American School Kids Trash Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

It was Jamie Oliver’s toughest challenge... getting US youngsters to ditch junk food and eat a healthier diet.

But six months after he convinced an LA school to swap fattening burgers for low-calorie salads, his revamped menu is – literally – being binned.

Hundreds of students at West Adams Preparatory High School, where his hit show Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution was filmed, are refusing to eat his cuisine.

Instead, bins are overflowing with the TV chef’s veg curries, quinoa salads, Thai noodles and wheatbread burgers.

Anna Redd, a cookery teacher at the school, where a shocking half of the students are overweight, revealed: “Things were positive at the start but now kids have made it clear to us, ‘This is not what we want.’

“Rather than eat the food that is provided in the canteen, they just throw it away.

“It is so sad to see, because now we have trash cans full of tomatoes, lettuce, broccoli and other vegetables.

“The school wants to bring in changes but the kids just have bad eating habits – and there is not much we can do about it.

“They eat junk food at home and so they expect to eat junk food at school too.

“I don’t know if it is a food addiction but I think it is wrong to blame the school district.

“These things have to start at home. If the parents are giving their kids junk food, how can we expect them to eat healthily at school?”

She said pupils at the school had been keen to take part in the scheme when Jamie was there, but as soon as he left they slipped back into their old eating habits.

Ms Redd added that the chef has been sending monthly boxes of vegetables to help obese diabetes sufferer Sophia Ruvalcaba – but she has not lost any weight since featuring on the programme.

More than three million Americans tuned in to see Jamie’s Food Revolution when it was screened last year.

He faced battles with Ramon Cortines, the superintendent of the Los Angeles United School District, who banned him from the city’s schools. Jamie had his filming permit ripped up and got so upset that he broke down in tears as he begged parents to help him.

He eventually found a loophole which let him into West Adams school. And soon afterwards a ban on junk food and milkshakes was announced.

Jamie set about working with local chefs to introduce radical changes to the lunch menu. But now many of Jamie’s meals are being thrown away before they are even opened and piles of unopened milk cartons are building up.

News of the failure of Jamie’s LA effort comes days after he was hailed for winning a battle against US fast-food giant McDonald’s.

After learning that ammonium hydroxide was being used by the chain to convert fatty beef offcuts into a beef filler for burgers in America, he denounced the “pink slime”. McDonald’s has now ditched the method.

A spokesman for Jamie said he was aware of the challenges at West Adams school and his team was talking to officials there to try to improve the situation.

I wouldn’t believe either Wikipedia or Jamie Oliver in this regard. As you’ve found out yourself, with a little research, Jamie cooks in the nude. I know this from years of watching British tv in both London and New York. He distanced himself from the title after he got so full of himself and his food nazi ways and the infamous burning incident.

He also has a ridiculous habit of not looking into the camera when he talks hence my reference to him being wall-eyed. He talks to his producer off camera which produces the weirdest disconnect with his viewers. But he’s Jamie Oliver so he gets to do what he wants.

Personally, give me Nigella Lawson any day!

We've got thousands of 'cooks' in the LA district, and the truth is, they just don't cook.

When I was in elementry schoolmany tyears ago when had a bunch of old woman who cooked our lunches. Yes they opened the food out of cans and the hamburgers weren;t grade a #1 but the food was tasty and some of it wa great.(chili day was not to be missed and cinnamin buns were delicious. So so was the bread. They knew HOW TO COOK FOOD, not just reheat the crap. Unforortunately the food served in junior high and high school was crap warmed over. Nowadays I can just passed through the school and retch at the smell of what they are serving kids now.

We've got thousands of 'cooks' in the LA district, and the truth is, they just don't cook.

When I was in elementary school many years ago when had a bunch of little old ladies, most of them grannies or aunts no doubt, who cooked our lunches. Yes they opened the food out of cans and the hamburgers were't Grade A#1 but the food was tasty and some of it was great.(chili day was not to be missed and the Cinnamon buns were delicious. So so was the bread. Hot, moist and melt in your mouth good. Mmmmmmmm!!!

these little old ladies knew HOW TO COOK FOOD , not just reheat the crap. Unfortunately the food served in junior high and high school was crap warmed over.

Nowadays I can just passed through the school and retch at the smell of what they are serving kids now.

Yeah, when my kids won’t eat anything but chicken nuggets and hot cheetoes I just tell them, “Ok, I give up, you are the boss and I will let you eat whatever junk you want. No need to try healthy foods because I tried but I can’t make you eat that even though I am the adult and you are the child.” I mean, I tried actually being in charge and responsible, but that was a lot of work. /sarc

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