Slowing Down School Lunches
Organization plans potlucks to raise awareness.
Food plays a central role in our lives. I can recall what was on the menu from dinners years ago, and I’m sure I’m not alone in associating good times with good food. But on the flip side of those fond memories is the queasy feeling I get when I walk down the frozen food aisle and glance at a package of fish sticks. The horror of school lunches immediately comes back to me. School lunches are in the spotlight every five years when the Child Nutrition Act comes up for reauthorization. The current act, which governs the National School Lunch Program that feeds more than 30 million children every school day, expires on Sept. 30.
It’s not surprising that in a foodie culture in which “Top Chef” is must-see TV and Anthony Bourdain is a cult hero, school lunches would become a cause célèbre. Slow Food USA, an educational nonprofit organization, is sponsoring The Time For Lunch Campaign. It’s an effort to raise awareness about the food served in schools and its importance in establishing healthy eating habits that children will carry with them for a lifetime. Time For Lunch is organizing a National Eat-In to promote its cause of providing students with food that is “both delicious and good for them,” according to its platform. The potlucks will be held in communities nationwide on Labor Day, Sept. 7.
Among the organization’s goals is the establishment of financial incentives that encourage schools to buy food that is produced on local farms. It’s the environmentally friendly thinking that foodies employ at the grocery store, so why not do the same in schools? Buying local means better, fresher food for students as well as giving business to local farmers. And because the food doesn’t travel far, there’s little impact on the environment. Nothing could be greener.
With the near constant debate over health care, I can’t help but think that feeding our children nutritious meals as a foundation for a healthy adult lifestyle would do as much as anything to benefit the long-term well-being of the country’s citizens.
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