School Cafeteria Food- Worse Than I Thought

I spoke with a veteran school cafeteria employee. What Jamie Oliver described at the school cafeteria in Huntington, WVA is also true right here in Richmond! The school board made the decision to switch suppliers to save money- new supplier brings in even more processed food. She shared how they serve lots of pizza, chicken nuggets, fried foods, breaded foods. When I asked about salads, the teachers get most of the salads- not a lot of demand from the kids for salads. She said some of the hotdogs look green and she would not touch them! Friday is her favorite day as there are fewer items to prepare. I asked her wouldn't it make more sense to put higher quality in the food and have less choice? Remember GM went bankrupt having too many models. But then there is bureaucracy. We can put a man on the moon but we can't figure out healthier meals in the school? When I grew up, there was no choice- what you see is what you get. When you go to someone's home for dinner, you eat what is served. The importance of cooking co-op is to help you avoid the fast food lane- our kids already get too much processed food at school! Driving schools often show gruesome crashes to encourage safety. Parents and children alike need to see gruesome clogged arteries and other health problems that have resulted from poor eating habits. So check out the home page of my web site and come to my talks on "Food Revolution- Cooking Co-Op Style." We can do better!