The New York City schools are converting junk-food-loving children one soybean at a time. Jorge Leon Collazo, executive chef of SchoolFood, which provides 860,000 breakfasts and lunches per day to Big Apple public school students, has introduced nutritious, flavorful options into the district's cafeterias. But the transition hasn't been a bowl of cherries. "Some see it as welfare food," says Collazo. "And that's something we're chipping away at." How? By providing "incentives," such as iPods and bicycles, for kids who "choose" a Garden Burger over a hamburger. "We want to make it cool for kids to eat the food they serve in school," says David Berkowitz, SchoolFood's executive director. Gadfly, a creature with impeccable tastes (see here), applauds the effort; but will "collards and chick peas" ever replace French fries—door prizes notwithstanding? We'll have to chew on that one.
"Brain Food," by Evantheia Schibsted, Edutopia, December 5, 2005