October 24th is the first annual Food Day. Created by the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Food Day will become a yearly event “to bring together Americans from all walks of life—parents, teachers and students; health professionals, community organizers and local officials; chefs, school lunch providers and eaters of all stripes—to push for healthy, affordable food produced in a sustainable, humane way.”
Though the 24th of October is the “official” Food Day, for many of us everyday is Food Day. For a variety of reasons—a passion for good food, health benefits, environmental awareness—we make it a priority to seek out the most sustainable, humanely raised, local (and, of course, delicious!) food we can find to nourish our families, our friends and ourselves.
Fortunately, more and more people are joining us; neighbors, friends and even school officials are savoring good food, slow food, local food. It is not unusual to find Land’s Sake vegetables and grass fed beef from Vermont on the Weston Schools’ lunch menus. Thanks to the efforts of Tess Sousa, the Weston Public Schools Food Service Director, Land’s Sake and Graze Delivered, our students are able to dine on some of the same foods we prefer to serve on our own tables at home.
Much has been accomplished around Farm to School efforts. People like Alice Waters, Jamie Oliver and Michelle Obama have raised awareness by educating students, parents and school administrators. Federal guidelines and laws regarding school lunch programs are slowly evolving. Progress is being made! But, there is still work to be done. To support that, and in honor of Food Day, the Weston Public Schools, Land’s Sake and the Foundation for MetroWest are hosting discussions that will allow and encourage food service directors, business mangers, farmers and parents to share best practices. For more information, see
www.westonschools.org/index.cfm?cdid=27642&pid=10252
For inspiration and awareness, check these great reads out…
Edible Schoolyard by Alice Waters
The Omnivore’s Dilemma for Kids: Young Readers Edition by Michael Pollan
Lunch Lessons: Changing the Way We Feed Our Kids by Ann Cooper
Websites…
www.jamieoliver.com/us/foundation/jamies-food-revolution/home
Thanks, and Happy Food Day!
Jean Arturi
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