Two Video Posts on the Chocolate Milk Wars

The Chocolate Milk Debate

My article on school food politics is out!

I have just had appear my article "Why Education Researchers Should Take School Food Seriously." The piece is in Educational Researcher this month (volume 40, issue 1, pages 11-15). Look for it at your local university library or you can go to your local public library and ask the reference desk to have them do an "interlibrary loan" to have it sent to you.

Here's the summary:

"Food and eating in schools have most often been thought of as utilitarian parts of the day, as distractions, and, for education researchers, as lacking incentives to study or even as objects of derision rather than serious concern. Yet there are good reasons why scholars of education should consider food and food practices. These include the confounding influences of school food’s impact on health and on academics, its effects on teaching and administration, the role schools play in teaching about food, implications for the environment and for other species, the large sums of money involved, the window that food provides into identity and culture, food’s influence on educational policy and politics, and the social justice concerns around food."

Jamie Oliver is taking it to the streets

I have to say, this is pretty cool stuff. I'm impressed with his creativity in getting his message out.

Video is from the BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-12629525

How can you not get behind something Elmo loves?

It's not perfect, but it's something

President Obama signed the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act into law yesterday (Dec. 13).

It's likely too little money to dramatically change the quality of meals, but the real victory is in granting the Agriculture Secretary the right to limit what can be served in schools outside of the cafeteria. Be careful what you wish for, though. Control like that may not seem so wise if your guy isn't the one holding the regulatory power.

It's like a broken record: No matter the issue, conservatives want government to do nothing

A few trillion for tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans? No problem. 6¢ more per plate for a school lunch, adding up to a modest $4.5 billion spread out over ten years? "Get the government out!! No new taxes! Hey, count the ketchup!"

Mind-bogglingly narrow talking points are getting increasingly difficult to talk around. It has no nuance, no understanding of the complexities of making policy, and absolutely no clue for how the real economy works to turn healthy food into productive and well-educated, tax paying citizens. The worst part is every discussion now has to have that answer on the right. Makes me long for William F. Buckley! Conservatives of that stripe were at least intelligent and worthy foils for liberal thinking, helping to sharpen and provide nuance to progressive movements. Now all we have is this:

Fox News weighs in on DC school dinners plan

Alice Waters on the Edible Schoolyard

Glen Beck is not very smart

The fear mongering of the far right is getting ridiculous. Haven't you heard? The government, rather than providing tremendous subsidies for fast food, is actually coming to take your french fries away. This is sleazy.