Obama Talks Up Local Food, School Lunches, And Setting Up A Farmers Market Outside The White House

At President Obama's interactive health care strategy meeting on Thursday, the President was asked about healthy eating and how he and his family keeps so fit. Obama went on to praise the idea of getting local foods in schools, and even said he wanted a farmers market right outside the White House.

Read the excerpt of his answer below:

When it comes to food, one of the things that we are doing is working with school districts. And the child nutrition legislation is going to be coming up. We provide an awful lot of school lunches out there and -- and reimburse local school districts for school-lunch programs. Let's figure out how can we get some fresh fruits and vegetables in the mix. Because sometimes you go into schools and -- you know what the menu is, you know? It's French fries, Tater Tots, hot dogs, pizza and -- now, that's what kids -- let's face it, that's what kids want to eat, anyway. (Laughter.) So it's not just the schools' fault.

A, that's what kids may want to eat. B, it turns out that that food's a lot cheaper, because of the distributions that we've set up. And so what we've got to do is to change how we think about, for example, getting local farmers connected to school districts, because that would benefit the farmers, delivering fresh produce, but right now they just don't have the distribution mechanisms set up.

So, you know, Michelle set up that garden in the White House?

One of the things that we're trying to do now is to figure out, can we get a little farmers' market -- outside of the White House -- I'm not going to have all of you all just tromping around inside -- (laughter) -- but right outside the White House -- (laughter) -- so that -- so that we can -- and -- and -- and that is a win-win situation.

It gives suddenly D.C. more access to good, fresh food, but it also is this enormous potential revenue-maker for local farmers in the area. And -- and that -- those kinds of connections can be made all throughout the country, and -- and has to be part of how we think about health.

Comments

[MyTake]

11:27 PM on 08/22/2009

Ah, Mr. Prez, watch some Michael Moore documentaries on your vacation.

Cuba plants their gardens right next to their hospitals in their towns and cities.

They also used oxygen, hydrogen peroxide and ozone therapies in their medial system which the U.S. fails to do

So, when Cuba becomes rich from their offshore oil fields, maybe they will impose an embargo on the U.S. and not export their trim and non obese people into the U.S..

Take a course on pH balance, Mr. Prez, because only certain fresh produce is pH neutral or alkaline which improves your health whereas the produce that is pH acidic makes you unhealthy!

In fact, if you had appointed Dr. Susan Brown as Health Sec. instead of accepting the Bilderberg assigned Daschle and Sebelius tandem, your nation would be in better health and not such a drain on health care.

[rollingdivision]

06:13 PM on 08/22/2009

A little bit of harmless meaningless symbolism.

[Stacy Miller]

09:39 AM on 08/22/2009

Farmers markets are unique in that they provide us with ways to simultaneously improve our own health AND invest in our local economies by driving regional entrepreneurship. They remind us that Congress and the White House do not have a monopoly on change, and that Americans are not condemned to remain slaves of our past mistakes, wandering zombie-like in the fluorescent Big Boxes which are all that remain after we've willed away our neighbor-owned small businesses. Just yesterday, yet another study evidences the significant economic impact farmers markets have in their hosting communities: http://www.jsonline.com/news/waukesha/54034422.html.

If we can spend billions in 'Cash for Clunkers,' which I hear are disproportionately benefiting foreign carmakers, why can we not invest a fraction of that amount in farmers markets, helping them hire staff, host educational healthy food preparation demonstrations, recruit new entrepreneurial farmers to expand product diversity, and implement SNAP/EBT?

[Angie Cordeiro]

03:59 PM on 08/22/2009

Thank you for your post.

Children who work in gardens by first composting, digging, planting, watering, weeding are eager to share in the feast. They are eager to read the instructions on the seed packet, they are eager to learn elementary math by measuring the distance between seed planting and rows and how many ears of corn for each corn stalk, etc.

There are good areas in EVERY public school I've ever visited in which to plant a nice size garden; let's get it started, let's get it started right now.

[Caliwoman]

10:34 PM on 08/21/2009

Now please change farm policy to give tax breaks for small scale farmers to put in cisterns, drip irrigation, winter cover crop seed, and to protect farm ecotourism. Cut tax subsidies to chemically intensive monocrop agribusiness for exports, and there's enough to fund small farmers all over the nation to build efficiency.

[organicthemepark]

02:28 PM on 08/21/2009

God Bless President Obama and Michelle !! Being a locavore and one who embraces organic food this is a terrific step in the right direction. Surprise yourself by eating local produce for a month and watch how your own health improves !!! I haven't been sick for over 2 years since making this change in my diet away from processed manufactured foods ( see the movie - "Food, Inc."). There is truth to the old saying, " An Apple A Day . . . "

[curiousasheck]

01:14 PM on 08/21/2009

After two generations of being infantized with video and sound bites this certainly seems like a radical idea.

[TruthmongerII]

12:41 PM on 08/21/2009

I agree with Obama and remember one of my favourite classroom experiences in grammar school. We all planted tomatoes, and later harvested them. They were so full of flavour when vegies were still bred for appearance and shelf-life. We learned a lot & I hope school teachers will incorporate such activities into their future lessons.

[ChiProgressive]

11:26 AM on 08/21/2009

Unfortunately, this was just a bone our President has thrown out to progressives in order to take off some of the heat for not pushing for a Public Option.

Ending Corn and Soy subsidies would be a shock to the system and force farmers to diversify and grow more healthful foods.

[toje]

10:15 AM on 08/21/2009

Memo to Obama:
Check the deficit.
Check the unemployment figures.
Check the falling value of the dollar.

Stop the vacations.
Stop the date nights up and down the East Coast.
Stop marketing.
Stop pimping.
Solve the real problems.

[Mauiboy]

11:03 AM on 08/22/2009

" Pimping"? That's helpful.

[Knowitall]

01:02 AM on 08/23/2009

Check yourself.

Stop the complaining.

Shut up.

[Kathy Jentz]

10:01 AM on 08/21/2009

Washington Gardener Magazine covers the greater DC area growing scene www.WashingtonGardener.com.

There are indeed many terrific farmer's markets within walking distance ofthe White House (USDA, Penn Quarter, Dupont Circle, etc.), with the Prez would wander out and visit one instead of another burger joint ;-)

Seriously, a White House market - even annually - would be a win-win indeed.

[calluna]

01:52 PM on 08/21/2009

Exactly right. There are farmer's markets all over DC, all over NOVA, and even down here in the Piedmont. (This has been the best year for peaches, watermelon and cantaloupe I can recall, and don't even get me started on the Hanover tomatoes!)

The problem is, local farmers live in the same economy as the rest of us. While buying local is ideal, and much tastier, it's not cheap, and that does drive away a lot of the people who could most benefit from access to the good stuff.

[Prodigal Daughter]

05:40 AM on 08/21/2009

Wow, if this is not change, I don't know what is. The simple act of making health a priority instead of fear is definitely change.

[whatthel]

09:20 AM on 08/21/2009

Agreed.

[sandiegoconservative]

03:03 AM on 08/25/2009

Yeah! We don't need fear! Like doctors who cut off limbs for a few extra bucks, or there being great opportunity in the face of great crisis, or how many will die if the healthcare bill is not passed immediately, or how unemployment will soar if the stimulus bill is not passed. Fear like that, right?

[Givethemhellharry]

05:11 AM on 08/21/2009

Obama needs to look around DC. When I lived there a few years ago there was an excellent farmers market about 5 blocks from the White House.

[JKPHILLY]

10:27 AM on 08/21/2009

There is always room for another!
I live in Philly and our farmers markets are within blocks of each other, but yet more keep cropping up. The important thing to remember is access.

[lilymaielang]

03:14 AM on 08/21/2009

Ha ha, between health care reform and farmer's markets, the US may just start to ressemble France and my twenty years of exile will end!

[Sportswoman]

02:22 AM on 08/21/2009

Next I think the WH could consider helping out the economically challenged vendors--how about selling fresh corn with mayo , cheese, and chili powder? Churros? Good Humor bars? Italian sausages with peppers and onions? Hot dogs wrapped in bacon? Hot chestnuts? Snowcones?

[OldHick]

02:02 AM on 08/21/2009

Local food is a controlled substance - foreign food is not. WE have gone from a food exporter nation, to an importer. As they tear down houses, hopefully they will recreate the family farm - no more rampant diseases from farms, no more uncontrolled pesticides, no longer a fear of exportation while people in the US are without food.

GOOD MOVE.