Details noted below. For more information, contact Mud at schoolgarden [at] gmail [dot] com or find him on Twitter @cocoxochitl.

Please join with us today to call on Dr. Deasy and Board members to make better food in Los Angeles schools a priority.

The above-named organizations and other community members have joined together to make this easy: visit the School Food Letter website to send your message today!

The LAUSD serves 650,000 meals every day. With childhood obesity and diabetes reaching epidemic proportions, better school food is not a luxury. It’s a necessity.

While the LAUSD has made progress in improving the nutritional content of school food, much work remains to be done. Meals contain far too much added sugar, highly processed foods are the norm, and students aren’t learning about food, nutrition, and gardening in ways that will teach them how to make healthier choices.

Dr. Deasy begins his term in the coming days. Please send your own School Lunch letter today. A copy of your message will be send electronically to Dr. Deasy and all members of the LAUSD Board.

En espanol

As Emily Ventura noted in her recent Los Angeles Times op-ed, a holistic view of the food options presented by the LAUSD is badly needed. Unfortunately, financial constraints, a lack of support for change at the Board level, and the perception of public indifference have contributed to a status quo that puts the health of LAUSD students in jeopardy.

Further, the current breakfast and lunch programs do little to help children develop healthy eating habits. Rather than using the school food program as an opportunity to teach children healthy eating habits and more—where food comes from and how it is grown—the school food program has become another exercise in efficiency: How to fill children with calories and get them in and out of the lunchroom with the least amount of cost, fuss, or muss.

Representatives of the LAUSD have said that change requires public support. So in that spirit, beginning today, Slow Food Los Angeles will be calling on its members and friends to share their opinions with Dr. Deasy, members of the LAUSD board, and their fellow citizens.

Step 1: Help us distribute a lesson plan to teachers as part of a coordinated effort to help students share their experiences with school food, and share those letters with Dr. Deasy and the School Board.

The lesson plan can be downloaded here. It can be used to lead students in writing short letters. Student letters should be mailed to:

Emily Ventura
USC Childhood Obesity Research Center
2250 Alcazar Street, CSC 200
Los Angeles, CA 90033

by April 18 for group delivery to LAUSD. Alternatively, contact emilyventura [at] gmail [dot] com to arrange for another pickup option.

Slow Food Los Angeles is pleased to join with USC’s Childhood Obesity Research Center, Food for Lunch, the Garden School Foundation, Kidding Around the Kitchen, and RootDownLA to distribute this lesson plan and letter request.

Soft drinks were banned in Los Angeles schools in 2004. But if you think that means kids are protected from too much sugar at school, think again. Children are regularly able to select a school breakfast that contains more added sugar than a can of soda. A popular breakfast offering of Frosted Flakes doused in chocolate milk with a side of coffee cake and a carton of orange juice contains 51 grams of added sugar (or 79 grams of total sugar counting those that occur naturally in the milk and the juice). A 12-ounce can of Coca-Cola contains 39 grams of sugar.
. . .
. . . [N]either federal nor district standards limit the overall sugar content of school meals. Even the newly proposed U.S. Department of Agriculture school food guidelines, which are open for public comment until April 13, don’t include specific limits on sugar. Rather, they state that though added sugars should be limited, they may be included as long as the menus meet caloric guidelines.

The full text of Emily’s op-ed piece is available on the Times’ website.

Last Monday’s rally to support a reduction in sugar in the LAUSD food was a success! Thanks to the Slow Food LA members who participated. Mary MacVean of the Los Angeles Times covered the event, and her article is available online.

This is just the start of the advocacy needed to reduce the overall sugar served at schools and to improve the quality of school food in general. More information about specific ways to get involved will be shared soon. In the meantime, if you have ideas or would like to get involved, please contact Emily Ventura at gallonofsugar [at] gmail [dot] com.

In addition, the online petition to support removing flavored milk from the LAUSD is available at: http://www.petitiononline.com/86sugar/petition.html.

In describing the President’s response, Josh noted:

President Obama didn’t use the opportunity to answer our concerns, nor did he speak to our hopes. He didn’t talk about how he was going to make it easier to access fruit than Froot Loops. He didn’t talk about how he was going to reduce federal support for the crops that are most damaging to our health and environment, and he didn’t talk about what he was going to do to increase support for a sustainable food system. The president didn’t talk about taking on the massive consolidation in agribusiness that makes it cheaper and easier to get unhealthy processed food than it is to buy whole ingredients. Though he touched on it, he didn’t talk about addressing food insecurity in any meaningful way and he didn’t talk about the power of citizens as shoppers … or as voters.
Instead, he talked about Walmart.

Josh’s thoughts on what this means for those of us interested in promoting a good, clean, and fair food system, and why the President’s response should motivate us to act, have been published on The Atlantic’s website.

Do Good this Valentine’s Day: Rally for the Kids of Los Angeles

Tired of the same old plans for Valentine’s Day? This year, try something new and show your love to the children of Los Angeles. Join fellow concerned citizens in supporting much needed change to the school food served in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).

The sugar content of the current school food is shockingly high, with breakfasts containing up to 51 grams of sugar, the same amount in a can of Coke. Flavored milk (chocolate or strawberry) is served at school breakfast and lunch, which equates to 14 cups of added sugar per child a school year. That’s almost a gallon of sugar toward obesity and diabetes. And that’s just the milk, not to mention the coffee cake or the sweetened cereal.

The LAUSD Food Service Branch says, “If you want to get rid of the added sugar, then show us parent and community support.” 

Show your support at Monday’s Cafeteria Improvement Meeting, held at the LAUSD headquarters downtown. Write a note and attach it to a one gallon milk bottle decorated as a Valentine.  Empty jugs are fine, but feel free to fill it with 14 cups of sugar (or sand) to educate your family. The message: Please take back the sugar. We don’t want it in our milk or our food!
 
Remember, we’re all about the love. Food Services is expecting our Valentines… be nice! The rally will kick off an educational campaign, and the plan is to distribute the decorated gallon jugs to teachers and cafeteria staff for use in educating students in how to reduce sugar consumption.

Delivery Option 1: Participate in the Valentine’s Day Rally
Bring your jug and meet us outside the Visconti Lot (entrance on Miramar) near LAUSD headquarters (333 South Beaudry Avenue, Los Angeles 90017) at 1:30pm and we’ll have a peaceful parade to the 28th floor with our Valentines at 2:00pm sharp when the meeting starts.  Parking validation available on the 28th floor. RSVP to: gallonofsugar [at] gmail [dot] com.

Delivery Option 2: Drop off your Valentine to LAUSD anytime on Monday
Address it to Food Services and deliver it directly to LAUSD headquarters at 333 South Beaudry Avenue, Los Angeles 90017.

Delivery Option 3: Drop off your Valentine at the Farmer’s Kitchen (1555 Vine St # 119, Los Angeles 90028)
Chef Ernie will collect it any time this Sunday, February 13, and deliver it for you. 

The children of Los Angeles kindly thank you for supporting their current and future health!

For more information about this issue, or about Monday’s “Take Back the Sugar” Valentines, email Emily Ventura and the Food for Lunch team at gallonofsugar [at] gmail [dot] com.

All proceeds will benefit the Foundation, and those attending will enjoy hors d’oeuvres from Canelé restaurant and a live performance by The Silver Lake Chorus.

When: Saturday, November 20, 2010 from 5:00pm until 8:00pm
Where: the Barn Studio of Nancy Goslee Power & Associates, 1660 Stanford Street, Santa Monica
Cost: $35 for regular admission; $60 for sponsor admission. RSVP and purchase tickets online.

If you or your organization wish to donate items, services, or opportunities to be auctioned, please contact Julia Cotts, the Executive Director of the Foundation, at julia [at] gardenschoolfoundation [dot] org. Among the auction items confirmed thus far will be private lessons with several noted chefs, a pie seminar with Evan Kleiman, and a private tour of the Getty Museum with John Walsh, but additional donations are welcome.

Garden School Foundation Workdays
The Foundation also seeks assistance at its monthly workdays, held at the 24th Street School. All workdays are Saturdays from 9:00am until noon. Weather permitting, volunteers are sought for the following dates:

• November 13, 2010
• December 11, 2010
• January 22, 2011
• February 26, 2011
• March 26, 2011
• April 30, 2011
• May 21, 2011
• June 11, 2011

If you’re interested and able to volunteer, please contact Julia Cotts at julia [at] gardenschoolfoundation [dot] org.

Nourish is a multi-year media and education initiative with the goal of opening a broad and meaningful public conversation about our food system that encourages citizen engagement, particularly among young people and families. The Nourish Initiative will combine television programming, short films, web content, and learning tools.

KCET will broadcast a half-hour program produced by Nourish, narrated by Cameron Diaz, and featuring Michael Pollan, Alice Waters, Jamie Oliver, Anna Lappe, Bryant Terry, Nigel Walker, and Dr. Nadine Burke. The announced airtimes are November 9 at 10:30pm and November 14 at 4:00pm. Air dates and times for other PBS stations can be found on the Nourish website.

For a taste of what Nourish has to offer, watch the trailer below:

Nourish Trailer from Nourish on Vimeo.

[And if the embedded video above isn't working in your browser, you can try Vimeo directly.]

Volunteers should bring garden gloves, water, sunscreen, and a shovel or pitchfork to help with building new beds and preparing the garden’s 75-foot production bed. Other volunteers will be asked to assist with spring plating and building infrastructure (benches and compost sifters).

For more information about the Garden School Foundation, visit its website or contact Nat Zappia for more information about the organization, its work at the 24th Street School, or how to volunteer time or donate to their efforts.

We’re also delighted that through a partnership program with Slow Food USA, several sets of cookware and utensils for the program have been provided by Anolon. Anolon’s “Creating a Delicious Future” program benefits many nonprofits and educational organizations through donations of its cookware, utensils, tools, and other kitchen supplies. For L.A. Sprouts, Anolon’s assistance has meant that every student can participate in hands-on lessons, in this and future sessions of the program.

The Garden School Foundation has announced that it will hold a workday on Saturday, February 27th, at the 24th Street School (2055 West 24th Street, in Los Angeles). If you’re interested in contributing to the school’s efforts to develop its garden and are available between 9:00am and noon, please contact Nat Zappia, the GSF Director, at nat [at] gardenschoolfoundation [dot] org.

Volunteers should bring garden gloves, water, sunscreen, and a shovel or pitchfork to help with building new beds and preparing the garden’s 75-foot production bed. Other volunteers will be asked to assist with spring plating and building infrastructure (benches and compost sifters).

For more information about the Garden School Foundation, visit its website or contact Nat Zappia for more information about the organization, its work at the 24th Street School, or how to volunteer time or donate to their efforts.

A partnership between the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California Childhood Obesity Research Center (USC-CORC) and the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Loreto Elementary School in Cypress Park, the LA Sprouts program seeks to reduce the risk of obesity and encourage healthy eating habits in children by teaching gardening, nutrition and cooking.

Nearly 32 percent of children ages two to 19 are considered overweight or obese, and one in three children born since 2000 is at risk for developing diabetes in their lifetime. Teaching children about growing, cooking and eating healthy fruits and vegetables is a constructive and creative, yet simple approach to solving the epidemic health problem of obesity. A community garden provides access to fresh and nutritious foods that are often unavailable in urban communities, and by growing food themselves, children build self-reliance, which can lead to future successes.

For 12 weeks, the LA Sprouts program aims to teach nutrition, cooking, and gardening principles to fourth and fifth graders at LAUSD’s Loreto Elementary School. The two- hour biweekly program will be taught Tuesday and Friday afternoons at the garden and will include monthly trips to the Old LA Farmer’s Market in Highland Park. USC will assess the impact of this program on a number of health outcomes in the students, including childhood obesity, blood pressure, dietary intake and other nutritional behaviors related to healthy eating, data which is notably lacking in this area and critical to evaluate the effectiveness of such garden-based programs.

This program aims to help children lose weight or maintain a healthy weight, motivate them to eat more fruits and vegetables, improve resources, teach them to prepare and eat healthier meals, and reinforce positive perceptions of cultural foods. USC-CORC plans to use this program as a template for the development of similar programs in the area.

In addition to the nutrition/cooking component of the classes led by staff from USC-CORC, gardening curriculum will be taught by master gardeners from the University of California Cooperative Extension “Common Ground” program, with assistance from Homegirl Café. Art Center College of Design in Pasadena designed and constructed a mobile kitchen island for the program. The South Central Farmers will supply fresh organic produce for the cooking classes. Whole Foods Market Arroyo will supply cooking staples, cleaning supplies, and kitchen utensils promoting more plant-based, whole food options, as part of their larger commitment to the community and healthy eating education. Funding for LA Sprouts is provided by a Community Benefit Grant from Kaiser Permanente. The Cypress Park Neighborhood Council has committed funds for Gold Line passes for students. The North Figueroa Association will provide vouchers that may be used by students at the Old LA Farmer’s Market in Highland Park.

Slow Food Los Angeles has also contributed to the program, continuing the partnership that began in 2009 when the Milagro Allegro Community Garden hosted the largest of Slow Food’s “Time for Lunch” events in Los Angeles, part of its national campaign to improve food served in schools. We are especially pleased that Emily Ventura, chairperson of our Social Action committee and the principal organizer of our local Time For Lunch campaign, has been deeply involved in the development and launch of this important community program.

For more information about the Milagro Allegro Community Garden, and for information about how to help support the Garden’s programs or specifically the LA Sprouts program, visit its website (http://hpgarden.org).

Members of the public are invited to attend a hearing of the California Senate Select Committee on Obesity and Diabetes, “Exploring the Link between Sugar-Sweetened Drinks and Obesity”:

When: Thursday, November 5, 2009, beginning at 10:00am
Where: Los Angeles City Council Chambers, City Hall, 200 North Spring Street, Los Angeles


The hearing will be chaired by Senator Alex Padilla, Chair of the Select Committee on Obesity and Diabetes and Senator Elaine Alquist, Chair of the Health Committee. Senators will hear testimony from beverage industry representatives, researchers, health professionals, marketing experts, as well as community and foundation leaders. State officials are also expected to testify.