Food Politics in the New York Times

Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense Of Food, has a great article in the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/magazine/12policy-t.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1 ).

In the form of a letter to the president-elect, Pollan outlines why the president should be working on food policies, since it directly affects global warming (farming is the second largest user of fossil fuels after cars), the economy (food is not so cheap anymore), and health care (1 of 3 children born in 2000 are expected to develop type 2 diabetes).

Pollan explains how we got to where we are today and gives some excellent detailed advice for how a new food system could work, where the government:

- encourages and reward those that do "sun farming" rather than farms relying on fossil fuels
- builds an infrastructure that supports diversified farming rather than monocrops
- allows foods stamps and issues WIC coupons to be used at farmers markets which woulds also help attract farmers markets to urban areas
- makes sure all schools have gardens, kitchens and workers trained to cook real food
- sets an example by hiring a white house chef active in the local and organic food movement

Are you an Angry Mom?

Are you fed up with the offerings for school meals in your district? I know for me, I would love not to have to pack my kids a lunch every day - but as long as our school continues to feature processed, frozen and reheated foods high in sodium, hydrogenated oils, and high fructose corn syrup (not to mention chemicals, preservatives, and pesticides), I don't feel I have a choice. I am on the wellness committee for my district but change is painfully slow.

There are places where things are happening however. If you haven't seen the excellent movie Two Angry Moms which is shaking up the public school lunch community, I highly recommend it -- I've already seen twice! These moms traveled around the US to find schools radically changing their lunch programs. For more info, go to http://angrymoms.org/ .

On March 24, the producers will be featured on The Rachael Ray Show - go to their web site for more info: http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/ and the movie will be shown on March 30 at the Kent Film Festival in Connecticut, for times go to: http://kentfilmfestival.org/ .

Farm to School Programs

My article 'Fresh Food Nation' published in Mothering Magazine gives information about existing farm to school programs around the US and suggestions on how to start one at your school. It was just put online at http://www.mothering.com/articles/growing_child/food/fresh-food-nation.html

Farm to School Programs

My article entitled "Fresh Food Nation" about farm to school programs is in the current (July/August) issue of Mothering Magazine. In the article, I profile a few schools that have sucessful farm to school programs and also give information about how to get a program started at your school.

Mothering is available at most large natural foods stores and books stores. For info on how to subscribe, go to http://www.mothering.com/.

Rethinking School Lunches

As childhood obesity and related disease continues to rise, it's becoming clear that we need to take measures to improve the health of our nation's kids. Most children spend a good part of their week in school or preschool, so that is an obvious place where changes can be made. Most school meals are apallingly unhealthy with entrees such as corn dogs, pizza pockets, and chicken nuggets (all loaded with sodium, fat, and chemicals) - and usually served with french fries for a vegetable.

Check out the March/April issue of Mothering Magazine where I have an article (School Food Renaissance) outlining how parents can have a say in their school's wellness policy and work toward changing the school lunch period to become another learning period in the day where children learn about good nutrition and eating habits.

I will also be hosting an online chat for Mothering on March 8, 2006 at 10 am PST (1 pm EST). The web site is www.mommychats.com and you can find more information about the chat on my site www.simplynaturalbooks.com or on www.mothering.com.

On the resource page of my web site, I also list many links to organizations and programs that can help you get healthier foods into your school. Many schools around the state have already started garden-to-table and other programs. Where I live in San Luis Obispo County, there is a new group working for change called SLO Grown Kids. If you are interested in finding out what this group is doing, contact rwilvert@sbcglobal.net or trevor.emelia@mindspring.com.