Food Revolution Day

This Saturday, May 19, will be the first-ever global Food Revolution Day. I can not tell you how proud I am that we have more than 500 cities in 57 countries around the world standing up for real food. And it couldn't be a more important time for it.

According to the World Health Organization, global obesity has more than doubled since 1980 and more than tripled in children. Across the world more than 1.5 BILLION adults are overweight and of those 200 million men and 300 million women are obese. We are in big trouble.

Despite these grim statistics, and general shouting about the problem across the world, no one -- not government, schools or doctors -- have worked out a plan to give our children the tools to live longer, healthier, happier and more productive lives. Our kids are the first generation predicted to live shorter lives than their parents. As a father this is unacceptable to me -- and should be unacceptable to you.

Food Revolution Day is an opportunity for everyone around the world to do something. The Food Revolution and Food Revolution Day is about empowering people through education or, frankly, just inspiring people to be more street-wise about food, where it comes from and how it affects their bodies. If you know how to cook you can save yourself money, feel better and live longer, and the chances are, your kids will follow suit. After all, we all kind of become our parents in the end.

I started learning about food at the age of five in the kitchen at my Dad's pub. It was 1980, and about one in every 15 people in the UK was obese. Just 30 years later, and it's almost one in every four people. It's the same story throughout the world and, in some places, even worse. The truth is that our priorities have completely changed during that time. That's okay -- with progress they change every 50 years or so anyway -- but we have lost touch with real food and the time has come to re-adjust.

Everyone paying taxes, whether they're a parent yet or not, should feel confident that when they send their children to school they will be fed right, educated about food and taught the skills they need to set them up for life.

Many people in the last three generations weren't taught to cook at home or at school, and that has certainly contributed to the crisis. For 10 years I've seen the positive impact that learning about food can have on our communities, our lives, our happiness, health and self-confidence, so why aren't the governments or schools mandating food education?

It's not that difficult. In Australia, I'm working closely with a big business that has donated millions to help communities -- millions that have been match-funded by government and resulted in a whole raft of clever, strategic initiatives that will help to make good food and food education available to all.

On May 19, thousands of people around the world will come together -- businesses, schools, sports stars and celebrities -- to hold events, dinners and cooking classes, with the aim of putting good food back on the agenda. We want to change the way people eat by educating every child about food, giving families the skills to cook from scratch again, and motivating people to stand up for their right to better food.

Please go to http://foodrevolutionday.com and show your support.

Thank you.

Jamie O

Watch Jamie live on Food Revolution Day this Saturday 8pm EST / 5pm PST Sunday 1am GMT / 9am SST talking to food revolutionaries from around the world in aid of Food Revolution Day. Tune in to the Google + Hangout through the Food Revolution Community page, why not host your own Food Revolution viewing party or dinner party, cook a meal and save a virtual seat for Jamie!

 

Follow Jamie Oliver on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JamieOliver

Comments

[fortressfountain]

11:33 AM on 05/21/2012

People eat what they choose. What is next ceos telling you how to shop to buy clothing?

[hypyrwyf]

01:32 PM on 05/21/2012

Education is a good thing. We could reduce our medical costs substantially if more of us knew enough about nutrition to make healthy food decisions.

[JRHammer]

02:33 PM on 05/28/2012

Isn't education really about expanding choices? You can do what you will with the knowledge. But wouldn't you rather have it than not have it?

[Triple M]

09:54 PM on 05/20/2012

Keep up the good work Jamie by raising awarenes about our daily food. and as a vegetarian i say keep it up the good veg recipes on your website and in your cooking books.

[Tazzie]

09:16 PM on 05/20/2012

I've been a fan of Jamie Olivers well before he was on the Food Network. I loved his little show when he was cooking out of his London Flat. I couldn't possibly list all of the recipes I've copied or adapted over the years. As someone else who doesn't like to bake he's saved me numerous times with the desert course at one of my dinner parties. I'm so pleased he's done so many good things with his success and I hope people listen to him on the importance of nutrition in schools. Well done Jamie you really are pucka.

[hypyrwyf]

01:33 PM on 05/21/2012

The Naked Chef. What a cutie. He still puts out a good program. did you see the one where he toured the US, going to New Orleans, NYC, LA, cattle ranch etc? That was a fun series.

[hypyrwyf]

01:34 PM on 05/21/2012

Oh, yeah, and I love his kitchen/garden on Jamie at Home.

[jojo2]

06:22 PM on 05/20/2012

According to the HBO series, "Weight of the Nation," since 1985, the cost of fruits and vegetables has increased by 117 percent while the cost of soda pop, refined sugar snacks and high fat snacks have risen by only 10 to 15 percent. Only 3 percent of the farmland in America is used for the growing of fruits and vegetables while the rest of the farmland is used for soy and corn. As a high school teacher, I see students coming in to first period with a huge bottles of pop, energy drinks, chips, cookies, cupcakes, candy, foot-long subs from Subway...I had one young lady that brought a can of cake frosting to eat for breakfast. They're getting it from somewhere, and it's not always in the schools.

[hypyrwyf]

01:35 PM on 05/21/2012

Is that because of the corn subsidies, the low cost of sweetened foods? Plus the higher cost of fuel/shipping of produce.

[mmnrude95]

05:28 PM on 05/20/2012

Mandated....no. We live in a free society. We shouldn't have ANYTHING MANDATED. No healthcare MANDATED, no lightbulbs MANDATED. Who are they to mandate anything. Get out of our way. If we die...it's our own damn fault. When the government sticks it's toe into the works it all gets expensive and takes personal responsibility out of the equation. Then it's all down hill from there.

[Triple M]

09:51 PM on 05/20/2012

Sure, no governement and all our drinking water would be poisened by now by unchecked pollution from factories, and the air would be filthy as hell.

[tdlake5]

12:02 PM on 05/21/2012

It's not a "free" society when millions and millions of dollars are spent on influencing you to buy crappy food (almost everything in a box or container at the supermarket) in contrast to millions and millions of dollars NOTt spent spent to inform and educate you as to how bad that crap is for your body and society in general. It's a one way street going the wrong way! Anyone that shares your point of view needs to re-evaluate what freedom of choice means in an environment of massive one-way bad influences. I don't like the govt involved in anything except for stuff we can't easily do as individuals, like build interstates and regulate food processing (which they don't do well).

[hmargret]

05:00 PM on 05/20/2012

The USA has some of the worst quality food in the world. Obesity is planned, because the food is low quality, addictive in nature and un-nourishing. High fructose, color additives and all the rest of the crap the multi-nationals like Monsanto breed into our food leave us struggling for good nutrition.

It's criminal behavior by the corporations and the government condones it.

BOYCOTT THIS FOOD. BOYCOTT FAST FOODS. BOYCOTT HFC. BOYCOTT TYSON AND THE REST OF THEM. BOYCOTT ALL MONSANTO PRODUCTS: CORN, SOY, TOMATOES, CANOLA.

Learn to eat real food, you learn to cook.

[erniemesserschmidt]

06:42 PM on 05/20/2012

right on, hmargret. one could predict that people in a capitalist society would be unhealthy because they are preyed upon. they are not ends in themselves, but means for the wealthy to become wealthier. At the least, govt. needs to say "no, you will not feed people poison."

[tdlake5]

12:05 PM on 05/21/2012

Yes, you are right! We should boycott all the big food companies; they offer nothing but packaged poison sweetened by added sugar (the worst poison of all!) and promote their stuff with millions of ad dollars. Please read the book THAT'S NOT FOOD! And, yes too to your point that it is criminal behavior... maybe it isn't now, but it should be. Those big food companies are killing millions and millions of Americans with their products, like a slow drip poison.

[eugenivs]

04:56 PM on 05/20/2012

One problem in the USA are the “food disparaging” laws. Tell the truth about food or nutrition--and you could find yourself sued by the meat and dairy industry.

[tdlake5]

12:07 PM on 05/21/2012

Yes, you're right. It's so disgusting and yet frightening at the same time. I am outraged at the behavior of the meat and dairy industries, more bad behavior that is sanctioned by our government, a government that is completely in the control of the lobbies and agri-business. Keep spreading the word.

[eugenivs]

07:35 PM on 05/21/2012

They way things are, it is very hard to make the right choices. But it's possible.

[seehowtheyrun]

04:22 PM on 05/20/2012

Keep fighting the good fight, Jamie ! It's an uphill battle. I'm with you 100%.

[sbeccio]

04:00 PM on 05/20/2012

If you don't want your kids to eat junk food...don't buy it. This is not rocket science.

[tdlake5]

12:10 PM on 05/21/2012

Yes, but it's not just junk food. Read the labels on all packaged food and you will discover that Healthy Choice is NOT a healthy choice, that Nature Valley Granola Bars are NOT nature's best, and on and on. Almost all packaged food as added sugar. You need to see this truth and see that it's not just junk food that's bad, it's almost every package in the supermarket. Read THAT'S NOT FOOD! by Thomas Dunker and you'll learn a lot. A lot! I know I did.

[Missella]

11:13 AM on 05/20/2012

I grew up in the 1950s, when this penchant for non-food really picked up steam. Our parents responded to advertising that glorified convenience and promised a happy, comfortable, carefree life. Better living through chemistry! Twinkies that last 20 years! Chemicals that do double duty de-icing wings of 747s and preserving our food! Ground-up bugs for food coloring! Anal secretion from beavers that tastes like raspberries! There are now hundreds of unstudied and totally unregulated chemicals used in manufacturing and food and other products, one of which will become the next asbestos disaster. How does a much-needed reality check on this nonsense equate to food police taking away our freedoms? The i.gn.ora.nce out there is appalling.

[kapalabhati]

08:52 PM on 05/20/2012

Actually, the ground up bugs are whole foods. Not the same The de icing stuff? Not so much.

[Missella]

08:41 AM on 05/21/2012

Technically, you're right, of course. But I never bought a product labeled "bugs". Yet here they are.

[manniefaces]

09:27 AM on 05/20/2012

Profits /thread

[FromBeyondUrAnus]

07:37 AM on 05/20/2012

It's the way we have set up society. It's designed in a way to allow for laziness and overindulgence to take over. Hundreds of television channels on around the clock. Now tvs so large and images of such quality you don't even need to get off your butt to go to a movie theatre. Unlimited varieties of affordable foods loaded with sugar. How many different varieties of candy are there now compared to 10 years ago? About 1/3 of your average grocery store is dedicated to garbage foods. Top that off with a slew of modern careers that don't require you to walk about. We do it to ourselves plain and simple.

[sabelmouse]

06:43 AM on 05/20/2012

mandating food education would endanger profits ? that's why .

[missirish9]

01:47 AM on 05/20/2012

Americans have gotten lazy. Since the day tv dinners were introduced, it was all downhill. Mcdonalds and Burger King all took off around the same time, the 1950's. Ever since its been nothing but a race to produce fast meals. The stupidest thing in all of this is that in the time it takes you to cook tv dinners for your whole family, to run to McDonalds and bring it home, you could have just made a simple but delicious dinner with leftovers for lunch the next day.

It is pure laziness. It's complete nonsense to say we just lack the time.

[tdlake5]

12:13 PM on 05/21/2012

Yes, Americans have gotten lazy, but part of the problem is that they also have gotten only one side of the picture: they see billions of advertising dollars selling bad sugar-added food, foods like Healthy Choice (bogus name), and very little advertising to counter those messages. Advertising works, unfortunately only the big bad food companies are using it to put their messaging out there. Your point about the time it takes to swing through the drive-thru is excellent!

[JScott]

01:44 AM on 05/20/2012

Probably a good idea. For that matter, they should also teach household budgeting, media literacy and bring back citizenship as a class.