Jamie Oliver's "Food Revolution" 2011

[annabelle]

Nutrition and cooking is barely covered in schools these days and hasn't been for years...the school lunches are just the tip of the iceberg.

This is true. It is part of the backlash thirty years ago against Home Economics being "women's work". Our high school in town does have a kitchen, but learning to make nachos does not a family feed.

[Nayan Gowda]

Second, he's learned nothing from his disastrous efforts in the UK. He keeps on going with that arrogant attitude of his, and it rankles.

Sorry, do you have anything to back up this assertion? What "disastrous efforts in the UK" are you alluding too?

Are you talking about the "Fifteen" restaurants that have enabled kids who may not have had a chance in life to find a grounding and life-skills?

Or are you talking about the influence he has had on food policy in schools that is still ongoing?

I look forward to your response.

[violetfox]

I find it absolutely fascinating that anyone other than agribusiness types is offended by Mr. Oliver's attempts to improve nutrition for school children. Then again, there are those (who don't need to be named) who are deeply offended by Michelle Obama's interest in nutrtion. Bizarre!

Bringing politics in here? Really?

Anyway, I'm mostly 'offended' for two reasons.

First, he's a shrill propagandist. In the first episode of the second season in the US version, he was scaring kids by telling them that vanilla ice cream is made from cute lil' beavers. W.T.H.? Am I really supposed to believe that vanilla flavor manufacturers are going to give up cheap and potent vanillin and its derivatives and analogues, in favor of beaver glands? It just makes no sense on the face. If the company is making a cheap enough product that it's speccing vanilla flavor (as opposed to extract), they wouldn't use castoreum, for which there is no large commercial base. His claim also got debunked here http://www.vrg.org/blog/2011/06/17/beaver-gland-castoreum-not-used-in-vanilla-flavorings-according-to-manufacturers/

Second, he's learned nothing from his disastrous efforts in the UK. He keeps on going with that arrogant attitude of his, and it rankles.

A news flash - food is political. Ask Michael Pollan. Ask anyone who is trying to raise organic vegetables in [my] home garden, and trying to avoid Monsanto's takeover of once-good seed like the Early Girl tomato. The First Lady is NOT "dictating what Americans eat." Jamie Oliver clearly cares about children and youth, and he's passionate about it. Sweetened, artificially flavored milk has NO PLACE in school lunches, period. Do you give it to your own children? I doubt it.

We should care about the world we're creating for our children. How that can be seen as offensive is incomprehensible.