In this op-ed, Eama Khan, a graduate from De Anza High School, shares the challenges of living in a community she describes as oversaturated with corner stores that offer limited healthy snacks and beverages for families struggling with ongoing health disparities.
By Eama Khan
“Mom, please, can I have that snack?”
It’s a scene almost everyone has witnessed. A child tugging on the parent’s sleeve, begging for something from the store checkout lane. Maybe it’s a candy bar, maybe it’s chips. The pleading eyes, the excitement… It’s hard to say no.
But what if we imagined a different ending to that story?
Imagine this: A little boy sees a snack he wants, and instead of reaching for sugar-loaded gummies, his eyes light up at the sight of dried fruit or a tasty trail mix. He grabs it, happy and satisfied, and you, an adult in his life, don’t have to worry about him filling his body with junk.
This is just one reason why having healthy options in stores, especially near checkout lanes, are so important. I have seen it in my own life. I have experienced the struggle of trying to make better choices, especially when I’m in a rush or I’m hungry and all I have eyes for is a candy and a soda. And I’ve seen my younger brothers do the same, reaching for what’s easiest, not necessarily what’s best for them. It’s not their fault; it’s how things are set up.
If healthier snacks were placed where the junk food usually is, right at eye level, easy to grab, and affordable, then parents wouldn’t have to pick between saying no to their kids or giving in to something unhealthy. It wouldn’t feel like a compromise every time; they could say yes and feel good about it.
In the U.S., we talk circles about kids’ health, childhood obesity, diabetes, and picky eaters, but we rarely look at the environment around them. Kids don’t have money. They don’t have the power to control what stores sell, or where snacks are placed. Policy makers and companies do. So instead of blaming parents or kids for bad choices; maybe it’s time to start changing what those choices look like.
Education is about so much more than just books and grades; it’s really about learning how to take care of ourselves every day. When I got involved with HOPS (Healthy Options at Point of Sale), I saw this idea in action. I learned what healthy retail means—like ensuring that the snacks at checkout lanes meet certain standards, such as no more than 5g of added sugar and 200mg of sodium per serving. These changes make it easier for families to choose healthier options without having to navigate through aisles of junk food.
Through my experiences with HOPS, I also discovered that healthy food can be really tasty! I tried recipes I never thought I would enjoy, like roasted chickpeas and fruit pizza, and I ended up loving them. We visited local corner stores to see how intensely unhealthy snacks are pushed, especially near the checkout lanes. It hit me how much our food choices are shaped by what we see right in front of us.
Kids and teens, like myself, deserve better. We deserve to grow up in a world that supports their health, not one that profits from our cravings. And that’s why I’m thrilled to announce that Contra Costa County is leading the way, set to become the first county in the nation to enact a healthy retail ordinance, which will require that foods and beverages stocked at checkout in food retail stores over 2000 square feet, meet minimum nutrition standards.
Through the Healthy Retail ordinance, Contra Costa County is helping snack choices that nourish our bodies and bring joy to our hearts, not just snacks loaded with sugar and sodium.