One concept regarding Pollan and the large amount of unhealthy processed foods is how grade schools lunch room can be a large factor in developing an individuals eating habits. Our nation is faced with increased obesity in todays youth as well the diseases and ailments that are caused from obesity. As this growing concern amounts to epidemics most public schools are still 'teaching' their students to eat unhealthy. Dating back to elementary school, I attended a public school system thats lunch program was run by a company called Sudexo. Sudexo ran every lunch room in every elementary school, two middle school and our one senior high school. Elementary school we were given one of two options usually ranging from cheap, unhealthy, hight fat, high carbohydrate filled food, with a small selective salad bar that was installed by angered parents claiming there isn't any healthy alternative. The middle school and high school lunch room would only grow in the variety of unhealthy food and provided a healthy alternative that was usually two to three dollars more and the line was usually empty. I can say for one, after eating so much junk for two years in middle school I would change to having my parents make my lunch alongside a lot of other students.
This personal example relates to America's growing obesity epidemic and the massive amount of processed foods, thousands of schools around the country have provided a mass variety of unhealthy foods that were cheaper and readily available, given a grade school student attends school over half of calendar year and the majority consumes deep fried food and other unhealthy alternatives reflects how those students eating habits develop in later years. I believe in order to help prevent this growing obesity epidemic grade schools need to provide varieties of healthy alternatives that appeal to students. This concept has gained momentum recently and has some schools adding new healthy alternatives more appealing to students as well making them less expensive then the high fat, high carbohydrate filled foods.
Overall it comes down to an individuals decision on weather they are going to eat healthy or unhealthy processed foods. This is where I believe the education of the benefits of healthy eating as well the consequences of having a unhealthy diet should be apart of every students education. Students that are simply educated on healthy and unhealthy eating habits are more able to develop a healthy diet without unhealthy processed foods.