What to do about school lunches so bad, one student exclaims, “I ate it because I was hungry and had nothing to eat”?
Chef Tony Geraci ambitiously tackled this problem as food and nutrition director for Baltimore public schools, an urban area serving 83,000 students.
His efforts at reforming the school food program are documented in the feature-length film Cafeteria Man, released online today. Geraci set out to transform not just what students eat, but their whole relationship to food—and succeeded.
Check out the trailer and learn more about how food can be served fresher, more wholesome and tastier to students, from “farm to school” programs to a national model teaching farm.
If you are interested in transforming school lunch programs, visit the Cafeteria Man screening action guide.
Geraci, named one of the top 20 most influential food service people in the U.S., offers the following tips for improving school food:
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Get involved.
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Mobilize support.
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Learn what’s going on locally.
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Aim to work with the school staff.
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Articulate your goals.
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Help students make healthier choices.
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Help the district see that it can afford a better program.
As the documentary, which also features Michelle Obama and Michael Pollan, confirms: Change is on the menu.