By Lehia Franklin Acox, HSC public relations consultant
Public interest in healthy school food is growing, from President Obama’s recent remarks about the Child Nutrition Act to news coverage of local and national efforts to encourage action as the country heads back to school. Here’s a recap:
- The Los Angeles Times covered Slow Food USA’s “Time for Lunch” campaign to encourage individual and collective action on reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act. HSC is a partner in Slow Food’s national Time for Lunch effort, which prioritizes increased funding for better school food.
- And in Chicago, Slow Food Chicago hosts an “Eat-In” today, Wednesday, August 26 in Daley Plaza. Huffington Post Chicago talks about the event and the organization here.
- As covered in our blog, President Obama recently spoke about the need to engage local farmers to deliver healthier food to schoolchildren.
- Whole Foods, which has seen plenty of news coverage lately in response to CEO John Mackey’s comments on health care reform, is making headlines for the launch of its School Food Revolution in partnership with Chef Ann Cooper, a.k.a. “The Renegade Lunch Lady.” National coverage of the effort includes the Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Uprising Radio and even the trade publication Pork magazine. HSC’s Rochelle Davis was also featured in the NYT and Uprising pieces. (Stay posted for details about HSC’s upcoming series of events with Ann Cooper and local Whole Foods shops in the Chicago area.)
- Veggie lunches made the news in U.S. News & World Report, which highlighted the vegetarian options popping up on school menus nationwide while pointing out the financial challenges school food service directors face in providing healthy meals.
- And food writer and policy expert Marion Nestle even tackled a question about school meals in her regular San Francisco Chronicle food column.
It’s exciting to see this new level of national dialogue around the school food issues that we know are so important. Stay posted for more updates, and be sure to raise your voice for healthy school meals!
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