OpenIDEO - How can we raise kids' awareness of the benefits of fresh food so they can make better choices?

Liz Berger

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August 26, 2011, 08:19AM

I'm attacking the problem from a school focus on building a community garden for the kids to grow their own food and then using the food in the food technology classes and in the school canteen.
I have involved the aged members of the local community in the gardening as mentors to the students and as cooking educators, showing the students different ways they can use the fresh foods in their recipes. Not only does it teach students about growing thier own fresh foods and how to use them but it also builds great cross generational links and is a positive experience for all groups.

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Yvonne Martin's reply to Liz Berger's comment

Yvonne Martin

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December 04, 2011, 10:19AM

Big fan of school gardens because they not only offer a fresh and healthy nutritional compliment to a school meal, but also serve as mother nature's lab to teach so many things like biology, chemistry, math, etc. As an educator, organic producer and mother of three boys experience has shown me two basic things: one food has to taste good and two interacting with the garden must be fun. My children were brought up composting and milking goats, but two of the three hated vegetables, so I would simply 'disguise' them into pasta sauces, cakes ( carrot, zucchini, pumpkin) jams, etc. and here is where mom and grandma and other people in the community play a role, by learning about and teaching different cultural culinay traditions.

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Sandra Stovell

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October 28, 2011, 08:03AM

Jamie,
It has been a year since the OpenIDEO challenge already. I wonder if all the amazing inspirations, concepts and winning ideas captured here are still being of use. I hope so! Lots of progress has been made through your Food Revolution and I admire your commitment and determination on this extremely important quest. Your work inspires me. There are lots of obstacles still to tackle, though, so might expanding some more on the strongest concepts posted on OpenIDEO be beneficial? I live in the UK and I am a Mum, and it frustrates me to see that still so many other Mums have no idea how to feed their kids a healthy meal each day. I am proud that my daughter, now 6 years old, has never eaten a chicken nugget and eats food cooked from scratch every day at home – and, thanks to you, she eats healthy school dinners too. She loves cooking with me and is now even inventing her own recipes and suggesting what we could eat as a family. But I know that I am an exception to the rule – the mindset is still of junk food in too many households. I have done some cooking with the children at my daughter’s infant school and it was great to see the kids getting stuck into cooking (and enjoying it!) and trying new foods they had not eaten before. Very rewarding. These are baby steps, though. What next?

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J

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February 11, 2011, 09:32PM

This may have already been said....but what if we made choosing the 'bad foods' more difficult.

Take the design of the school cafeteria. Most people load up their plate as they move from the beginning of a line towards the end. Use choice architecture. Put the healthy foods near the beginning of the line and the 'bad food' towards the end - most likely kids will have less room on their plate for the unhealthy food by the time they get to them.

Make the line up narrower - make it harder for people to go back to the front of the line. This means that as you move along you'll most likely fill up your plate for "fear of missing out" - if you get too far down without filling up you'll know you won't be able to go back to get more.

Make the bad food...well, look bad. Paint the heat lamps brown and green. Make those greasy fries look as offputting as possible.

Make it harder to reach the unhealthy food. Literally, put them further back. Use containers that allow the food to flow out the top so that it looks like more than it is.

Put deserts at a station located in the middle of the cafeteria so that to have a brownie you'd have to walk in front of all of your peers to get one.

Kids, like everyone else, find it difficult not to succumb to temptation. So, why not give them a break by making it more difficult to actually access the bad food in the first place.

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David Crane's reply to Liz Berger's comment

David Crane

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September 08, 2011, 06:39AM

Along with all that you could also make healthier choices cheaper and higher quality and unhealthy choices more expensive and less profitable to sell, while making healthier options more profitable to sell (specifically through incentives for all community groups & schools etc). The whole range of community groups and schools offer a good channel/means to affect culture and engaging and educating people with healthier food choices.

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angelica munson

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November 21, 2010, 08:47AM

U need to start at the very beginning - with kids so that the whole generation can be guided correctly. I remember my daughter was in primary when her teacher taught them that colas and aerated drinks are not good for teeth - she taught kids thro an experiment - she told her class that when their milch tooth fell, they shuld bring it to her. She put it in a glass of cola and in a few days the tooth was missing - it has dissolved in the cola - and ever since then my daughter rarely drank colas or aertated drinks - she insists o fresh fruit juices! Education need to be imparted right at the start and also needs to have that lasting impact!

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Justin Kurtz

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November 12, 2010, 05:47PM

It starts in the beginning. Only make available good foods and that is all they will eat. My son asks for fruit every day, never candy or junk. (well the occasional ice cream sharing) Plus parents need to learn to eat better.

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Vincent Cheng

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November 04, 2010, 02:23PM

Just an update for you all, with an example of what can be done with regulation: http://www.fastcompany.com/1699915/no-more-mcdonalds-happy-meals-for-san-francisco-kids

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Carmen Escano

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November 03, 2010, 10:17AM

I loved this project. is a pity that I discovered later, but the work has been done has been great. Thanks for the book that summarizes the entire project!

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Adrien Olczak

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September 27, 2010, 11:44PM

it's simple. Gross them out about eating anything other than fresh food. I still won't drink a glass of water that's been sitting longer than an hour because I'm still freaked out over dustmites and parasites.

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Jacob Chadwick

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September 24, 2010, 07:15AM

Simple: make healthy food taste good. Kids/People like unhealthy because it is good. Let's go Jamie! Let's get to work! Maybe let's start on snacks, since thats what people eat when they are bored, or trying to pass time. Or as a break away from the day. Anyways I'll be in my kitchen.

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Katie Stein

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September 23, 2010, 03:39AM

Target new moms. I was bombarded during pregnancy with information regarding the nutritional value of breast feeding. Subsequent to that was the importance of giving vitamins. Seems like an educational step was missed: How to begin to feed a first-time eating child in a way that will sustain a healthy pattern of eating for years to come by creating a love and desire for the foods that matter. It's not more difficult to feed a child well than poorly from the beginning. A blueberry is as easy to hand a child as a cookie. The education isn't there, though, and ironically I think that new moms are more motivated than most target populations. They want to do a good job, are even fearful of not doing a good job, and are already in the mindset of "starting fresh". That could be the slogan: Starting Fresh. It's much harder to work backwards.

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MataHana Tikao Calman

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September 18, 2010, 04:22AM

I am a secondary school student. When I go supermarket shopping with my mum, the first thing in the trolley is usually something sweet. But not anymore, since a health worker recently visited my school I have been eating a lot more fruit. I have recently taken to eating bananas, kiwifruit and other fruits. All schools around the world should get this type of education.

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Ivo V. O.

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September 14, 2010, 06:27PM

@ Harvey Brice
A wise man once said: "No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it" (A.E.).

It's up to us 'the people' to do something about it. Don't waste your time....

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Harvey Brice

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September 14, 2010, 04:04AM

Instead of trying to stop junk food consumption in exchange for going back to basics why not move forward and engage in the junk food industry to create junk which has a higher nutritional value. We need healthy food, we enjoy junk food, it's time for the Hybrid...

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Dylan Krapf

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September 10, 2010, 11:00PM

Make it fun. Start from the very beginning and teach them how to garden, show them how playing in the dirt can really turn into something. You could do anything from a couple window boxes growing herbs and lettuce to a rooftop garden with rows of corn and every variety of peppers they could find. Then you could teach them how to prepare the food. If the garden is big enough it could supply lunch for a school full of kids. Even do class trips to local farms to learn about where there meat comes. -It would probably turn many kids into vegetarians (which may be the best outcome). Or at least educate the children to support their local organic farms. The key would be to start young.

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Janine Sisson

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September 05, 2010, 09:07AM

Wish I had more time! There are so many inspirations and concepts. Wish I was paid to check them all out, 'cause there are answers in there.

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Tym Blackwell

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September 03, 2010, 01:29AM

the world is obviously moving towards social networks and technology as the strongest means of communication and discussion. It is a case of how best to use this medium. Children are still going to want to play games and therefore developing apps and informative games would seem to be an obvious answer.
The use of peer groups through social networks too has never been stronger and will continue to grow. Jamie your use of groups to champion recipes etc to pass on I think is a great way to go. It is how to make this concept the 'cool' thing to do so that the influences within groups adopt quickly.

Tym

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Nhien Nguyen

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September 03, 2010, 01:25AM

Why don't we start having ice cream trucks sell fresh fruits desserts or sorbets instead of sugar treats? - That's a junk food targeting idea...
As for teaching the kids about where food comes from, I suggest making it a school program (perhaps a requirement) to have one field trip every year to take the kids to the nearest farm and learn about food origin, or have a gardening component to every primary school.

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Nhien Nguyen

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September 03, 2010, 01:25AM

Why don't we start having ice cream trucks sell fresh fruits desserts or sorbets instead of sugar treats? - That's a junk food targeting idea...
As for teaching the kids about where food comes from, I suggest making it a school program (perhaps a requirement) to have one field trip every year to take the kids to the nearest farm and learn about food origin, or have a gardening component to every primary school.

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August 25, 2010, 07:04PM

Inspire and challenge people to try being RAW VEGANS - it might actually be the BEST for the body as well as for the planet.
The athlete I know who turned me onto this goal is Debbie Merrill. I am not marketing for her. Truthfully. I actually have seen and heard of her for over 20 years now here in Los Angeles and I have never seen an athlete more epitomize the idea that "less is more" when it comes to food - as well as now me finding out that she has been a raw food eating vegan for maybe 10 years. Her energy. Her sustaining health. Her fitness level. These are all things that she has SHOWN to be real. Not in a magazine. Not somone I never saw doing it. But someone who I actually watched skate 20 years ago and now she is a member of my gym and is just as fit as she was then. If she can power thru all of these years and be so inspiring and she does it by eating vegan, then everyone can have energy enough to live without meat and without over-cooked food drained of its nutrients.

"The Raw Truth To The Fountain Of Youth" is the book I got by her that really shows how easy it is.

http://www.debbiemerrillshow.com/

Here's a free *.pdf I made, copying from her site "Raw On The Roll" a sample day's menu plan of hers.

https://acrobat.com/#d=GyPrxRBwskawEcTBQnwYTg

Raw is easy. Kids these days are alerted to how much abuse there is in the animal food production manufacturing process. They don't want to kill animals to eat. We can take advantage of the ease of raw fruits and vegetables and combine them with nuts and beans and rice and provide delicious nutrition to energize and inspire them with.

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Yanis JOSEPHINE

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August 24, 2010, 03:07AM

Startups redesign your local grocery and bring fresh food to the customer: www.relayfood.com.

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Ben Dawson

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August 24, 2010, 02:58AM

I understand and appreciate food that I prepare myself much more than food someone else prepares. I imagine the same applies (perhaps even more) for kids. For many kids, though, the problem is that they can't use (or don't know how to use) lots of the utensils.

A couple of useful issues to address:
-Cutting utensils: How can we make it so children can safely cut/chop/slice food ingredients like vegetables?
-Heat: How can we make ovens and stoves safer for children who don't have experience using them? How can we prevent children from burning themselves or accidentally leaving a burner or oven turned on?

I think it might be great to have a touch-screen web interface where kids can browse, download and share simple, healthy recipes they enjoy, along with simple illustrated and/or video instructions on how to prepare them. This would have to be something they could have with them as they prepare the food. Recipes could be accompanied by step-by-step videos of basic tasks in the recipe.

Another key challenge is ingredients. Kids often don't do the planning or purchasing of food. They need ways to organize and communicate the ingredients they'd like to work with to their parents, or a simple way to find out what dishes are feasible with healthy foods they have on hand.

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Ali Corbett

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August 24, 2010, 01:59AM

I just love the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Gardren Program being set up in Australian schools www.kitchengardenfoundation.org.au Taken from website - 'The aim of the Kitchen Garden Program is pleasurable food education for young children. The underlying belief is that by introducing this holistic approach we have a chance to positively influence children’s food choices in ways that have not been tried before. A Kitchen Garden is created to provide edible, aromatic and beautiful resources for a kitchen. The creation and care of a Kitchen Garden teaches children about the natural world, about its beauty and how to care for it, how best to use the resources we have, and an appreciation for how easy it is to bring joy and wellbeing into one’s life through growing, harvesting, preparing and sharing fresh, seasonal produce'. An evaluation report is also now available on the website highlighting all the amazing results the program is achieving.

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August 19, 2010, 10:21AM

If we are going to create games that aim to teach kids about food then we need to stop kidding ourselves and start creating games they are going to WANT to play. This is a fantastic and noble idea, but it needs reality checking and help if we want it to succeed.
http://www.appsforhealthykids.com/application-gallery

McDonald's free videogame is an anti-advergame where users play the role of a McDonald's CEO, choosing whether or not to feed the player's cows genetically altered grain, or plow over rain forests, or feed the player's cows to other cows. The player can also choose advertising strategies and public official corruption to counteract opponents of the player's actions.
http://www.mcvideogame.com/

For Cafe Rouge we created an App that taught kids a spot of french in a light and informative way that allowed them to use their new skills to order their food. We married marketing and audience objectives to produce something that benefited both.
http://www.vexeddigital.com/case-studies/cafe-rouge-max-et-matilde-iphone-games/

56 Sage Street is a free online game that mixes Grand Theft Auto with Sim City to teach young people about work ethic, money management and life in a way that interests them.
http://www.56sagestreet.co.uk/

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Vexed Digital

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August 19, 2010, 09:37AM

"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants" - A simply but effective philosophy by Michael Pollan in his piece on The New York Times for how to traverse the food landscape. Timeless lessons such as these are the sorts of values we need to instill in our children when teaching them to consume in moderation.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/magazine/28nutritionism.t.html?_r=4&pagewanted=all

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Derek Reinhold

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August 19, 2010, 01:28AM

Might be too late for an inspiration, but I haven't found my idea in the other posts. I'd like to see costs taken out of the equation for schools that would like to choose to buy fresh and local. Create incentives for schools to "Go Fresh", like the "Go Green" movement. There could be a certification process for schools that adopt fresh, healthy food choices, like LEED for Green buildings (http://www.greenschoolbuildings.org/Homepage.aspx). Certified schools could then be eligible for grants to offset food costs. A public-private partnership could provide the funding for such grants.

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Karl Thompson

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August 18, 2010, 10:42PM

Get a colorful "z-card" printed that contains all of the main food types widely available - like hamburgers, fries, pizza, fizzy drinks... all the way up to the good stuff like fruits. This card would simply show the fat content, percentage of sugar, salt etc in each item - in a way that kids can easily understand (like a traffic light system). Now introduce some game mechanics, e.g. can you keep within your daily recommended percentage for each area (salt, sugars, fats etc), if you do - you get a merit badge - collect all 40 badges to have changed your lifetime eating habits!
You could also produce a free app (for various smart phones) that makes it more interactive (like FourSquare for e.g). The printed card and apps could be paid for by healthy food advertising - which could even go a step further to geo-locate (using AR) the nearest place that sells these types of good foods.

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fleur peck

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August 18, 2010, 10:33PM

ideas!
get them into the garden... :)
or out to the farms/nursery's picking the fruit and veggies for their school dinners
add in loads of fresh air and exercise when getting them to eat new things

proof is in the pudding!
back in aussie land before i came to the uk, i volunteered with disadvantaged kids taking groups of 30-40 kids on camp once a month: friday - sunday. instructions to parents: feed them dinner before they come.
this generally consisted of a packet of crisps if anything at all. it soon became very apparent that the bad behaviour and grumpiness was directly related access to loads of fresh air and good food.

even though we asked the kids to be fed first, we quickly decided that no matter what time we got to camp 11pm or other, we would always rustle up a really quick homemade hot snack before they went to bed.... the added sleep we and they got was worth its weight in gold :)

in my 4 years of volunteering, before heading over to the UK, we only had one child complain he didn't want something... not bad for a bunch of 6-16 year olds... or for a bit of good, basic, well balanced, fresh, aussie homemade tucker rustled up in the camp kitchen ;)
fp

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Mariah Santana

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August 18, 2010, 10:14PM

Awareness posters in school that are full of bright colors that get peoples attention. Teach it in school, maybe like teach for 5 weeks in gym. Advertising plays a big role in selling junk food, so that would probably have to be cut down. Make more advertising on good foods or whats health and whats not. Making parents aware thats a huge one too. Parents are the ones that provide the food for the kids which means they are buying the junk food for the kids. Lower the prices on health food and raise the prices on junk food.

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Mariah Santana

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August 18, 2010, 10:14PM

Awareness posters in school that are full of bright colors that get peoples attention. Teach it in school, maybe like teach for 5 weeks in gym. Advertising plays a big role in selling junk food, so that would probably have to be cut down. Make more advertising on good foods or whats health and whats not. Making parents aware thats a huge one too. Parents are the ones that provide the food for the kids which means they are buying the junk food for the kids. Lower the prices on health food and raise the prices on junk food.

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Mahala Bloom

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August 18, 2010, 08:22PM

Some of the biggest problems that I have noticed about the "Food Industry" is that often junk food is seen as cheap, easy, and readily available in most households. I think that it is important to step away from all of the processed foods and ask yourself, "If this bag of chips really is capable of being consumed two years from its packaging date....do I really want to ingest something with those kinds of chemicals added for the sake of its shelf-life?"

Because the minds of children are malleable, it is obvious to begin at an early age. Unfortunately, some of the biggest influences in a child's life are not necessarily what is taught in school, but what is taught in the home. I therefore believe that it is important to move in on both sides of the problem, as early as possible.

With the growth of social networking, I believe it is one option that should not be ignored, and could be a very useful resource to unite soon-to-be and current parents of children, sharing ideas and coming up with a blog and/or newsletter that contains some of the lesser known facts that may be vital to a child's later eating habits. One example of this is that, prior to this year, I had no idea that using infant formula as opposed to natural breast milk, can raise the chance of a child having obesity problems later in life, as well as problems with tooth decay and others (http://pregnancychildbirth.suite101.com/article.cfm/hazards_of_infant_formula). Parents should be encouraged to take part of their children's lives and school, and reinforce school health programs.

There needs to be a culture established; a complete overhaul of the way school systems tackle food. When I was going to High School, they had installed vending machines with pop and other beverages filled with sugar. The Cafeteria was far from inspiring in their food choice. In fact, the only day most people chose to eat cafeteria food was on Pizza day; far from a healthy food choice. If schools could step up the actual flavor of their food, as well as the nutrient value (you can't tell me that those mashed potatoes were actually real!) I believe that all students would benefit. Also- nix the vending machines, or fill them with water or other healthy beverages.

From an early age, in preschools, kindergarden, and first grade, I believe it would be beneficial to classrooms to have their own window-planter gardens, in which students could learn how to plant their choice of vegetables, and watch as the little seedlings grow. I remember my own fascination as a child growing a little bean plant in early science classes. Schools should be encouraged to begin their own garden projects, which could be maintained by middle and high schoolers, which could go as part of their science classes or as volunteer work in which classes could be held during their upkeep. Volunteer work is a coveted thing among students desiring to go to college.

Finally, for kids and adults alike that have trouble with their weight should be able to sign up for a gym that could either be provided by the school or have a program in conjunction with the school that would provide activities as well as machines and weights to work with, and trainers to help them learn what exactly the students and adults need in order to become more healthy in their activity levels. Possibly a points reward system for those that are working out regularly and meeting milestone goals. A tangible reward is often more persuasive than a couple of pounds that are not as easily noticed.

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Eric Ayala

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August 18, 2010, 02:18PM

Bring the lunch ladies out of a back room, and turn it into an open kitchen. Especially at preschools and kindergartens. And involve the class in food selection and preparation. The point? If kids always see their parent(s) ordering out or opening up pre-packaged foods, they'll never make the connection. E.g. have the class pick the vegetables from the school garden (must have one), bring it to the lunch cooks to prepare it in an open kitchen in the center of the school. Architecturally, think of the Hearth as the Center of the home. This might not be feasible for public schools, but the expectation should be established in preschools and day cares.

Lastly, if you do eat out (as a busy family we do) frequent sit-down retaurants, and try to sit near the kitchen or visit the kitchen on a bathroom break.

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manona minona

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August 18, 2010, 01:48PM

First: Stop The Junk food Commercials at Least at (Day Time) for Kids!!

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Dee Anna McPherson

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August 18, 2010, 05:35AM

As a mom, here are the things that have worked with my son who just turned 4:

*Gardening -- he will eat anything if he picks it out of the garden
*Cooking -- if he cooked it, he will eat it. Make cooking fun so its part of the experience of eating fresh food. Whole fruit smoothies made at home are the best -- you can add kale or spinach and they don't even taste it.
*School -- make sure the teachers know that parents care about what they eat at school
*Food education -- with the abundance of processed junk food, you really have to educate them at a young age. We play a game where he guesses if food is healthy food or junk food. He's learning about calories, protein, carbohydrates and sugar. He knows it's ok to have treats sometimes if he eats healthy most of the time. Everything in moderation

I also believe that we need to push for more honest food labeling and more disclosure on restaurant menus. Our hectic lifestyles and the cost of fresh/organic food also play a big role in our diets but I have no idea how to solve those problems.

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Sarah MacLennan

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August 17, 2010, 11:40PM

Design an online game for kids which celebrates fresh food and cooking from around the world, with a portion of revenue going to feed the hungry. Inspire kids to have fun, learn about fresh food and make the world a better place. Leverage obesity to feed the poor. How about them apples?!

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edward

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August 17, 2010, 08:06PM

i love good food and i love what OpenIDEO is doing here. For me the key issue is about re-prioritising food in our lives. To do this without sounding like a preacher, and to put this in context of a developed country (UK) where most people have enough food to eat, my approach would be to illustrate the relative value of different food experiences rather than the nutritional value of the food itself - if the food experience message gets through then the latter follows in due course...

food experience is personal so here are my 6 food experiences - i hope they trigger some ideas/hooks:

1. RESTAURANT food experience for me is a treat. it often contains tricky/quirky ingredients or is harder to cook well at home. it might not always be that good for me but i pay over the odds to eat out because its an event. The food is really important - bad food ruins it. Theres always the surprise element of not knowing what we're about to be served (menus are full of hyperbole so I discount 90% of the text), who's going to be eating what on my table or the one next door to me. Its nice to order different choices to your dinner guests as you dont have the luxury of a large kitchen and chef at home! I dont generally overdo my restaurant food intake as its too expensive - my budget regulates my intake.

2. 'CONVENIENCE' food experience for me really means i use my own kitchen but dont spend long choosing the ingredients. for convenience i accept a retailer's assumptions as to what im most likely going to eat - i know that the shop gets it's stock planning mostly right (if there arent too many reduced price items) but that probably 50% of what i pay for is probably a lazy tax (ie their packaging and profit margin). i can make the same meals at home from similar raw ingredients, probably of a better quality and with little of the wrapping. i sacrifice cost, environmental impact and possibly some quality too for my (perceived to be) more valuable leisure time and my poor food planning ability...

3. 'FAST' food experience means i walk into a heavily branded food distribution point and choose from a dumbed down selection of idiot proof meal packages made in a food factory for instant consumption. as fat/oil is a stable cooking medium it is easy for (cheap) unskilled operators (not chefs) to cook in. there's no cooking judgement but there's a level of consistency and trust delivered to the consumer at low cost and reasonable profit for the outlet. i know fast food is bad for me and for the farmer (who's produce is now commoditised and sold in bulk for buttons) but im either on the move or have planned my time badly - ie i've de-prioritised my food time. personally i dont eat much fast food as i dont enjoy eating it and afterwards it leaves me feeling guilty and/or fat! - different rules for fish & chips... natch ;-)

4. the 'PLANNED' food shopping experience is probably the healthiest way for me to obtain food but arguably a bit of a dying art. its something my mum taught me when i left for college: buy a balanced mix of fresh ingredients for pre planned meals and supplement this with some longer shelf life stuff (pasta, tins etc) and a few treats. Buy fresh from local and long life stuff from supermarkets. dont buy too much long term stuff - you're effectively holding stock for the supermarkets. As a child our shopping trips were shaped by my Mum's immaculately written out shopping list and her 'YES' file which was awesome. Every day mum would invent or source a new recipe and test it on the family. I'd ask Mum at the table what was in the meal, she'd list every ingredient and say how she cooked it and ask if us kids liked it - if so mum would put the recipe in the 'YES' file - we didnt have a NO file, we hardly ever disliked a meal, there are about 5 yes files now and they are a record of our childhoods. My mum is a brilliant cook, massively creative in the kitchen and one of her many gifts to me has been a lifelong love of cooking, trying out new stuff and recognising great food. unfortunately today with some laziness on my part and the passage of 20 yrs since i graduated from mums cooking/shopping school my food buying and eating patterns have become pretty erratic and are often led by in store promotion. im easily led - check out my tescos clubcard data for proof! ive also put on weight since i left home.... Mr Tesco has taken over from my Mum as my main food buying influence... this is a really really bad trade.

5. 'SELF SOURCED' food experience is vegetables and (until the foxes took over) eggs from my parents garden, its the fish i've caught on the beach, the birds i've shot or wild berries i've picked. this for me is the most satisfying kind of food but i know the least accessible food experience for many people. i havent experienced self sourced food by chance it has taken a concerted family effort to teach me the necessary skills to create my own self sourced food opportunities. my dad is my main teacher here and guess what we're both still learning. specialist equipment is needed to nurture a garden or to rear an animal, you need to know a farmer with a vermin problem to have a chance of sourcing a pigeon/rabbit, you also need to know how to shoot straight! and forget being squeamish. Bait choice is essential for fishing as is an understanding of the seasons and where to fish. Catching or growing your own food is only part of the deal though, you then have to prepare it for cooking - another art altogether. Self sourced meat doesn't come shrink wrapped (even if my dad always makes a pheasant look like it came from sainsbury's with a bay leaf on top before presenting it for my mum to cook it!) Only when you've completed all of these tasks, often with others, do you then actually cook it and eat it. With so much enjoyable time invested in your self sourced food you really dont want to rush this! you enjoy it. suddenly food isn't 'convenient' or 'fast' it holds real intrinsic value, its a collective experience. Unfortunately unless you have direct access to a garden/allotment/countryside/seaside/river (or know someone who does) and unless you also have the specialist skills and equipment to obtain it this food experience is often inaccessible - and is then incorrectly judged by an ignorant mass media to be elitist. Self sourced food for me is definitely a luxury as my intake is limited by my available time. This is a shame - i'd like to have the river cottage life but i also want an urban life too, its a compromise. The fastest self sourced food for me is mackerel - caught on brighton beach, prepared in 1 minute and BBQd on the beach right there. if there's anything faster id like to know it ;-)

6. 'FRIDGE ROULETTE' food experience is what can i make with what's going out of date in the kitchen and a bit of creativity. This is a game you can only play with a reasonable level of food/cooking knowledge (see Mum's cooking school above). One of the best cooks i know is a southafrican who can make anything, literally anything, into a pie! i really enjoy this type of cooking because you can really surprise yourself - create something from nothing. Perhaps its because your expectations are already set low and are generally always beaten!

Conclusion:

In the noisy and confusing world of food I'd like to REDUCE NEGATIVE FOCUS on food experiences 1,2,3 above, and INCREASE POSITIVE AWARENESS AND ACCESS to alternative food experiences 4,5 & 6.

I'd also love to promote my mum's YES file and my dads FOOD SOURCING skills as a great way to become passionate about food and cooking. my parents are food inspirational!

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August 16, 2010, 03:07AM

This competition needs to be put out to young kids (influential ones) who understand their peers better than us adults. Why?

I think the key is for kids to empower other kids to eat Fresh Food. Trends are created by watching close friends. My circle of friends all have the same "look". My fashion and style (In regards to clothing) today and since I was a kid is and was based on the friends around me.

I don't think celebrity impact has a big push as they did 20 years ago or even 10 years ago because they have been saturated in so many markets. While one celebrity might endorse Fresh Food, another might endorse something unhealthy, so it becomes a zero sum outcome. If the homecoming king/queen or basketball team were known to be a health freaks eating Fresh Foods, it might create a trend.

I'm not a marketer, I'm a Financial Analyst at a Hospital, so this might sounds crazy: For years we have gone with our parents to a Grocery Store, it literally sounds boring, Why not create a new name for "Grocery Store". Ask cool kids what they wish "grocery store" should be renamed and put it into the oxford dictionary eventually.

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Valorie McLain

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August 16, 2010, 02:57AM

To take this a step further, we should also educate children (and their parents) about the dangers of GMO's (Genetically Modified Organisms)/Bio-Engineered crops and foods. Gone mostly under-cover for the past decade, now Americans and others are seeing evidence of the dangerous effects of consuming these foods. On our blog, we have posted one of the more comical videos from Free Range Studios. Something along these lines might get the attention of the younger viewers.

http://gmofreeworld.blogspot.com/2010/06/store-wars-video-must-see.html

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Jing Suo

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August 14, 2010, 11:27PM

I could agree with Helga Mueller that the effort a famous cartoon charactor could make is great. We can see the example of Popeye and spinach.

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Jackie Topol

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August 12, 2010, 05:09PM

I recently enrolled my 7 yr old son in a short summer camp at a local cooking school. His new found excitement around real food is powerful and refreshing. Contrast this against the school system that reduces meals and snacks to a question of efficiency and speed, and it is easy to see how even well-intentioned families fall into unhealthy (read: packaged/processed) options.

Real food takes time, but that isn't a bad thing. Recipes teach culture, math, planning, science, health, and even the fringe benefit of enjoying failure and learning from it.

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Justin Russell

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August 12, 2010, 08:15AM

I agree with Ivan's comment. We need to get to the source, and that starts in home and in the classroom. In order for us to educate our children about healthy choices we first need to educate ourselves. It's silly to expect them to change their habits if we can't do it ourselves.

Also, I know we live in a grossly capitalistic society, but how about we limit the unhealthy options out there for people in general, kids especially, and make healthy options more affordable? Why does it have to be that the largest percentage of diabetics in this country are those who live in poverty? I mean you can make food look as cool as you want, have all the hottest celebrities making kids dying to try it, but if their family can't even afford it then it's not going in their lunchboxes.

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Justin Russell

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August 12, 2010, 08:15AM

I agree with Ivan's comment. We need to get to the source, and that starts in home and in the classroom. In order for us to educate our children about healthy choices we first need to educate ourselves. It's silly to expect them to change their habits if we can't do it ourselves.

Also, I know we live in a grossly capitalistic society, but how about we limit the unhealthy options out there for people in general, kids especially, and make healthy options more affordable? Why does it have to be that the largest percentage of diabetics in this country are those who live in poverty? I mean you can make food look as cool as you want, have all the hottest celebrities making kids dying to try it, but if their family can't even afford it then it's not going in their lunchboxes.

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Molly Chester

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August 12, 2010, 06:03AM

I'm a private chef, and I have seen kids eat what they make a million times over. If they won't eat it, get them to cook it. Then, they will. We all kinda know this, so what do we do about it? Cooking Classes (Home-Ec) in the school sounds great, but the implementation of it feels so LONG. As a bridge to that step, what if there were a team of Inspiring Chefs/Educators in each state that rotated through the schools on a weekly basis. All coordinated under one umbrella country-wide organization that helps to coordinate content. They could put on food related assemblies for the kids, cooking classes after school for a week, talk with the lunch staff about how to take baby steps, meet with the parents of the community - generally just stir things up a bit, offer inspirational ideas, get people thinking and locate the advocates who can carry the torch. Then move on to the next school. In the meantime, hopefully the ever-increasing focus on this vitally important topic will start the movement in the state curriculum and beyond.

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August 07, 2010, 05:09AM

Cooking shows are gaining popularity, but how many of them actually show children cooking? After watching "30 Minute Meals," my daughter was inspired (she was using the plastic food from her toy box and pretending to cook). She was given a RR's Kid's Cookbook for her 6th birthday along with chef's hat and apron. I had her pick out a recipe and we picked out ingredients together and I let her do everything by herself (as much as was safe). I had never been able to get my 3 children to eat broccoli in the past, but they all tried it and liked it! Of course, my son wanted to get in on the action and was creating all kinds of "interesting" recipes. My point is that children are inspired by what they see on TV. It may also be that parents are not educated well enough...heck..there are still some things in the produce section that I have never tried because I have no clue what to do with it. If it's easy enough for a kid to prepare it, then an adult could do it too! I understand that parents can get busy, but if your child is begging to eat broccoli then how can you NOT make time!

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Mackenzie Rawcliffe

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August 07, 2010, 01:46AM

Educating parents was the old plan, and it hasn't worked...they know how to eat they just don't, or are too tired to force their kids to eat what the kids don't want to...if you want kids to make choices you need to trust them to make the choice and treat them like the little adults they are.

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August 06, 2010, 01:31PM

How about making it economically feasible for one parent to work only part time so they are able to stay home and COOK with their children? With both parents working from 8 to 6 it's impossible to do this... we would not eat until 8! Plus there is no time for talking to our kids about anything... much less how to make good food choices. It would also be nice if this kind of work had some Value for our society instead of being looked up on as "lazy".

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Angela Fernandez Orviz

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August 06, 2010, 10:20AM

Love the topic.

I am working on a similar concept in a project called the e-lunch which turns healthy eating into a game, for kids and for adults. I believe kids' education has to pass though their parents awareness and interest.

In my research I also found that the way food is cooked is a key for the kids to like/dislike it, as well as getting them involved in the chose-cook process.

Otherwise I think that new technologies provide a great platform for this sort of project.

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June 18, 2010, 05:15PM

This is going to be a great one. Kids eat what they eat -- and they learn by doing. How might we help more kids experience a wide variety of foods, earlier in their life, and with frequency?

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