Progress! L.A. School District Lets Jamie Oliver Propose Three Weeks of School Lunch Menus

by Danny Jensen · 2011-02-10 07:04:00 UTC
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Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution is still yet to be televised, er, filmed in Los Angeles schools, but encouraging progress has been made on the battleground to uncover what's served up in the city's school cafeterias. While the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) still refuses to allow Oliver's camera crew inside schools, the district's director of food services, Dennis Barrett, has invited the celebrity chef to propose three weeks' worth of healthy menus. The concession will be made as long as Oliver follows federal and local regulations and stays under the 77 cents-per-serving budget that the city allows.

Just as Oliver tackled the seemingly Sisyphean challenge of convincing the town of Huntington, West Virginia to rethink its school lunch program in the first season of Food Revolution, the move offers a glimmer of hope that LAUSD might open its doors as well.

That is, if we keep up the pressure. So far, everyone from students to parents to educators have stepped up to defend Oliver's filming Food Revolution in L.A. schools, and more than 2,000 Change.org members have signed our petition asking the LAUSD to let Oliver in.

Not surprisingly, Oliver is relieved and inspired by the partial victory. Despite the school district's initial snub and ongoing blockade of his efforts to film, by allowing the menu proposals, the LAUSD seems to at least be willing to come to the table for a healthy discussion. LAUSD spokesman Robert Alaniz has also invited Oliver to volunteer his services without using cameras, so there's clearly an interest to help improve cafeteria offerings. But without sharing the experience with a wider audience, the chances of Oliver's Food Revolution inspiring other cities to step up their games are discouragingly reduced.

LAUSD has been given the opportunity to serve as a role model for improving school lunch programs across the country. Rather than preoccupying themselves with how their public image will be affected by opening up their cafeteria doors, L.A. school officials should embrace imperfection and be willing to work with Oliver to bring healthier fare to L.A.'s students.

Sign our petition asking the Los Angeles Unified School District to let Jamie Oliver film inside L.A.'s schools.

Photo credit: London Looks via Flickr

Danny Jensen
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