Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution to Save Lives

 

 

On Friday, May 16th 2014, Jamie Oliver hosted the third annual Food Revolution Day and Guinness World Record attempt for the ‘Most participants in a cookery lesson in 24 hours.’

 

He hosted a 30-minute live cooking lesson broadcasted to over 121 countries to teach children how to create a healthy rainbow salad wrap.

 

As he explains on the Food Revolution Day website, “We need every child to understand where food comes from, how to cook it, and how it affects their body. This is about setting kids up with the knowledge they need to make better food choices for life.”

 

He did not reach his target of one million but he did have 237,822 children tune in.

 

In February 2010 food activist Oliver gave a very powerful Ted Talk to audiences in the United States, during which in those 18 minutes four Americans will be dead from the food that they eat. He declares that there is no better time to start a food revolution that now and if it begins in America, the rest of the world will follow.

 

Oliver paints a grim picture of America’s food industry and declares it as one of the most unhealthy countries in the world, as dietary related diseases are the most common cause of death. But the problem is greater than the United States, food has become a global catastrophe. The best part about it is that its preventable.

 

30 years ago, our food used to be local and fresh and home used to be the heart of passing down food culture. Now food is packed full of additives and extra ingredients. Portion sizes and labelling have become a huge problem. Milk contains flavourings and colourings and can have just as much sugar as a can of pop. The fast food industry has become very competitive and we have become weened on to salt, sugar and fats.

 

“We are guilty of child abuse for feeding kids as much sugar as we do,” said Oliver.

 

We are giving our children a shorter lifespan than our own parents because of the landscape of food that we have built around them. The impact of death from dietary related disease does not only hurt the individual but it also hurts families, as loved ones are burying their family members.

 

 

Oliver is disgusted by the highly processed food that students are fed in school cafeterias. He points out that children aren’t even supplied with cutlery, which can be seen as endorsing fast food because it’s hand held. Oliver reveals that children in an an elementary school in England failed to identify vegetables when presented to them.

 

The food revolution in the US will start by educating kids about food in schools. Oliver suggests that every child should leave school with the knowledge of how to cook ten basic recipes.

 

 

Oliver proposes the idea of food ambassadors in every supermarket that guide us with healthy purchasing decisions to create seasonal meals.