For those who haven’t: in response to a CDC report that cited Huntington, WV as the most unhealthy city in America, British Chef Jamie Oliver decided to kick-off his U.S. food revolution.

He began by addressing the food being served in one Huntington elementary school. He was given a one week trial period by Food Service in which he had to replace the typical school lunch with  healthier, fresh cooked options and get the kids to eat it. He then tackled similar challenges at a high school, college, and with individuals.

Now he has started a petition to improve school food all across America.

If you want to support his efforts and learn more about the work he is doing, you can check it out here.

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So as the youngest person in the office, I’m the closest removed from the days of public school lunch. I, like so many others, was bombarded with choices during lunch.

The scary part was that it was not a matter of economics. A tray of pizza and fries was priced much higher than the healthier alternatives. I regularly enjoyed my choice of entrée, soup, tatertots, fruit, dessert and milk for far below what my peers paid for deep fried and over processed food.

In today’s Washington Post, Jane Black wrote and article about strides that have been made in certain Kentucky public schools, the 7^th fattest state in the nation, inside school cafeterias. The article was written in favor of more stringent national policies to curb the childhood obesity epidemic.

Ginger Gray of Kenton County, KY started with the basics. She replaced fried potato chips with their healthier baked alternatives. She then set her sights on full calorie sodas and fruit drinks with little to no nutritional value (think Hawaiian Punch).

Black continues by explaining that one of the greatest fears for public schools is the loss of revenue. However, Gray  found that her revenues were actually rising, without having to raise prices, to the tune of 61%. When presented with healthier options, more students actually participated in the school lunch program.

Food policy has come to the forefront of national attention with the horrifying childhood obesity statistics as well as the most recent bill to change healthcare. We hope that our Campus Kitchens can continue to be a strong force in their communities and provide healthy meals whether new legislation passes or not.

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Build the Strong Bones of a City Food System: This article not only provides a strong argument for expanding and increasing food stamp benefits (also known as SNAP benefits), but also a helpful overview of initiatives to increase access to sustainable food in urban areas.  It’s focused on NYC, but folks here in DC are working on similar increases in food stamp benefits and programs to water those food deserts.

Human hunger trumps politics and hassle : An LA Times columnists argues in favor of a law that would require caterers to donate leftover food. (Found this one through the LA Homeless Blog, one of my new favorites.)

Homeless in Sacramento’s Tent City to Move to Fairground: Since our post last week that included news of the homeless encampment in Sacramento, the place has become the new face of homelessness in America, attracting the attention of folks like Gov. Schwarzenegger and Oprah.

The Schoolyard Foodie: Why our kids are fighting over fruit: A teacher from a school in Oakland where 100% of students get free lunch connects the lack of nutritious food in the cafeteria to their classroom experience. He writes:

For the next ninety minutes, it’s my job to convince this malnourished kid (who, by the way, has orange fingers from a bag of Cheetos being passed around surreptitiously) to sit still and be an active participant for an afternoon of middle school prison training.

Word to my mom: My family is notorious for haphazardly sending along bits of interesting/tangentially relevant news. Just last week, my Gma Joan sent me this piece about what sounds like a rad food pantry in Austin, TX. Then yesterday,  Mom sent me the link to this forum post to let me know that even corporate meeting planners are thinking about food waste these days. I think doing news digests must be in my genes.

Oh and check me out on the Organic on the Green blog! I guest blogged this week about food, community and CKP.

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“If one of our richest counties has people signing up for food stamps who have never signed up before, that indicates the depth of this problem with the lack of food.”

Fighting Poverty in the Stimulus: In this useful summary, the Center for American Progress breaks the $787 billion dollar stimulus package down into anti-poverty terms:  tax relief, aid to low-income Americans, and help to the unemployed. The Jew and The Carrot and the New York Times also weigh in about how to use the stimulus money to improve school lunches.

A Video Welcome: Check out CKWLU’s Jenny Sproul, CKP’s first YouTube celebrity, as she moves CKP into Web 2.0 territory.

Bon Appétit weighs in on waste, consumption: This article gives us at CKP some serious food for thought for the weekend. Seattle University now uses ValueWaste system to minimize their kitchen waste. What would happen to CKP if there was no food waste? Any ideas?

A Cooking Show: When you’re done with all that deep thought, turn your brain off. Play. (Thanks to this week’s guest blogger Tim at CKSLU for the link.)

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