In the season Food Revolution premier, kids piled up the packaged food from the cafeteria on the table. Seeing all this "non-food" was eye-opening. But watching Jamie talk to the kids in his cooking program in the second episode brought tears to my eyes. The kids that have experienced type 2 diabetes firsthand in their families know how damaging it's effects can be. One boy talked about how his grandma is losing the feeling in her feet - which makes her more susceptible to infection and also possible amputation. Seventeen year old Sophia shares that she is the only one in her family not yet diagnosed with diabetes, her 13 year old sister has the disease and her grandparents died from it's complications. Yet her family has not made any changes to their diets - leaving her with a sense of impending doom. One of the most powerful moments was when Jamie told Sophia that "there is always hope." He tells her that she does not deserve to get diabetes - she has a voice and can do something to prevent it.
It is clear that we must do something to change our kids' diets. I applaud Jamie Oliver's efforts to expose this issue, and give him an A+ for building awareness. However, I think where Food Revolution has room for improvement is on the execution side. Maybe that is why the ratings have suffered and ABC decided to replace next week's show with a rerun of Dancing with the Stars.
Jamie Oliver has the ability to stir up the pot, yet so far, the follow-through side is lacking. I can understand why the Los Angeles School District is hesitant to let him in to their schools:
- Jamie's last stop Huntington, VA became the poster child for unhealthy eating - I am sure the L.A. School District doesn't want that label.
- U.S. Foodservice pulled out of the Huntington school after the cameras were turned off, leaving them high and dry with no funding for school lunch. Fortunately a private company has been raising the funds - but this would not be sustainable for a district the size of L.A.
Improvement #1: Stop Wasting Money & Raise More
In this season premiere episode, Jamie filled up an empty school bus with sugar - to demonstrate that the LA School district serves 50 tons of sugar to their students each week just from flavored milks. Food Revolution producers know how to make an impact - this kind of dramatic display definitely builds awareness. It is certainly appalling to actually see how much sugar is really being consumed by these kids in just a week from flavored milk alone. But as I saw that bus filling up with sugar - I thought to myself - how much did that stunt cost? School lunch budgets are very tight - fractions of a penny count. To literally pour money into an empty school bus is like a slap in the face to school districts that are trying to feed students on pocket change. Could Food Revolution have instead put that money into a fund that could buy better food for kids? For example, Lets Move Salad Bars to Schools has raised over $1.4 M dollars with partners like Whole Foods Markets for grants to put salad bars into schools. Their goal is to raise $15 M! Millions of students across the country could benefit from those salad bars. Once you have the equipment, you need the food to fill it. That could be an issue for some school districts. That is where additional money could help. Jamie could use his platform to get major corporations to put their money where it counts - donate fruit and vegetables to be delivered to schools in lower socioeconomic areas, or raise money to increase school lunch budgets. If Food Revolution came into a school district offering money to improve school lunches - the line of schools wanting him to help would be a mile long.
An interesting conversation came up in Jamie's house. Jamie poked fun at his wife for eating "noodle pots" in the past - a cheap meal with too much sodium and little nutritional value. His wife replied that was all she could afford at the time. But quickly added - at least we can afford to cook healthy meals now. Well - sadly - a large portion of the country can't afford to buy and cook healthy meals. Instead of wasting money pouring sugar into a bus - put the money to action to feed students better quality food.
Improvement #2: Start leveraging partners.
Part of the execution issue is that Jamie should not be trying to reinvent the wheel. There are some very cool companies out there are already changing school lunches for the better. Many of these companies have been in the private schools for years - because they have the budget to spend a little more for healthy quality lunches. But there are some exciting new companies that have taken it one step further and are doing it on a shoestring for public schools. Take Southern California company Green Bellies for example. Green Bellies has spent the time to develop the healthy and delicious school lunch alternatives, they have gone through the appropriate channels to introduce their alternatives to the school districts (including L.A.). Green Bellies offers delicious, complete and healthy meals - that are easy to implement, sustain, and meet the nutritional and budgetary criteria. Partnering with a company like Green Bellies would mean that kids would get healthy choices and it would sustainable after the cameras were turned off.
Jamie could also join forces with is Lets Move Salad Bars to Schools. Recently Southern California elementary school Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary (OPE) received a grant for a new salad bar. The first day that OPE launched the salad bar at school, over 700 salads were served!! To roll out the salad bar, they had a Food is Your Fuel(tm) assembly that got kids excited about trying new foods and wanting to eat healthy. The combination of the assembly and the new salad bar was a powerful one - there was education combined with the food for them to put it into action. Since then, the OPE students have continued to eat the salad bar, with many trying new foods and learning for the first time that they actually like salad! OPE is lucky - they have a food service department willing to support the salad bar, as well as involved parents, and additional grants for gardens on campus - so kids can experience planting, growing and can see the vegetables they grew in the garden in the salad bar. If schools across the country could have complete experiences like this, real change could occur. So why try to reinvent the wheel Jamie, when you could simply align yourself with companies that already do this kind of thing?
The area that I think Food Revolution and Jamie comes the closest on is education and motivation. When he is talking one on one with kids in the kitchen - it clear that he is in this business for the right reasons - because he cares and wants to help. Jamie has educated kids & families about how much chicken is really in chicken nuggets. He has taught us what is in "strawberry" milk (added sugar, no strawberries). Now the country knows how a cow is divided up into sections, and that some processed foods use the parts that are not even edible. But I think he could do an even better job in this area by bringing all the key partners together - to offer education to the whole school with a Food is Your Fuel assembly together with the healthier food to enable them to put the education into action.
I guess the reason that Food Revolution fills up buses with sugar, and doesn't link up with partners is because the network thinks all that drama makes "good T.V." But maybe with next weeks' show getting canceled they should realize that seeing real change happen and knowing that it is sustainable is much more powerful than seeing an empty school bus fill up with sugar.
Food Revolution could leverage partners and easily raise their grade on the execution side to an A+. Instead of being met with resistance - schools would asking him to help. Food Revolution - lets join forces to make lasting & sustainable changes in the LA school district...and beyond!
Writer Sara Vance is owner of Fitness Fun 4 All, a company that is dedicated to educating kids and families about healthier nutrition. Fitness Fun 4 All makes nutrition and health fun, offering Food is Your Fuel school assemblies, kids cooking classes, Downward Doggies yoga for kids, and more. A picky eater who struggled with her weight as a child, Sara is passionate about transforming the health of our nation's children. The Food is Your Fuel Assembly, makes nutrition and health - fun. The assemblies last just 45 minutes, but the lessons last a lifetime.
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