Ann Cooper: Reinventing the school lunch

[crudhousefull]

I thought she was going to lose steam, but she keeps going! Wow

[crudhousefull]

She's really well spoken. Real impressive that she gets up at 4am to do all this. How did we never hear about the diabetes statistics till now? That is incredible!

[stinabeib]

Damn, there are under 43.000 people that have watched this since 2008 and then there are around 200 million that have watched some Lady Gaga video in a year. That's just sad.

[SpaghettiMarinarable]

We have more prisoners than farmers and we spend more on the inmates than the kids in school...dang.

[Silenus6]

7,500$ a year to teach a child. Compare that to the 1.2 MILLION to keep a soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan. Yup.

[whiterchocolate]

well here is the secret . the schools dont want healthy kids!!!! they whant dumb placid sickly children. dumb so that they cant figure out school is b.s. . placid so they are easly controled and dont ask too many questions. sickly because then big pharma gets all the money selling them their diabeties medicine but i guess most people watching this already know this. anyways good luck everyone. dont forget about the mercury in the high fructose cornsyrup

[Farmgatefood]

Ann persuasively links diet to the poor health of children

[Farmgatefood]

40% of babies born in 2000 will have diabetes by age 17. Fixable with proper diet.

[TVjunkieutis]

This video needs to be on prime time TV, for those that needs a wake up call.

[fatheroflies]

The technology does NOT make food safer, more nutritious, or better for the environment. It makes it last longer and look homogenous, and so is more profitable. The pesticides and herbicides combined with the lack of genetic diversity and soil degradation is an upcoming environmental apocalypse. That link about organic food not being better a) doesn't account for the pesticides and things you absolutely ARE eating and b) doesn't really matter because organic standards are so fucking weak.

[CherylAngelclb]

@fatheroflies

the tech can make foods better, however, we currently are not using it to do so. if you can make it last longer then you can certainly make it more nutritious.

[evilferris]

I stand behind the info and her message BUT she sounds like the crazy cat-lady the lives in the house at the end of my street. Ranting, not exactly shrill but man, that's hard to listen to for 20 minutes. She's passionate and wants to inspire her audience with same but... The people that need to hear this message have already turned the channel. I'm sorry, Ann, for saying that and I really mean the best — it's not a 'dis'; 5 stars but is Johnny Depp is available to be our spokesperson.

[blah11blah]

Very direct, very informative, and very true. I am extremely ignorant on this issue ( and I sure I still am even after watching ms. Cooper ) but the health of our future generations should be a pertinent issue.

[Austinw8O]

I had an Extreme Burrito for lunch today. LOL!

[cmcil]

Enlightening video! I have been packing my daughters lunches for years for this very reason. She didn't touch on it but the beef comes from all over the world and is processed all together in one main plant and then distributed to all the schools. Meaning beef coming from countries that don't have any standards (sick cattle). We SHOULD be ashamed of ourselves as the richest country in the world and treating our next generation worse than our cats and dogs.

[Krazeel]

Very cool. It's amazing how unimportant has become useful knowledge about how to properly do one of our 3 vital functions. When you choose artificially prepared food, you're basically doing the same as exercise with a wii fit. Next we're gonna get robots to help us get off the bed and into a chair.

[betapi3]

Loved it, by the second year at college I was 240 pounds and 40% body fat... Now I'm 165 and 24 years old.. 165 was also how much I weighed in when I was in 6 grade... My mom has two type diabetes and uses insulin daily, my parents combine incomes is less than 40k a year, unfortunately this is the case for many here in CA.. Food is not a priority when making ends meet is first in the list...remember you are what you eat..Go Cal Bears!

[NrKoo]

there is really nothing wrong with current eating habits, it's because of genes that people are obese, because normal people have systems in their body that gets rid of fat.

this woman should really think what she says becaouse she is making herself look dumb.

[BullshipDetector]

NR nonsense idiot. Bodies fed food that make you obese, will get obese.

The average american in 45lbs heavier than they were 100 years ago. Do you think our fucking genes changed that much?

Idiot.

[rs40licks1]

That is absolutely false. The explosion of obesity has been directly tied to crop subsidies, and faulty nutrition science. Read the book In Defense of Food. The empirical evidence is overwhelming against your assumption.

[redcommand85]

@rs40licks1 especially with corn which has made high fructose corn syrup production unbelievably cheap, which has such a high sugar concentration, that it really should be considered a toxin.

[croniky]

Just make every day TACO DAY and everyone will be happy! =)

[TheHoiPolloysNewToy]

Look up your local farmer's market. It's lovely. You support the local agriculture and they pride themselves on cultivating organic produce. There are loads of cooking classes in most every area, it can be a romantic pursuit. Bring a loved one and learn how to cook healthily in a traditionally fun environment. Health is a lifestyle choice. As Mary Poppin's said, In every job that must be done there is an element of fun, find the fun and snap, the job's a game!

[vladimirgrozdanic]

govnari smrdljivi...

[tjcheem]

search "tjcheeem" wath the foosball vid and comment on it, u will be immpresed!!!!!!

[ddavefl]

Liberals have been in control of school lunch`s for 30 years! if they have to much junk food look around people its the Democrats fault FACE THE FACTS !!!!

[Solarsonic888]

;p;

[MRBKNUMBER1]

not to be mean but they put all those chemicals in that food because their are too many people in the world,de population is in play

[ytwatchpagetester]

good

[ytwatchpagetester]

good

[wutang3133]

ljn

[methodistgirl]

She is so right.  Even back in the 70s

when I was in school, not to mention

my age. All of the time I was in school

from the 60s through 70s was nothing

but junk and I live in Kentucky.

methodistgirl

[murlocman979]

I hate all of you government workers who are obsessed with feeding me and my friends "healthy and nutritional food." Come on this is america its about choice. Give us vending machines it wont hurt. I hope all you commies realize that the meat they serve at our school doesnt meet the quality standards of KFC and Wendys...Ouch thats a tough fact.

[Markohoppis]

YOU'LL EAT IT, AND YOU'LL LIKE IT, YOU UNGRATEFUL FAT SHIT!

—Principal Belding

[MrYouHaveNoClue]

Couldn't of said it better..these people are sad. But you could look at it another way, if they didn't try to make the food better then some parents would complain about the schools not serving healthy foods, and that their kids are getting fat because of it. Its a lose lose situation.

[atarijen]

Of course it is about choice! And we DON'T HAVE ONE!!!! I have to pack every day because there is nothing suitable for my kids to eat at school. A choice would offer healthy and a smaller selection of snacks.

[KatrinaMonika]

go her!

[ErichoTTA]

Have you seen the sizes of the burgers they serve in schools?  I love this lady.

[Contradiction11]

Excellent. Children are the people of the future.

[Broyale26]

@Contradiction11

Thats deep.

[mrzack888]

don't take the vaccine shots

[BruceFenton]

Outstanding

[polghirstenskoetter]

I like her cause, but I had to stop watching after five minutes. I just can't bear her voice anymore

[griskrossaren]

same here.. : [

[HarlanLovestone]

Gimme a break. Yeah, she's a bit hyper , loud , and intense, but I think thats because she is passionate about her cause. Shes a pretty good speaker , I've heard much much worst. She's right on about nutrition and listening to her for 20 minutes is not gonna hurt. She's a lot better than watching tmz.

[hoomelemele]

so iis this to be another function of government?

[KrisL418]

umm strawberries don't grow in the ground lol

[Terrabithian]

Parents need to wake up about what they are feeding their kids!!!

[Hewhosmokeswomen]

This lady talks too loud. Like WAY too loud, like she's scolding the audience.

[isabellalulu]

right on Ann Cooper!

[popitypop]

she also talked about diabetes, and said 1in2 african americans(minorities), 1in3 caucasians(bulk of population), most of which will contract the problem before high school, and concluded that 45% of the children will be a health burden to the society? wtf? i dunno bout her, but tht definitely does not add up right..

[popitypop]

i think she got her data wrong.. how cn a country spend 35000 dolars on one prisoner per year? thts nearly 3thousand a month... thts good salary for a graduate.. thts basically bulshit.. furthermore u cant compare sustaining a life, with sustaining a mere meal... u might spend 10 dollars on a meal, but to sustain a life, u need to pay for water, lodging, services, blah blah blah, as well as the meal.. bad example..

[HarlanLovestone]

$35 k sounds a bit high but maybe that's the cost in california. Anyway she is not that far off. I know for a fact It costs roughly $6000 a year to educate a student in school and that we pay much more to house prisoners. From what I have researched the lowest average yearly cost to house a prisoner is around $20,000 a year. Look it up online.

[HarlanLovestone]

Also, I have heard the term $6000 to educate, $60,000 to incarcerate! Bill Cosby says we spend a little less than $5000 a year on each studnt and $33,000 a year to incarcerate a juvanile or criminal , being a doctor. of education he should know.

[ghuegel]

In California in '08-'09 the figure's $47,000 (google: prison cost per inmate california). Other states generally lower.  It could be cheaper, but that is where we are now.

[queenkyoko]

errrrr

[annie9491]

This is HUGELY affecting the health of our nation. We only need look around at how overweight we are, children and adults alive ... and how common high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and even cancer are, all diseases that can be linked to a poor diet.

[popitypop]

over exagerated man.. so many fat people still live today.. is that bad? thts nt exactly determinable.. if im happy and im fat, or im happy that im fat(nt that im fat)... i dun c whats wrong with tt..? and the part about being unhealthy and nt being able to think?? thts complete bulshit.. open ur ears and eyes and listen to reality, pick up information that is relavant and most probably true, rather take these advertisements and big talks for real at face value.. be critical plz..

[asininityy]

stfu fatty lololol

[descendantofmankind]

The big issue with the antibiotics is that disease strains have more chances to mutate and become resistant to them, so they no longer work when we need them.

[sef789]

1) You do not eat 5lbs of pesticides per person per year. They are biodegraded and metabolized in the biosphere. A nutritionist should understand that.

2) Organic is a pure bullsh*t fad. Food should incorporate any technology that will make it safer, more nutritious, or better for the environment; artificial or not.

3) There IS a strawberry tree, Arbutus unedo.

4) Processing bad, gardening good.

Remove the occasional crazy part and she would be a true visionary.

[TatalVost]

BBC NEWS | UK | 'No proof' organic food is better

True!

"Organic food" is junk religion.

[gold0range]

it's better for the environment

[DracoXul]

Despite its name, the strawberry tree does not produce strawberries.

[sef789]

Yes, and the sweet potato does not produce potatoes, the ground cherry does not produce cherries and the may apple does not produce apples; it doesn't even fruit in may. I was pointing out her repeated lack of correct details. After picking wild Canadian Fragaria and growing heritage varieties I hesitate to call the supermarket clamshell things strawberries.

[psycropticunt]

Our school tried to make a change by making junk food at the canteen more expensive...the thing that happened was they made more money!

[GlobellePrize]

I had nachos (the kind with the fake vegetable oil cheese)almost everyday for lunch in high school. And a Coke. I don't even recall our school ever serving any fresh vegetables. How wack is that?

[lirothen]

as swyft187 said...

Ever wonder why they don't teach you to be self-sufficient and independent of government in schools?

[Punniabi]

I enjoyed the school meals the pizzas and burgers were good

[overthebeesnest]

Seriously!! 5 lbs. of crap (pesticides) that each American consumes every year! That is disgusting. Wake up America...

[TatalVost]

The lady does shit math.

[stevespielberg]

I eat chemicals all the time.

[swyft187]

Ever wonder why they don't teach you to be self-sufficient and independent of government in schools?

[C0ldhead]

I think you should send them to school, its good to learn about other people, but also the school system needs adjustance, ill agree on that

[UnhealthySalad]

Meh, could care less about school lunches... I never ate that crap, I wouldn't want my children, if I were to ever have any, to eat it either (I'd probably be homeschooling them so it wouldn't really matter anyway).

[ForceUser]

I just want school food that tastes good for once.

[C0ldhead]

and good for you too, right?

[ahda81]

we should really teach our kids to be semi-vegetarians, otherwise we would posion the younger generations to death. So school lunch much be reformed

[TatalVost]

All omnivores are semi-vegetarian. Where was the last time you ate a whole sheep?

[CheezMonsterCrazy]

Its true that school lunches have about the nutritional value of a bucket of lard, and they taste about the same too. ;)

I can't say that everything this lady says is accurate, but she has a good point. School lunches (as well as most kid's diets at home) are full of unhealthy crap, and that IS extremely bad for our overall academic performance. And explains why I get stuck behind people who take up half the hallway themselves on my way to geometry....

[c6gunner]

It became apparent within the first 2 minutes that this woman is a total idiot.

[arabidopsissb]

This is totally anti-sciecnes. Without fertilizer and pestisides, there won't be modern agriculture. What we should do is to develop "good" and "environmental friendly" compounds instead of using those old chemicals.

[C0ldhead]

No, this really is not the work of science, science resceach stuff, but these old chemicals as you say, and i think i know what your talking about, these chemicals are cheapest, so the big bully really is capitalisem...

[rippedwrangler]

I went to public school in the 60's and 70's and the school lunches were fantastic. Then the nutritionists got involved and by the time my kids were in school the food tasted like crap. The salad bars they've put in recently are a big improvement on some of the lousy stuff they've been serving.

[rippedwrangler]

Geez, that lady is intense. She needs to take a tranquilizer or something.

[ratholin]

hellz yeah in the immortal words of adam sandler. Respect for the lunch lady!

[bitspersecond2006]

I had a neighbor that worked for a major industrial food company. They made spices and other things as well as doing research. He was head of one of the research divisions and had a contract with one of the major chip manufacturers. The contract was to research ways to hide the rancid taste of the chip after it had passed it's shelf life to extend how long it could stay on the shelf. After having a child, he admitted how he felt guilty and that he was poisoning kids. This was in 2005.

[cnapoli]

She lost me at DDT.

[takerdust]

Great, hope a lot of those people clapping would be ok with a 10% increase on their property taxes

[roidroid]

what she said about how we pay more for babysitting than we do for education is really interesting.

It makes me wonder if we should be combining the two together - like the "governesses" or "tutors" that used to be so much more common. We could pay them more than $5/hour/child, even more than $15/hour.

Indeed it's not uncommon these days for social critics to suggest that school is really nothing more than industrialized daycare - keeping kids OUTOF THE WAY so society can function better.

[roidroid]

at 14mins she says we spend less than $5/hour/kid on education, compared to $10-$15/hour on babysitting. But isn't this ignoring economies of scale?

Do we pay a babysitter $10/hour to take care of one kid, and 20/hour to take care of 2 kids?

[stephenetienne]

I agree with everything she said, but I know that she is going to turn off almost every single person involved in solving this problem because she is literally "a screaming liberal". She can be a screaming liberal at TED, but it won't work at the FDA, The Dairy Counsil, and on and on and on.

[cromicus]

Anything that starts off with "social justice" is bound to be bad. This is the most uninformative and unscientific TED lecture I've seen.

[calumlittle]

Thats just Jaimie oliver putting on a funny voice.

[Arudoloff]

So very true!

[cryodragoon]

I agree with what she says.

I do think the way she talks is extremely irritating, though.

[gspahr]

Yup, agreed.

[kurtilein3]

the figure about how much pesticides we eat is wrong, or at least distorted to the point where you can call it wrong.

not all pesticides used in agriculture end up being eaten.

but i agree with her general message, children should get used to real food, like fresh tomatoes and potatoes, fruits, carrots and stuff like that.

[SaintCog]

Good presentation... a bit Preachey, would have been interesting to hear some stories about how she makes a difference in the schools she works for.

[Francebrasil]

Obese nation.. Stand-up, if you still manage it....

[petfoodonly]

This woman is an idiot.

- Strawberries don't grow in the ground like carrots.

- There is nothing wrong with eating in front of the computer.

- When you take antibiotics they break down, they don't magically appear in your flesh.

- Washing food removes pesticides.

- Organic farming is inefficient and has larger carbon footprints.

- There is no reason healthy food can't come in packets.

- Not all sickness is caused by food consumption

etc etc etc

[petfoodonly]

- If everyone ate organic food billions of humans would die because we could no longer produce enough.

- Food is a commodity, it just is. What else could it be? Are you advocating food not being in the market economy? Is this communism?

- Something in the food supply is different to something in the food.

- It's good that we have few farmers, it means more labour free to do other things.

- Paying little to feed children doesn't make them criminals.

[akylae101]

-Doing something else while eating distracts from the full feeling, people overeat, leading to obesity and related illnesses.

-Taking tiny doses of antibiotics over a long time makes bacteria immune, the antibiotic becomes ineffective when you need it.

-Washing food removes surface pesticides, not ones already absorbed.

-Processed food must come packed, unprocessed doesn't, processed is usually less healthy.

-Bad food will aggravate any sickens.

Prijatno! (May it be tasty/healthy to you) :)

[petfoodonly]

If I can learn or work while I eat, I can spend more time making the world a better place. That's not bad. I just have to start with the right portion size. Be smart, not draconian.

She didn't say bacterial immunity. She said the kids eat the antibiotics. Which is wrong.

Does food absorb pesticides? Even if she does, she quoted a incorrect figure of 'how much pesticide we eat'

Processed food can be healthy - humans are smart, we can figure that out!

Bad food doesn't aggravate skin cancer etc

[akylae101]

Gauging portions is easier when paying attention to stomach instead of a sitcom. Productivity is another matter.

She meant bacterial immunity, she mentioned E.Coli resistance.

Organisms absorb whatever's in the environment, don't know amounts.

Good immunity decreases chance of getting cancer, it depends on food.

Food is a commodity, should be made by few & should be in the market, processing food screws up most of it. Her's is an appeal to astute consumption & good parenting.

Prijatno! :)

[petfoodonly]

I'm pretty sure I can gauge portion size at the same time as watching TED talks, I submit my 6pack as evidence :)

I think she meant both bacterial immunity and the kids eating it. I'll give her 50%.

I really don't think diet affects your chances of getting skin cancer... or HIV. I'm sure there are illnesses 100% unrelated to food. The Bends? lol

I insist that there is no reason processed food must be unhealthy.

[akylae101]

Thus we meet half way.

Prijatno. :)

[petfoodonly]

I'm happy with meeting half way, because half wrong is still wrong ;)

[akylae101]

How 'bout half a burger?

[atarijen]

Actually diet has A LOT to do with cancer. You can also reverse cancer with an extremely healthy diet. Sugar feeds cancer.

[irelevent127]

Sugar is good for short term. Meat and Vegetables good for long term.

[atarijen]

FALSE. Sugar in the form of fruits and vegetables in good, but regular sugar (organic or not) ages and harms the body. One spoon of sugar shuts down the immune system for 3 hours!

[sef789]

DAMN RIGHT about organic farming.

The antibiotic thing is a bit more complex. Most drugs are designed to resist breakdown and are absorbed whole and excreted intact by humans. Cattle are fed antibiotics like monensin A, which is actually fed to the gut microbes and not absorbed by the cow in any meaningful way.

The woman is a fool, trying to oversimplify the issue by invoking organic and local. She is trying to put a round pin in a square hole.

[TatalVost]

What about organic farming? :

BBC NEWS | UK | 'No proof' organic food is better

[CBGB42]

Well, what about the antibiotics? If we eat those, we make anti-biotic resistant bacteria much faster.

[Mrmoc7]

According to this woman, my mom, my dad, and I need therapy for allowing my 9 yr old brother to eat noodles every morning before goes to school.

Well, maybe the above was uncalled for, but she does make some pretty damn good points.

[MisterGibs]

Pretty good sbject matter. There is one thing, though, I think somebody should have pointed out to Ms. Cooper before she started; that a microphone means that she doesn't have to yell.

Twenty minutes of trying to listen to her points as she screams them at me over my computer.

[roidroid]

Yeah i think that was the crux of the problem. She's in a lecture hall and forgets she has a mic, so she's talking in her loud "lecture hall" voice.

[igorz]

That was pretty poor. She admonishes the USDA a lot, but she never really gets into how to make her system sustainable, or what her system really is!

If I may also add, we are nowhere near "peak oil", that was a silly thing to say.

[kurtilein3]

igorz: peak oil is probarbly right now, or maybe its another 2-3 years away.

if you look at individual nations, almost all nations that have oil already had their peak production of oil. a little homework for you: find out when the united states peak production of oil was.

[igorz]

Not even close. Not even 100 years. Most nations choose not to drill at full capacity, but the actual supply of oil won't run out any time soon. That's a fact, look it up. If it came down to it, the United States has two billion tons of shale oil beneath the rockies. For the time being, it is economically cheaper to import.

[Cwhambone]

Agreed. It was silly on her part. However, action should be done to find cleaner burning fuels anyways.

[igorz]

No doubt.

[kurtilein3]

igorz: unfortunately, you are wrong. oil for another 100 years would be nice, but it would be mathematically impossible.

peak oil doesnt mean that we run out of oil, peak oil is the name for that point in time when the oil production has its maximum, and after that point in time, production will continue to DECREASE. after peak oil, oil prices would continue to rise, and production would continually decrease.

please watch this: watch?v=F-QA2rkpBSY <--- explains exponential growth

[igorz]

I know what peak oil means, and I know what exponential growth is (not that this has anything to do with that), but you're wrong. It's a common myth, but you're wrong. So stop it.

[nestorrfortuna]

i respect health advice from a lady wearing an apron...but...she makes lots of claims based on what she believes happens...

we do not ingest that many pesticides per person, mutch of it gets washed, that is only one observation, she assumes lots more that is not true.

[nicanicabad]

I agree-and my 'beef' here is the lack of responsiblity of parents-to pay for and make lunch- Many things here are assumed-you are so correct.

[c15688]

That was pretty emotive actually! That was great and it is totally true.

[marthale7]

I like the idea of having the food from locally, I don't like the idea of government taxing us more to pay for the lunch. I believe kids should have healthy options as well as corndogs :) Salad is very good idea, but should not be forced if it is not accepted.

[hellgas0]

But should kids be allowed to make that decision, and is that decision really their own when you have companies like McDonalds and Burger King hiring child psychologists to figure out how to best entice children into consuming their products. Don't get me wrong, I love a good burger from a fast food joint every once in a while, but I don't think this debate is as simple as you put it.

[roidroid]

If given the choice of Cocaine or Multivitamins, a child would choose the Cocaine.

Likewise every child will choose the Corndogs over Salad, at the expense of their health.

[takerdust]

If you provide a decent salad bar, you would be proven wrong

[atarijen]

School offering healthy lunches in bulk costs me A LOT less money than making lunches for my kids every day.

[uncontrolledmedia]

TED Talks are great. This one hits very hard on what we are to believe is education in this country. We are making our children sick with what we feed them and what we do not teach them about nutrition. But it raises the larger question of just what do the teachers know and what do the universities teach in their advanced degrees. Education in this country is a combination of industrial training and obedience school.

[disposablebook2]

Slow it down. Allow folk to fully take in the essential points. Apart from that, your message seems to be entirely apposite.

[dastrman2]

lol first

[dastrman2]

first

[pookiehohn]

That was pretty good!