It's Food Revolution Day: Time to Get Involved
Jamie Oliver, the British chef and food icon, is to be credited for his exploits in attempting to get Americans to eat more healthily. His Food Revolution TV show was canceled in 2011 for lack of commercial support but he has taken to the streets and internet and created a foundation.
On a well promoted show, he went to the fattest state in the nation, West Virginia, the fattest town, Huntington and he attempted to inspire the residents there to change their eating habits. He despaired, because when he went to the school and led the cafeteria staff in selecting and preparing other food items for the children, for example, instead of pizza for breakfast, not only did they revolt, the children clamored against the veggies and yeahed for the pizza, hamburgers and fries.
Though his show faltered (Gee, I wonder why there were few corporations who wanted to jump on board with advertising.), Oliver's mission blossomed. He brought attention to the problems with America's food supply: highlighting the lobbying efforts of its industrial farms and food producers whose practices with genetically modified produce and unsanitary conditions often fly under the radar. The inhumane animal practices of industrialized farms and often contaminated product has prompted him to support local farmers and sourcing. Most importantly, he emphasized the unhealthiness of the food industry's chemically processed and preserved foods, and their relationship to obesity.
Oliver also alerted us to Pink Slime. To think that the company, Beef Products, Inc. allowed him to go into one of its facilities, not understanding how he would be using the video shot there, is amazing. (It has laid off another round of employees since the campaign against pink slime began.) Pink slime went viral with a petition by Bettina Siegel and the supporters piled on eventually prompting congressional action for schools to opt out of purchasing and using pink slime for their hamburgers. Jamie Oliver's website continues to fight against pink slime and remove it from the nation's schools, and perhaps the food supply completely (many fast food restaurants have claimed to stop using the product).
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