So Jamie Oliver heads to VA to tell them they eat garbage every day. That they’re killing they’re kids. That they need to fundamentally change the way they live. Then says he’s not calling them ignorant? Maybe we need a little more Gordon Ramsey… because that’s not only what they are, it’s what we all are. I’m hankering for a McDonald’s fish sandwich right now.

Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution is a great program. The guy deserves praise for this attempt. While he may not make headway with bouncy castle for sale the bureaucrats, he’ll certainly raise awareness. The scary thing in this first episode is not the family and their deep fryer, though it was a nice part of the show, but the closed system of the school lunch. It’s no surprise. It’s not ‘news’. Nevertheless, it’s unreal the crap we’re feeding kids. I think that’s the real ‘stupid’ that needs to change. If our systems fail us, how are we to ever learn to do what’s right.

Ann Cooper IS a lunchlady and unlike the women on the show she’s pushing for a food revolution herself. I know I’ve been pimping the TED talks lately but they’re so darn good. Listen to Ann after the jump.

Think about it this way. Oliver points to the list of ingredients for the school lunch chicken and it’s a loooong list of loooong words. Every one of those words is a product that is sold in mass to schools, restaurants, packaged food companies, people. There are companies that make those products. Via the FDA, USDA, etc. those companies are writing the rules to our systems. And getting rich off the fat of the land.

Oliver also said after the kids chose their pizza over his chicken something to the effect that maybe giving kids a choice isn’t such a good thing. I’d add that it’s not just kids. When the American diet deck is stacked like this, maybe having to go so far out of your way to make good food choices is really having no choice at all.

…off to McDonald’s!