Published today in Grist is a fantastic commentary by Kurt Michael Friese, a chef in Iowa City and a member of the board of directors for an organization called Slow Food USA. His article discusses how, in the last 50-75 years, we've moved from an "understanding of foods, of cooking, and of the pleasures of the kitchen" and replaced it with "the language of the drive-thru, the shopping mall, and the convenience store."

Friese makes a good point when he says that "our children are what they eat," and raises the question as to whether or not our children can be expected to learn and grow on "fat, salt, and corn-sweetener-laden government subsidized surplus."

Food service staff, Friese says, is "restrained by inefficient kitchens, ludicrous time restraints, and a budget that is laughable at best." Pointing to the current federal reimbursement rate for school lunches, Friese asks, "how well would you expect to eat on" that kind of budget?

Friese concludes that we need "a paradigm shift" when it comes to school meals. Rather than "just throwing money at the problem," we need a real investment in "the health and well-being of our children and our community," and parents "must no longer choose to ignore the situation to the proven detriment of their country."

To read the full commentary, head over to Grist's website here, and check out Slow Good USA's "Time for Lunch" campaign here: http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/campaign/time_for_lunch/our_partners/.

An improved school meals program and Child Nutrition Act is a major priority for SEIU and its workers. To find out more, check out our sister website, the Campaign for Quality Services.