Subscribe to Common Dreams News Updates
Most Popular This Week
Popular content
Today's Top News
School Lunch Reform and Ann Cooper’s Bigger, Boulder Move
The world of public-school lunch reform is abuzz this week as chef/author Ann Cooper, the outgoing Director of Food Services for the Berkeley Unified School District, takes charge of Boulder’s school cafeterias. Cooper earned national acclaim for remaking Berkeley’s meals program top to bottom in three years’ time. Out: transfats, high-fructose corn syrup, anything processed and pre-packaged, frozen vegetables, syrupy canned fruit, Wonder bread, vending machine snacks. In: fresh whole fruits and vegetables (many from local organic farms), salad bars with seasonal produce, organic milk, whole grains, fresh-baked breads, composting, recycling – and breakfast.
Cooper invented her role as “renegade lunch lady” in the late 90s at a small private school in New York. Berkeley was a big step up for her, with 10,000 students in 16 schools, and Boulder is another jump in scale, to 30,000 students in 50 schools. But the challenges will be all too familiar, she says: “When school kitchens don’t have stoves, when the staff doesn’t know how to cook, there’s a lot of basic learning that’s necessary.”
A lot of her work will involve breaking the district’s dependence on the conventional school-food procurement system, which is administered by the USDA via the National School Lunch Program. Even before unpacking her boxes, Cooper has cut loose Boulder Valley School District’s four food purveyors and selected 20 new ones to take their place, many of these local producers. “There was one chicken farmer from the western slope who approached me,” she says. “But I told him, give me a year before we think about that.” Right now, she’s focused on debuting a nutritious fall-term menu, encouraging school staff, parents and kids on a new learning curve, and laying plans for a healthy-food purchasing system that’s locally attuned and economically viable.
Cooper expects this task to take her the usual three or so years. (She’s kind of like Mary Poppins that way—not, mind you, the refined-sugar version from the movie, but the amazingly bracing character in the book: confidently abrupt, sometimes irascible, always right, never in one place for too long.) After Boulder, she wants to continue on with her work at the national level, spurred by the current administration’s focus on childhood obesity and health-care reform. She’s preparing for that last leap by creating a nonprofit, F3 (Food Family Farming) that will offer online “lunch box” tutorials on how to rid K-12 programs of processed foods and cook meals from scratch instead.
In other words, Berkeley and Boulder x 11,000 (the number of U.S. school districts). “We can’t get far enough, fast enough by fixing these programs one by one,” she says. “But the models we’re putting in place—and sustaining—should send a strong message that this change can happen everywhere. You just have to be willing to figure it out.”
- Posted in
17 Comments so far
Show AllYet another unpopular article. CD readers are more interested in Obama bashing than to pay much attention to something as uninteresting as a little good news about people who are finding simple solutions to the problems we face.
I believe most of our problems can be solved with very simple solutions. People are always looking for the political solutions, or so busy complaining about the problems to even consider the simple solutions.
I firmly believe the school lunch problem will be solved when schools realize the importance in becoming more self-sufficient, and put a high priority in home economics and horticulture.
Schools should have first-class kitchens with home-ec students preparing and serving lunch, horticulture students bringing in the ingredients from the school farm, with outdoor ovens baking breads, etc.
The biggest mistake most schools make is outsourcing to "cheap" contracting. Home economics is sorely needed in schools. Unfortunately when I asked that question to one of my school teachers back in middle school, he said "well sweetie, the curriculm can only afford to offer so many classes". Later, I overheard him telling another teacher himself a male making fun of me asking for home economics to be taught. I never forgave those two teachers who put me to tears when I overheard one of them saying "Well, if home economics was taught, boys would no longer come here and we'd have to make this an all-girls school" followed by laughter. Joke or otherwise, I couldn't stand it. My father used to scold me for asking too many questions while my mother would try to help me out some. Instead of having drivers' ed classes and making it too easy for students to get into reckless driving and accidents at early ages, why not substitute a dangerous class with home economics? It will also prepare students for confronting and overcoming greed and for once make people appreciate creativity and frugality rather than laughing at them just because they're not monied folks. Sorry if I'm ranting.
Dear Jennifer, I, for one, very much appreciate your rants. You are one of the very few real human beings posting regularly on Common Dreams.
I greatly appreciate your honesty and openness. You're not afraid to share your personal stories and your emotions. You have become one of my favorite posters to read from. I consider you my dear friend, even though we've never met. And as my friend, I want the best for you, and would do anything to help you find what you're looking for in whatever capacity I am able.
We actually have much in common. For one, I was also told as a youth that I asked too many questions. I used to sit in the car with my dad, driving around and I was always asking questions. I remember being teased mercilessly about that by my older brothers. My mom, I later found out would answer my questions with pure malarkey. I don't know if her lies were intentional or unwitting.
Anyway, I just finished publishing a website for our little ranch here in Montana, and I want you to be one of the first to have a look, and tell me what you think. There's still a few glitches to be worked out, lots of changes to be made. In other words, it, like our ranch, is a work in progress.
http://www.flyingpopcornranch.com
The purpose of our website, and our lifestyle, is to demonstration to the world the possibilities of how we can begin to turn things around for the better by living a simple, creative life. I look forward to hearing from you!
Your friend, Moondoggy
Hi Moondoggy,
Most of the progressive/liberal blogs have gone nuts about Iran. Even Alternet is losing its focus. Just this past weekend, very articles on Father's Day and I was disappointed especially since I have so much to thank my father for especially when he saved my life on Valentine's Day and even sounded less of an Archie Bunker conservative. I don't ask for a lot in life myself but just trying to get through the rough sides of life. You and Sioux Rose are my most favorite posters probably because both you and her sound more spiritual and soothing. I think that even if our parents scold us for asking too many questions, in the end they still love us. I think it's just fear from societal pressure and/or intolerance. I'll be happy to take a look at your site tonight and comment on it.
I saw your post on that Iran article and you reminded me of the need to discover one's inner self, something our country and especially our progressive/liberal brothers and sisters need to take into account. It's not that you and I don't care about other countries. In fact, we do and by reminding others to leave them alone and first better ourselves, citizens there will take note and also strive to do the same. Add it all up and those costly military expenses are reduced to near zero. On Sunday, when Sioux Rose posted a response on that article about the Iranian woman and said that while she doesn't know as much about Iran's foreign policy but does understand the plight of that sweetheart, I remembered that America indeed does not understand foreign policy very well and our misunderstanding has proven danger both here and abroad. I often find it much easier to fight for progressive/liberal values on local and state levels than I do on federal levels but won't leave any level out. Even that devil "NebraskaNathan" was once right when he said that we need to pay attention to our local and state races before he turned into a total devil on this site.
I would love to visit the tribes in Montana and the Dakotas. I've heard so much about the natives in MT and SD. Again, I'll take a look at your site tonight and will probably have some interesting questions tomorrow. Take care. :)
I meant to post on an earlier thread where you shared about your life, family, ranch etc. on your website IT IS ALL SO BEAUTIFUL!!! And it all shows intentional living, every bit of it. I agree with you about Jennifer's openness, and also related with the precocious habit of question asking and what my husband and I both term "truth telling disease". Many of us because of our directness and taking our elders up on their strictures to always tell the truth found ourselves in the classic double bind of being ostracized,punished, rejected for doing just that. How dare that child tell the Emperor he has no clothes on! Hence the term "disease". I guess you could call it a painful inside joke among those of us who have been there, done that. Still, I don't want to live that other way, cut off from myself, reality, beauty. Let the chips (buffalo or other) fall where they may.
Our dog Shasta lives the best life of any dog I know. I'm going to take her on a hike now to go up and get the mail. The wildflowers are in full bloom and there's fresh snow in the high country after the storms of the last few days. Peace and beauty, Moondoggy
Ok, sorry for being a little late on the response but I must say you're pretty good with designing your website and that's a lovely family you have. There's so much green even for a state so far up north. I'll bet I could lay down, watch the sky, and listen to Paul Hardcastle's "Northern Lights" during the night time. I find Joost interesting btw. :)
Yeah, well Joost IS interesting. But if you're thinking what I think you're thinking, you're too late. He and Apryll just got married and are on their honeymoon. But of course, that's just based on my assumption. I guess most women would find him interesting.
Thanks for checking it out. Please feel free to send an email sometime. And if you're ever in the area, please pay us a visit and bring along your ipod so you can have the experience you mentioned. I don't think we have any Hardcastle in our collection. We have plenty of blue sky and puffy white clouds drifting by during the daytime, and a bizillion stars at night because there is zero light pollution here. And sometimes the northern lights even make an appearance! :)
Cheers!
"Yeah, well Joost IS interesting. But if you're thinking what I think you're thinking, you're too late. He and Apryll just got married and are on their honeymoon."
Oh, I wasn't thinking along those lines. I still have some ways to go before I feel ready to get married so I'm taking it slow and easy there no matter who pressures. :)
I don't have an ipod but I do have an old CD player. Nonetheless, I'll be happy to stop by once I get a chance to visit MT and the Dakotas. Have you ever been to the Dakotas by the way and if so, what do you think of either or both states compared to Montana? I always thought each state had some unique tastes.
"We have plenty of blue sky and puffy white clouds drifting by during the daytime, and a bizillion stars at night because there is zero light pollution here. And sometimes the northern lights even make an appearance! :)"
I can see why they call that the Big Sky State.
Around here we call eastern Montana "West Dakota". That's because it's flat like the Dakotas. Well, not totally flat. But not mountainous like the western third of Montana where we live.
Yes, I have been in the Dakotas several times on the way to points further east, and back to Montucky again. Did I say Montucky? It's another joke. We like to call it that just to confuse people, because you would be amazed at how many people outside Montana don't even have a clue where Montana is. I can understand not knowing where Delaware is, but Montana! It's a huge state that takes up a lot of the US territory.
My feelings about the Dakotas and eastern Montana is it would be a good place to have your own wind generator and be off the grid. Did I say wind? I mean WIND. The badlands and the Black Hills are pretty. But there is not much there that would hold me there. Aside from the Black Hills, where do you ski? Skiing is very important for me, so I prefer mountains.
I'll never forget reading a National Geographic way back when I was a sapling. Some old farmer in North Dakota was standing out in his windswept wheat field next to a fence line. He said, and I paraphrase, "Sometimes it feels like only thing between us and the North Pole is a barbed wire fence".
Take your time, Jennifer. There's no rush. There's more to life than those old traditions anyway. I didn't find my love until I learned to love myself. I changed my thinking from: "Gotta find the right person" to "I need to be the right person". Then before I knew it someone came along and spoiled my plans to go through life single.
Ann Cooper has just become one of my personal heroes -- she is right up there with the Black Panthers, and for the same reason. In 1969, the Black Panthers began the first free breakfast program for school-children. It was so wildly successful that the program has continued to last and can now be found in all 50 states.
What Ann Cooper is doing is very much a continuation of the idea that we need community involvement to ensure healthy food for our children. Her attitude and programs are the opposite of our current unsustainable approach to food. And I am so happy for that.
On a personal note, I grew up (and continue to live) in rural and conservative Eastern Washington. My family constantly moved between being part of the working-poor to living-on-welfare poor; without the free breakfast and lunch programs at school (including summers) I would have went hungry more often than not. I am ever grateful to the visionaries who have protected my right to food.
And I'm personally ashamed that Missouri State Rep. Cynthia Davis shares the same country with me. For her to say: "...Hunger can be a positive motivator. What is wrong with the idea of getting a job so you can get better meals?..." It is unforgivable that anyone could make the modern-day statement of "Let them eat cake."
I will get off my soapbox now.
I hope everyone had an enjoyable Solstice.
-Lilleth
"And I'm personally ashamed that Missouri State Rep. Cynthia Davis shares the same country with me. For her to say: "...Hunger can be a positive motivator. What is wrong with the idea of getting a job so you can get better meals?..." It is unforgivable that anyone could make the modern-day statement of "Let them eat cake.""
This is why I sometimes call Missouri what it really is, "Misery". I used to live in the rurals but moved to the St Louis area. It is indeed embarrasing. :(
Happy solstice to you, Lilleth. Thanks for sharing. I didn't know that about the Black Panthers. Very cool.
I like your name. It's Gaelic, is it not? Welsh?
>>I like your name. It's Gaelic, is it not? Welsh?<<
Lilleth is Babylonian originally (from Lilitu); it means "belonging to the night" or "belonging to the Goddess Nox." I do not know if it also has Gaelic or Welsh meaning.
According to Jewish legend, Lilleth was the name of Adam's first wife. She refused to submit only to the missionary position, saying that she was not meant to always be under him, but to be equal to him. Because of this she was either turned into a demon by god or she left the Garden of Eden before the fall of man, and still lives to this day spawning hundreds of demon-children a day. Either way, after she left that is when Eve was made from Adam's rib. A symbolic act to say that where Adam and Lilleth were made together from dirt, Eve was meant to be from Adam, and thus women are from men.
That may have been more information than you wanted, but I just couldn't help myself. I always find this particular legend fascinating.
-Lilleth
Hi Lilleth! No, it was not too much info at all. I find it fascinating. Pure bullshit, but interesting, nonetheless. I enjoy myths and legends, even though I don't take them to be literal, like so many people do with the Bible, Torah, Koran, etc.
I think it's very unfortunate that so many of these myths paint women to be evil bitches. But that tells me that they were written (or rewritten) by men who lusted after power and authority and felt threatened by the dominant Goddess culture.
Bad boys! They ruined paradise, and we're still suffering the consequences to this day!
And too bad about Adam, he didn't know what he was missing!
:o >< o: = :) :)
Goddess of the night, eh? Mmmmm... Well have fun with that!
Some comments----
Here in Baltimore, a city with a large[perhaps 85 %black and latino] school population,
We have begun a FARM TO FORK program to feed all 82,000 children in the public school system fresh locally grown nutritionally sound meals.Not only breakfast, but 3 meals a day.
This program is a joint effort between the Baltimore school system and the communities within the city.
Just as Lilleth reminded us this was the vision of the Black Panthers in 1969.
As these efforts grow in urban america, it is important that the communities controll these programs. Yes we welcome others from outside our communities to contribute, but we insist on determining what we need and what is sustainable.
This is not a new idea. We call it community controll. We will take responsibility for our schools,and all that takes place where we live and play and celebrate.
The new and improved BALTIMORE
This is wonderful news for Baltimore! I wish you all the best with your Farm to Fork program.
-Lilleth