In "Honor of Back to School": Are you happy with the food your kids are served in school?

[Ty Mellon]

Well, its been a while since I've posted. Between travel, work, FOOGS development and kids, I have been very busy. BUT with all that on my mind, I thought today that in honor of kids going back to school, I would post and write about a couple of resources that speak to change for the better regarding the quality of school food that our kids eat.
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So, there is a REALLY neat group of people (I guess you would call that an organization) in the US called SlowFood USA (www.slowfoodusa.org) whose mission is the following (per their FB page):

"Slow Food Austin reconnects people with the food they eat. Our educational initiatives, social activities, fundraising events, and community volunteer projects inspire respect for where food comes from and awakens true pleasure in eating."

And they have concern, as many but not enough, of us have, about the food that our kids eat at school.

The thing I like about them is that they have enough conviction and patriotism to participate in that most time-honored democratic past time - dissent. They are organizing a sit-in to protest the quality of the food that gets served. I encourage you to get involved. The link is here:

http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/campaign/time_for_lunch/about/

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Another group I like is Farmtoschool.org (www.farmtoschool.org).

Their stated mission is as follows (from their website):

"Farm to School brings healthy food from local farms to school children nationwide. The program teaches students about the path from farm to fork, and instills healthy eating habits that can last a lifetime. At the same time, use of local produce in school meals and educational activities provides a new direct market for farmers in the area and mitigates environmental impacts of transporting food long distances.

More than 30 million children eat a school lunch five days a week, 180 days a year. If school lunch can taste great, and support the local community, it is a win-win for everyone.

The National Farm to School Network sprouted from this desire to support community-based food systems, strengthen family farms, and improve student health by reducing childhood obesity. Eight regional lead agencies and national staff provide free training and technical assistance, information services, networking, and support for policy, media and marketing activities. Farm to School is a comprehensive program that extends beyond farm fresh salad bars and local foods in the cafeteria to include waste management programs like composting, and experiential education opportunities such as planting school gardens, cooking demonstrations and farm tours. The Farm to School approach helps children understand where their food comes from and how their food choices impact their bodies, the environment and their communities at large."

I hope you'll support these organizations who share FOOGS' mission to increase the quality of life for people through better agriculture and food practices. And in case you were wondering, the answer is "YES, we are working to partner with these organizations to increase the overall awareness of our companies.

Thanks for reading - Have a GREAT day!

Ty