Health News
Computer Lets Parents Monitor Kids' School Meals
February 21, 2006
The Houston school district will soon be using a cafeteria automation system that lets parents dictate - and track - what their kids eat. Primero Food Service Solutions, developed by Houston-based Cybersoft Technologies, allows parents to set up prepaid lunch accounts so children don't have to carry money. Parents are also able to go online to track their child's eating habits and set restrictions on their diet. If a parent decides their child can only have chips once a week, the computer system will make sure those restrictions are being met. Giving parents control over what their kids can and can not eat is a recent addition to the prepaid cafeteria system which has been at work in some American schools for almost ten years.
Although many supporters of the program see this new monitoring ability as a positive development that may help tackle childhood obesity, some people feel that this system is too restrictive and may prevent children from freely making their own healthy choices.