Former military leaders call junk food sold in schools a national security issue

CLEVELAND - In a new study released Tuesday, a group of 300 former military generals and admirals detail the problem of junk food sold in schools across America.

The non-profit group behind the study is called MISSION: READINESS. The report it released said it's joining parents and nutritionists in supporting the limit of junk food sales in schools.

The report said about one in four American adults are now too overweight to join the military and that being overweight is the number one medical reason why young adults cannot enlist.

It said students in the United States are eating almost 400 billion calories from junk food sold in schools each year. According to the report, that's equivalent to nearly two billion candy bars.

It said, "the rate of obesity is still climbing among boys age 12 to 19 years."

The study goes on to say the military could have a problem finding a "sufficient number of well-educated recruits without serious criminal backgrounds, excess body fat."

The research in the report said in Ohio 48 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds were overweight or obese from 2008 to 2010. It said from 1995 to 1997, 30 percent were overweight or obese.