It doesn't take a nutritionist to point out that kids can't concentrate when hyped up on junk food — but it just might take an investigative documentary to pry the high fructose corn syrup from the lunch lady's hands. Tired of their kids' schools serving chicken nuggets and candy bars for lunch, filmmaker Amy Kalafa and health counselor Dr. Susan Rubin talked to school food vendors, teachers, parents and reps from the FDA and USDA. Their documentary Two Angry Moms, now screening in select cities (see the schedule here; it hits Brooklyn next week), shows the detrimental effects of school-sponsored junk food and the positive changes that nutrition-obsessed parents can inspire. Kalafa and Rubin, on a media tear lately, spoke to Babble about their food fight. — Jessica Wakeman
What's the worst school lunch you saw while making this film?
Rubin: My personal favorite is the Windex-blue slushie. I got that at my daughter's high school.
Kalafa: Most schools have equally bad horror stories. That's the thing about this: it cuts across socio-economic classes, across age groups. There's the same level of school food everywhere in the country. The bigger problem is the American food system. School food is just one piece of that.
What raised your awareness in the first place?
Rubin: Ever since my kids came home from school with candy in their backpacks — from the cafeteria! I was a dentist at the time and I was really very upset that I was paying taxes to this wonderful school system and my kids were eating candy.
What's wrong with the food?
"Chicken nuggets and tater tots. That's considered a balanced meal."
Kalafa: It's pre-processed and packaged.
Rubin: It's not real. We have a government commodity system: chicken nuggets and tater tots. That's considered a balanced meal. The USDA is not doing a great job. For many schools, the bottom line is money and profit. For every parent I know, the bottom line is their children's health and well-being.
So what will happen if kids eat a healthier school lunch?
Kalafa: If you ask any teacher in any school system, they will tell you kids' behavior is so affected by how they eat. Really, when you feed kids whole food, they're grounded and focused and able to make it through the school day.
What can parents do?
Rubin: What I've been recommending to every parent now is to go in and have lunch at your kid's school. Only then will you know if the food's edible! I want you to eat the food, smell the food, look at what your kids' friends are eating, and then you know. It's not enough to look at a menu once a month.
©2008 Vivian Manning-Schaffel and Nerve Media
About the Author
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Jessica Wakemanis a writer focusing on women's political, societal and
cultural issues. She has written for Bitch magazine, the New York Daily
News, Damemagazine.com, Radar, Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting and The
Huffington Post. |
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