How an adolescent is spreading awareness regarding the excessive junk food consumption as it is fueling health issues and environmental pollution, prompting calls for awareness and action.
“Every wrapper tossed is a health cost.” Littered wrappers near my home, especially in parks, pushed me to address junk food’s impact. Though cheap and convenient, it harms our health & the environment.
Junk food fuels obesity with its high calories and low nutrition. During my visit to Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Dr. Renu Kaur highlighted the rising diabetes rates and weakened immunity in children from regular junk food consumption. To combat this, PAU organized World Health Day activities, talks and interactive sessions, to educate students on healthier food choices. Not only this but plastic is non-biodegradable and clogs drains, causing pollution. UN reports say 9 million tons of plastic enter oceans yearly, harming wildlife. Each wrapper adds to pollution and can take up to 1,000 years to decompose.
Junk food is harming our health and polluting our planet. It leads to obesity and littered streets. This highlights the urgent need for greater awareness. Choose fruits over chips. Say no to junk food!
(Photo & Video credits: Contributed by the author)
Judge’s comment: Good headline and sub headline, well written. Good video. Interview and field visit could be better featured.
This entry was submitted on 28th April 2025 and won the first prize in the Class 9–10 category of the Cub Reporters Contest. The contest invited budding journalists to take their passion for the environment to the next level—raising their voices on critical food-based environmental issues while gaining hands-on journalistic experience. Participants ventured into their local areas, investigated ongoing crises, and filed stories from the ground up. The best entries are published here to showcase their work.
Student of Class 10, Delhi Public School, Ludhiana, Punjab
