One Last Chance for Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution in Los Angeles

Watch the Los Angeles season of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution and you'll likely laugh, cry, and get angry. If you caught the most recent episode of the reality show, you saw a comical segment with Oliver, a celeb chef and food activist, dressed up as a big tomato in order to bring attention to healthy school food. That bit was followed by a very poignant moment when 17-year-old culinary arts student, Sofia, told Oliver about how her grandparents died from diabetes, how both her parents suffer from the disease, and how she learned to give her little sister insulin injections when she developed diabetes at age ten. The show closes with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) blocking Oliver from even talking about school lunch with the city's students.

As we've previously reported on Change.org, LAUSD refuses to let L.A. schools participate in Food Revolution even though Oliver wants to help improve cafeteria meals. But just when Oliver and L.A. parents were thinking it might be time to call the Food Revolution battle a wrap, hope may finally come in the form of new school superintendent, John Deasy.

The LAUSD has thus far made every possible effort to keep Oliver from even taking a peek inside the city's kitchens or cafeterias.  Officials tried terminating his permits and even banned all reality show filming district-wide. Oliver has fought back by getting L.A. parents involved, staging a stunt of his own and taking to the streets (literally). Parents flooded the school board with e-mails, and more than 2,500 Change.org members signed our petition asking the school board to let Oliver improve cafeteria meals.  There seemed to be a small amount of progress made in February when the district's director of food services allowed Oliver to pitch some healthy menu options. But once the L.A. episodes started airing, the entire country got to see just how dirty L.A.'s laundry — er, food — really is.

While the LAUSD initially blocked Oliver from touching L.A.'s school meals, there's hope that Superintendent Deasy may be open to some change.  The LAUSD felt a lot of heat after the first episode of Food Revolution aired, holding a press conference afterwards. But because only a handful of media outlets were invited to the conference, folks still have many questions on the LAUSD's school lunch program.

Oliver is now set to meet with the new superintendent, and the celebrity chef has finally been granted a tour of the LAUSD's central kitchen. Could it be that the new superintendent will allow Los Angeles schools to participate in Oliver's Food Revolution?

Think L.A. students and parents deserve better food? Sign our petition to the new LAUSD superintendent, John Deasy. Let him know that LAUSD needs Jamie Oliver's help!

Photo credit: really short via Flickr