As those following “Food Revolution” know, the Los Angeles Unified School District has repeatedly refused Jamie Oliver ‘s request to enter its kitchens with cameras to film this season. Oliver has made much of this refusal (although, as discussed in my recaps of the show, there are some legitimate reasons why a district might take this stance), which has turned into a PR nightmare for LAUSD.
Well, apparently there’s been a rapprochement. Jamie Oliver has met privately with the new Superintendent of LAUSD, John Deasy, and last night the two of them appeared together on The Jimmy Kimmel show. Read about their encounter and watch the video at the L.A. Weekly blog.
One result of their meeting: Deasy promises to seek a ban on flavored milk in the district, after Oliver made the sugar content of flavored milk a major issue on “Food Revolution” this season.
As a side note, I have some thoughts of my own to share on Oliver’s anti-flavored-milk campaign, which I’ll post on TLT shortly.
Brad says
Interesting. Though I found Jamie quite whiny on episode 2 and kept wondering why there isn’t any push to lobby the USDA/Congress to make changes.
On the flavored milk issue as Janet Poppendieck points out there are issues of shelf-stability and waste as well as the minimum calorie requirements that it would be nice to see actual lobbying to address to give schools more flexibility not to push so many calories.
David Lawrence Dewey says
This is author and columnist, David Lawrence Dewey. I have been writing about the dangers of hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, MSG, excess sugar in processed food and other toxins in the food supply since 1996.
I was the first journalist to warn consumers about hydrogenated oils and aspartame
and other artificial sweeteners in 1996.
Hydrogenated Oils-Silent Killers
http://www.dldewey.com/hydroil.htm
I have written an extensive article about this fiasco with the LAUSD school district and I show by actual school menu items, what is in the food the school district is serving and how deadly they are. One lunch item
has over 1,400 MG of sodium. This has been kept from students, parents for too long. You can read it on my website at:
http://www.dldewey.com/lausd.htm
Also, sugar free milk? Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame/Equal and Splenda are more deadly that sugar.
Read my article: Aspartame – Sweetness or Death? http://www.dldewey.com/aspar.htm
If you are a student, I ask you to please read this article and the links to my other articles on the deadly toxins in processed food and how children as young as ten are developing diabetes, heart disease,learning problems because of poor diet. Email your friends about my article and if you have one of these diseases I would like to hear from you. You can contact me through my website.
Jaime Oliver is trying to save lives, just as I have since 1996, let him in the schools!
Bettina Elias Siegel says
David: Thanks for coming by TLT. I’m sure readers will be interested in checking out your posts. – Bettina
Alisha Neidinger says
I wish they could push flavored milk out of most the nation’s schools at some point. Our children do not need all that extra sugar. My 7 yr old son has heard the concern and usually chooses white milk at school because he knows it is healthier. I do not like the flavor of white milk as a result of being allergic to it until almost 4yrs old, I still have not gotten used to the taste besides cooking. When I was in school we rarely had the option of flavored milk, when we did I would drink that, but on other days my parents would send me with extra money so I could get the 100% Orange Juice that was left over from the breakfast. If we are seriously worried about kids getting their vitamins as is commonly heard as a reason on why to give them flavored milk, all the schools need to do is offer 100% vitamin enriched Juice for the children. I bet they would never bat an eye at the change.
james says
So the deal was to deflect from the fact they are keeping Jamie out of their schools? Sounds like our American politicians, business as usual.