Jamie Oliver's Vision

Teach Every Child About Food. Prod. June Cohen. Perf. Jamie Oliver. TED, 2010. Transcript.

In a Ted Talk given by Jamie Oliver called, “Teach Every Child About Food,” America along with other countries receives the hard reality about their societies food systems. Jamie Oliver begins by introducing himself as a simple chef who is passionate about educating the public on how to eat healthy. To promote pathos he asks the audience if they have children, and then proceeded to give the statistic that two-thirds of America is overweight. Within his speech he explains that the majority of death and sickness in this country is due to having a poor diet. He explains that diet can be controlled in order to prevent most diseases. However, he explains that this means that America must be held responsible for its current unhealthy culture. Culture which is surrounded by processed foods, excess sugar, and copious amounts of easily accessible fats. Some of the major places where these problems stem from are in the schools, grocery stores, homes, and along main roads. Schools are where the pattern of unhealthy eating begins. America’s kids get junk food for lunch every day of the year. Giving an example of how kids daily get milk but, now milk has about the same amount of sugar in it as a can of soda. Children do not even receive proper knives and forks which indoctrinates a handheld junk food society. Speaking to the lunch ladies, he expresses the need for them to get outside the box and promote healthier lunches. Educating children on were there food comes from is essential in beginning the healing of this nation's food misconceptions. He also explained how grocery stores now contain large amounts of processed food from big businesses. Also, many of these products have illogical labeling which misinforms the consumer. Inside the homes of the people of America is also an important place to effect change. The home needs to be a place where healthy food is common, along with correct portion sizes. Just like in school the home must teach a child about what is nourishing for their body. Teaching children to cook is a great way of insuring that they will be able to eat healthily. Most prominent in the fast paced society on the road is fast food restaurants. In everyday lives it is difficult to drive past a cheap and convenient fast food restaurant. Fast food stores are not only incredibly too prominent but, they are too commonly acceptable as well. With all of these problems in mind Jamie Oliver when to the unhealthiest city in Huntington, West Virginia to begin change. One way he achieved this was with Huntington’s Kitchen where he taught awareness of healthy fresh fruits and vegetables. Awareness was the key to helping this community change. Through educating the public Jamie Oliver intends to push forward with the vision of a healthier America.