Junking the Junk Food

How a student-led campaign against junk food transformed a school and inspired lifelong lessons in health and leadership

The Green School Project was an integral part of my school years at Father Angel School, New Delhi. As a student practitioner, we undertook various activities to make our school greener. One of the highlights was our campaign against junk food.

The school canteen operated on a private contract, and since this was the early 2000s, modern diets and mindful eating practices barely existed in schools like ours. So, the student body, along with our leaders, teachers, and principal, decided to take matters into our own hands.

We began a campaign. But how does one run a campaign against the greasiest, tastiest batch of hotdogs, chicken patties, spring rolls, chocolate éclairs, burgers, and every other irresistible treat? How does one resist the hope and thrill that each break time brought with a “freshly fried batch of junk”? We started by convincing our friends—reminding them of every time they had suffered a bad bout of diarrhoea or a throat infection caused by the stale and least nutritious food served in the middle of our school playground.

“But it’s so cheap! So tasty!” was the common response.

It took multiple rounds of talking and persuading as many peers as we could reach. But in the end, it wasn’t just the conversations that mattered. The faculty, administration, and student council devised a fun activity with a greater motive.

One fine day, the entire school gathered in the playground to form a massive human chain spelling out, “Junk the Junk Food!” This marked the beginning of a legal campaign. The school filed a petition to voice our concerns as mindful youngsters with a simple thought: “Healthy food is a right and a necessity.”

The campaign eventually led to the complete shutdown of the canteen, leaving behind a long queue of disappointed faces who missed the tasty hotdogs and other snacks. But in my opinion? It saved us tiny humans from years of consuming junk food.

Often, taste overrides what we know deep down. Peer opinions can feel stronger than the inner voice reminding us to eat well. It’s crucial to address both these external and internal influences. It’s even more crucial to work together to start something positive for our friends, neighborhoods, and schools.

Looking back, I can only imagine how lucky I was to be one tiny part of a huge human chain that brought meaningful change. And you know what completes the full circle? I now work with the organization that started it all. Today, I’m here to represent that organization and share this journey with you. I hope it inspires you to take similar steps and live happier, healthier lives!