Whole Food, Whole Child, Whole Family

School Food has rightfully become a focus for so much of what we want to be different in the world. Beyond the clinical aspects which increasingly define alarming statistics related to obesity, early onset diabetes and other food related illness, there is an underlying cultural aspect that warrants even more attention.

This core cultural issue is directly linked to our human DNA and is critical to the human experience. When we reduce that experience to a passive act of consumption with no real connection to source, we are depriving ourselves of something that leads to the equivalent of emotional malnutrition. In my mind, this can't be healthy.

Experience Food Project has been deeply immersed in the issue of school food for over five years by providing leadership and implementation of some of the most cutting edge pilot projects to date. It is a very complex issue, although not so terribly complicated and is almost always defined by prevailing attitudes related to change.

Change is the operative word and real change is what will be required if we want to adopt a more wholistic approach. Our initiative called Whole Food, Whole Child, Whole Family is focused on the cultural experience that we gain by understanding where our food comes from, consciously choosing and preparing our food and the human experience gained when sharing our food with others.

In essence, this is really what we are asking for when we talk about school food. Who knows, maybe this will be the catalyst for change that could evolutionize other institutional anomalies.

The Line Between Stepping Up and Stepping Back

For the past five years Experience Food Project (EFP) has pioneered groundbreaking efforts to bring a true culture change to school meal programs. During that time the landscape has changed dramatically in terms of public awareness, food science, health issues and general agreement that something needs to be different. EFP has developed a number of food education programs that are very effective, are well received and supported by teachers and truly help families rediscover the joy of eating together through our Whole Food, Whole Child, Whole Family initiative.

Additionally we have identified systems change strategies that include new healthier cycle menus, training opportunities for food service staff, integrated food education, community engagement opportunities, capacity building for local agriculture..........................

Lately I have been thinking that we have arrived at a tipping point that I call, Stepping Up or Stepping Back. Allow me to say a bit more about that.

Given everything we know about the quality and content of food being offered in public schools, are we to some degree complicit by allowing this to continue. In essence are we enabling an ongoing health and cultural crisis by not Stepping Up and doing what we know is right and what is certainly in the best interest of the future health and vitality of children, families and communities?

EFP has studied and researched this issue from almost every angle; classroom, community, regulatory, food sourcing, budgetary, operations, education, labor, culture and history and more.

There are solutions and we can no longer afford to allow embedded behaviors and outdated approaches to prevail. Its time for a change, it's time to Step Up. What do you think?

Welcome

Welcome to the Chef Tom French / Experience Food Project blog!! This will allow us to provide greater detail about our work, the philosophy that drives that work and allow others to join in the discussion. Please visit our website at www.experiencefoodproject.org as well.

Chef Tom