I was shocked to be notified that this was the season finale for Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution. It seems like the series just began. The message is too important to only give it six hours in the national spotlight.
As the episode begins, Jamie states that he has spent three months in Huntington, and he is throwing a Food Revolution Festival to conclude his visit. During the festival, you get to see that the Edwards family has together lost 100 pounds, a teacher reports that the kids are learning more easily and are no longer falling asleep during class.
Doug Shields presents Jamie with two checks to provide sustainable food systems for each school in the county and to fund free cooking classes through Jamie’s Kitchen. They even had a free concert by Rascal Flats.
After a three-month media promotion tour with a stop at the TED conference (Technology, Entertainment, Design), Jamie returns to Huntington when he reads that to use up the stockpile of food in the freezer, Rhonda is proposing Processed Food Friday’s. The school is also concerned that more children are bringing their lunch from home, rather than utilizing the school lunch program. We realize how much of a problem this is when Jamie walks through the cafeteria inspecting lunches.
The message behind the Food Revolution is clear in this episode. Jamie restates that these children are the first generation who will have a shorter life than their parents. He compares processed foods to alcohol or drugs when talking about the problem with bringing it back, even one day per week. Jamie sums it up easily with the call to feed kids fresh food instead of junk. I wonder why, if food is fuel, we would allow ourselves to ingest so much junk.
Alice and the other Central City Elementary cooks make a special return to assist Jamie in reinforcing the message and easing fears for the cooks in the rest of the schools in the county. It will require everyone to create a sustained change for the health of our children. If you agree, Diets in Review urges you to sign Jamie Oliver’s petition. We hope to see more of Jamie’s Food Revolution on TV and across the nation.