How can our food system rebuild and reimagine amid the unprecedented crisis of COVID-19 and a long overdue reckoning with generations of inequity? As every corner of the food world grapples with issues that will define its future, The Big Food Question will tackle practical and philosophical questions alike for eaters, operators, and workers across food business sectors and topics. From restaurants and bars, to processors and distributors, from farms to food banks, The Big Food Question will feature expert guests who help us understand how industries can move forward while prioritizing safety, equity, and economic stability.
All content for The Big Food Question is the property of Heritage Radio Network and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
How can our food system rebuild and reimagine amid the unprecedented crisis of COVID-19 and a long overdue reckoning with generations of inequity? As every corner of the food world grapples with issues that will define its future, The Big Food Question will tackle practical and philosophical questions alike for eaters, operators, and workers across food business sectors and topics. From restaurants and bars, to processors and distributors, from farms to food banks, The Big Food Question will feature expert guests who help us understand how industries can move forward while prioritizing safety, equity, and economic stability.
How Has a Year of Remote Learning Affected Childhood Nutrition?
The Big Food Question
24 minutes 42 seconds
4 years ago
How Has a Year of Remote Learning Affected Childhood Nutrition?
Covid-19 put school lunch in flux, as cafeteria trays were reconceptualized as brown bags and meal boxes. USDA waivers freed school cafeterias from former limitations about who they can feed and what food they can serve. Previous episodes have covered the effect of these waivers on accessibility and school funding. Today, with the help of The Counter writer Sam Bloch, we investigate how the trajectory school food has been heading in for the past decade was dramatically altered during the pandemic when rigorous nutrition standards were rolled back in response to growing need and supply chain challenges. Many pediatricians, public health experts and parents are growing concerned about potentially rising rates of childhood obesity, which often has lifelong effects. However tensions run deep in the debate about how to balance nutrition with concerns about hunger, accessibility and personal taste, leading to ethical questions about the role of privilege and the right to healthy food.
This episode is produced in collaboration with The Counter – a nonprofit, independent, nonpartisan newsroom investigating the forces shaping how and what America eats.
Read Sam’s article about school lunch and childhood obesity here.
Have a question you want answered? Email us at question@heritageradionetwork.org
The Big Food Question
How can our food system rebuild and reimagine amid the unprecedented crisis of COVID-19 and a long overdue reckoning with generations of inequity? As every corner of the food world grapples with issues that will define its future, The Big Food Question will tackle practical and philosophical questions alike for eaters, operators, and workers across food business sectors and topics. From restaurants and bars, to processors and distributors, from farms to food banks, The Big Food Question will feature expert guests who help us understand how industries can move forward while prioritizing safety, equity, and economic stability.
