks, and other highly unhealthy snacks. Although only 18.4% of children under 18 are obese, can you imagine what would happen if we continue taking out the healthy foods and replacing them with chips and other junk?

Getting rid of the vending machines should be a no-brainer, but other students felt differently. The majority of students and staff that were interviewed said that they liked the vending machines being in our schools because “it provides us a quick snack”. Others like Kaydence Brewer, said “ I usually only use the vending machines about once a month, however they are still useful just in case”.

The main reason that these students and staff members have become addicted to these virtually poisonous treats is because of the convenience. The students get hungry and since they cannot walk to the nearest supermarket, they easily feed the machine one dollar in exchange for a quick snack. However, the price for convenience may be higher than the bag of chips from your last purchase. The average serving for a bag of chips is 160 calories for every ounce. If you ate one whole 8 ounce bag, you would be consuming 1,280 calories!

So next time you pass the vending machines looking for a snack, do yourself and your health a favor and go for an apple or a banana instead. Our health is important, and the choices that we make will affect us physically and mentally in the future. We can no longer depend solely on these machines to fill us up.