The series ended last Friday with a whimper not a bang. As seemed obvious from the beginning, nothing was really resolved and only time will tell if the Food Revolution will take hold in Huntington. Jamie Oliver was able to secure about $130k of financing (from the local hospital group) to keep the kitchen and school lunch programs going after his departure, so that's at least encouraging.

Of course, we audience members were also victims of selective and vague reality-tv-editing, as certain issues were (intentionally?) left as mysteries. Processed food -- a good deal of it -- was still present in the school system's freezers and it was unclear exactly why it was still there or why another contract for it had been signed through 2011. In order to get rid of it, a plan for "Processed Food Fridays" had been initiated. Some parents were unhappy about this but we'll never know if it was a meaningful percentage of them that were upset. Nor will we ever understand why the new contract for crappy processed food had been signed. Rhonda, the foodservice manager, whined about the food being so cheap, which I took to mean that she personally signed the contract for 2011 because she couldn't resist buying the cheap food. But it was never made clear. Maybe some foodservice elves came in and signed the contract. The show had painted Rhonda as a converted "good guy" and maybe making it clear that she was personally responsible for re-upping for another year would have shown her in a much less positive light and indicated the relative failure of Oliver's efforts. In any event, this very finite aspect was left dangling, which indicated a severe and not-very-surprising lack of respect for the audience.

Overall, I liked a lot about the program. I admire J.O. for his difficult efforts and it was great seeing supremely important issues brought to light in a network tv arena. It was also encouraging to see some instances when Jamie's efforts actually took hold and had a positive effect/influence on people. I don't know what the long term effects will be -- if any -- or if J.O.'s effort will make a significant dent but I admire the guy for trying. If we don't start feeding our children more healthfully, we're going to pay for it dearly down the road. The bottom line is that regardless of who the messenger is, the message itself seems inarguable to me and I applaud Jamie Oliver for trying to deliver it.

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I won't really comment as to the provenance of this article, but let's just say that somebody I have come into contact with sent it to me, and with whom I often disagree: Sugar-coated: Jamie Oliver’s ‘Food Revolution’ Is Camera-Ready

Of course, I kind of agree with the article (and no, I didn't watch the program - actually largely for that reason; I think it's a gross oversimplification of the issue) - while still disagreeing strongly with the people who believe that school lunch can't change. We can do better with what we've got. The most interesting point of the article - the point that I think was foremost in the mind of the person who sent it to me - is that the good food was removed from the menu because it was so unpopular. THAT is what the problem is with school lunch - not underfunding, not bad processed foods - but that children are driving the schoolbus. OF COURSE they are going to make poor food choices if the adults in charge allow it!

That being said, a good half the problem, possibly more, is food education - and what better way to accomplish that than with a splashy reality TV show? I'm guessing an awful lot more kids are able to identify a tomato now that it's aired, and that is a good thing, so kudos to Jamie Oliver for doing it!

Mhays in a comment on the above article, in case they don't publish it, wrote:While I agree that the Jamie Oliver program is a puff piece designed to highlight a problem and not necessarily solve it, it doesn't remove the blame from the school lunch system. I found this line in your article particularly telling: "... the school has reintroduced the regular school menu and flavored milk because the “Food Revolution” meals were so unpopular."

Should we also allow children to drive the bus to school? Of course they prefer salty or sugary foods to wholesome food! (There is no restriction on sugar under NSLP, and salt is tracked but not restricted.) They are KIDS - they like comic books better than literature, and video games better than arithmatic! It is our responsibility as adults to engage them in learning to make the right choices, and healthy eating is something school lunch programs should be teaching by example.

The remainder of this article is the standard response of school nutritionists everywhere: it's the media's fault, it's the government's fault, it's the parent's fault. The fact remains - school lunch is using ever-scarcer tax dollars (which come out of not only your and my pocket, but also the pockets of the underpriviledged who desperately need nutrition support) to subsidize NUTRITION and right now that is not what this money is doing. I am sorry that nutritionists feel put-upon, but this system needs to change, and it needs to change at a grassroots level. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act is a good start - but the schools can voluntarily restrict sugar and salt to meet the new AHA guidelines, and can find inexpensive ways to increase vegetables, whole grains, and fruit.

Hi- I really liked the program, but I heard that the last episode was beat in the ratings by both Dateline and Medium

I wonder if Jamie won't come back next season, and try to help out another town, because on his website, the Huntington project was referred to as the first season.

Jamie is looking for more people to sign the food revolution petition on his website. Right now he has 582,000 signatures, but he is hoping for one million signatures, which he will then take to Washington D.C. FYI-He does ask for your email address, but I have only gotten one email from them so far, just thanking me for my signature. You can opt out of getting more info. Jamie's website is:
http://www.jamieoliver.com/campaigns/jamies-food-revolution/petition

Fwiw, this show won the Emmy Award for Best Reality Program, which was announced at last night's Creative Arts Emmy Awards presentation . . .

The Herald-Dispatch wrote:"Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution" won an Emmy for Outstanding Reality Program on Saturday night in Los Angeles.

The show received the award at the Creative Arts Emmys, which are held a week before the Emmy broadcast, which is on Sunday, Aug. 29, on NBC.

The Emmy goes to the show's nine producers, including Oliver and Ryan Seacrest, known for his hosting duties on "American Idol."

'Food Revolution' wins Emmy for Outstanding Reality Program

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Jamie is running into trouble getting the second season off the ground:
http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/4 ... hools-test

Darren72 wrote:Jamie is running into trouble getting the second season off the ground:
http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/4 ... hools-test

I've been following this story for a couple weeks and have to say that I love the school's position on the matter . . . help us if you want but we're not going to let you turn it into an exploitative dog and pony show. It certainly cuts to the core of his true intentions.

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If you look at the other side of it though--his "job" is tv chef/cook/activist--kind of hard to do that job without the cameras. And I'm sure he would argue that the cameras are there to illuminate the issue for other kids/parents/educators/administators--it wouldn't be possible for him to fix schools individually and have any significant impact.

Not saying he doesn't have other motives but bringing the problem and possible solutions, no matter how "reality-show-oriented", does have value. And I'm equally certain that no school or community enjoys seeing their flaws highlighted for the viewing public to comment upon. After season 1, you had to think it was going to be difficult for them to get another test subject. Sad because even with the hokiness and camera-based drama, the intent seemed genuinely good, if not entirely practical.

ronnie_suburban wrote:

Darren72 wrote:Jamie is running into trouble getting the second season off the ground:
http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/4 ... hools-test

I've been following this story for a couple weeks and have to say that I love the school's position on the matter . . . help us if you want but we're not going to let you turn it into an exploitative dog and pony show. It certainly cuts to the core of his true intentions.

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I'm with boudreaulicious, in that the existence of the show may be directly tied to Oliver's methods for accomplishing the goals of making healthier school lunches and changing attitudes and habits.

I wasn't a big fan of the show from an entertainment standpoint, but one aspect I appreciated was that he focused not just on the schools but on the community as a whole. Increasing community awareness and creating advocacy infrastructure is vital to ensuring lasting change--with all the talk of national programs, schools are still essentially local, after all. Change the attitude of the community and you are much more likely to change the policy of the school. All this to say--maybe the "dog and pony show" is integral to obtaining the resources necessary to build that community base.

I got the impression that the school absorbed some or most of the initial costs of the changes that went on within its own building, but he also built a community center that could provide culinary training, nutrition education, and other related programming. Who paid for that? I vaguely remember a fundraising dinner cooked by some students, but the money raised there can't have gone too far. Did he partner with a local or national nonprofit? I'm not trying to be snide, I'm genuinely curious. I had assumed it was the production company. If that's the case, I can see his reluctance to take LAUSD on their offer to come in and do the changes with no funding plan for extended community outreach or visibility for his brand or production company.

Looking upthread for clues I found this

ronnie_suburban wrote:Jamie Oliver was able to secure about $130k of financing (from the local hospital group) to keep the kitchen and school lunch programs going after his departure, so that's at least encouraging.

With both fundraising and grantmaking so tight right now, I think it's exponentially more likely that an organization or foundation would take part in a campaign that was on TV as opposed to one that was not. Or corporate sponsors. Especially corporate sponsors, since the relationship between product placement and positive-life-changes-reality-tv is annoyingly obvious in shows like Biggest Loser and Extreme Home Makeover.

I don't fault LAUSD for their concerns, but I also can't fault Jamie Oliver for wanting to build it into a show. I have to think there must be a middle ground. Work with the school to establish guidelines and identify their most pressing concerns. Give them some oversight. If nothing else, maybe find a school and community that actually wants to work with you. Must be at least one out there. Once you have a success story under your belt (and what great tv success stories make!), I would imagine it would be easier to replicate.

skess wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:

Darren72 wrote:Jamie is running into trouble getting the second season off the ground:
http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/4 ... hools-test

I've been following this story for a couple weeks and have to say that I love the school's position on the matter . . . help us if you want but we're not going to let you turn it into an exploitative dog and pony show. It certainly cuts to the core of his true intentions.

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I'm with boudreaulicious, in that the existence of the show may be directly tied to Oliver's methods for accomplishing the goals of making healthier school lunches and changing attitudes and habits.

I wasn't a big fan of the show from an entertainment standpoint, but one aspect I appreciated was that he focused not just on the schools but on the community as a whole. Increasing community awareness and creating advocacy infrastructure is vital to ensuring lasting change--with all the talk of national programs, schools are still essentially local, after all. Change the attitude of the community and you are much more likely to change the policy of the school. All this to say--maybe the "dog and pony show" is integral to obtaining the resources necessary to build that community base.

I got the impression that the school absorbed some or most of the initial costs of the changes that went on within its own building, but he also built a community center that could provide culinary training, nutrition education, and other related programming. Who paid for that? I vaguely remember a fundraising dinner cooked by some students, but the money raised there can't have gone too far. Did he partner with a local or national nonprofit? I'm not trying to be snide, I'm genuinely curious. I had assumed it was the production company. If that's the case, I can see his reluctance to take LAUSD on their offer to come in and do the changes with no funding plan for extended community outreach or visibility for his brand or production company.

Looking upthread for clues I found this

ronnie_suburban wrote:Jamie Oliver was able to secure about $130k of financing (from the local hospital group) to keep the kitchen and school lunch programs going after his departure, so that's at least encouraging.

With both fundraising and grantmaking so tight right now, I think it's exponentially more likely that an organization or foundation would take part in a campaign that was on TV as opposed to one that was not. Or corporate sponsors. Especially corporate sponsors, since the relationship between product placement and positive-life-changes-reality-tv is annoyingly obvious in shows like Biggest Loser and Extreme Home Makeover.

I don't fault LAUSD for their concerns, but I also can't fault Jamie Oliver for wanting to build it into a show. I have to think there must be a middle ground. Work with the school to establish guidelines and identify their most pressing concerns. Give them some oversight. If nothing else, maybe find a school and community that actually wants to work with you. Must be at least one out there. Once you have a success story under your belt (and what great tv success stories make!), I would imagine it would be easier to replicate.

Good points. I especially agree about obtaining financial support -- much easier to do when those kicking in the money are getting some good PR for it. I'm just getting very fed up with reality tv in general, which was the sentiment that mainly fueled my comments above. I've been a fan of Oliver's efforts for a while and wish him the best. In the end, he's doing a lot of good work; work that so few others are even willing to admit needs doing.

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From a 5/4/11 news item--to be replaced by more Dancing with the Stars coverage :

ABC Shelves 'Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution'
It's been a turbulent year so far for chef and healthy eating crusader Jamie Oliver. He may have recently won a battle in his war against unhealthy school cafeteria food, but it's been announced that ABC is benching his 'Food Revolution' during the all-important May Sweeps.

According to Deadline, Oliver's show has been pulled because of falling ratings.... New episodes of 'Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution' will reportedly return to screens June 9, in the Friday night at 9PM ET time slot.

The series follows British chef Oliver as he tries to change eating habits for the better and promote healthier options in school lunch programs in a U.S. city. The first season of 'Food Revolution,' in which Oliver tackled food-related problems in Huntington, West Virginia launched to respectable ratings in 2010, and it won an Emmy for Oustanding Reality Program.

The series moved on to the much bigger target of Los Angeles for Season 2, and Oliver and ABC found themselves with a huge battle on their hands when the Los Angeles school board initially banned their cameras from schools. The ongoing confrontations between Oliver and the school board has remained a predominant theme this season.

Last month Oliver's camp were in celebratory mood after the L.A. school board announced it was banning flavored milk from school lunch menus. However, that may not be enough to save the series from the ax if ratings don't improve.

Once was certainly enough for me. I watched the entire first season but never even considered checking out the second.

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Wait . . . it lives!!

Pulled from ABC’s schedule, Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution will return this summer

at RealityBlurred.com, Andy Dehnart wrote:However, the show will return in June, and will return to Friday nights, where it was broadcast during its first season. ABC will re-air the first two episodes on May 27, and new episodes will begin June 3, The Futon Critic reports.

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