In the documentary film Cafeteria Man playing Sunday, September 25 at the Prince Theatre in Chestertown and the Avalon Theater in Easton, a student makes a very simple request: “We just want better lunch.” But improving school food, the viewer learns, is a formidable task.
What’s the beef with school food? The argument goes: the preponderance of food available in our nation’s public schools is unhealthy and federal nutrition standards perverse. Pre-prepared fast-food clones (pizza, burger, fries, nachos) dominate many school food menus, which may encourage poor eating habits in schoolchildren and contribute to the documented rise in childhood obesity and diabetes in the United States. And though preventing hunger is a widely professed goal of school food programs, there are children unable to afford school food, but ineligible for free or reduced price meals.
The film chronicles recent school food reform efforts in the Baltimore City Public School system, highlighting victories and acknowledging roadblocks. Director Richard Chisolm focuses his lens on the human ingredients needed to bring about change: parents, teachers, administrators, farmers, chefs, government and community leaders, and student activists. Many of these actors were involved in laying the groundwork for change in Baltimore. And in 2008, the school district hired Anthony (Tony) Geraci to play the role of Director of Food and Nutrition Services. Geraci approaches school food reform with a dash of enthusiasm, a pinch of charisma, and a hefty serving of vision; Chisolm’s camera is aimed most frequently at the cafeteria man.
Geraci spearheaded initiatives such as the integration of Maryland-grown produce into school meals, the establishment of a 33-acre demonstration farm in Catonsville to encourage children to connect farm-to-fork, and implementation of a culinary vocational training program. He also supported bringing the “Meatless Mondays” campaign to his schools, not with the intent of stigmatizing meat consumption (Geraci claims to have an “unholy love of pork!”), but to start a conversation about food choice.
Cafeteria Man argues that the right food service director and concerned and committed stakeholders can make significant changes to their school food system. Similar efforts are taking place across the country. The biggest problem, according to Chisolm is a “lack of creative active leadership in the system. Large processed food suppliers have successfully lobbied the federal government to enter contracts that place profit above child nutrition and wellness, and thus public health. School food leaders need to be willing to unravel these contracts and pressure food service corporations to change the way they operate.”
School reform issues are complex. Cafeteria Man covers a lot of ground, but is not comprehensive. We don’t learn the history of school food, how federal reimbursement to school food service works or how federal dietary guidelines and nutrition regulation evolved. Consider trekking through Janet Poppenkieck’s Free for All: Fixing school food in America, published last year, for more in depth coverage. Come see Cafeteria Man because it’s a fantastic primer on school food reform and to witness the cafeteria man’s outsized personality on the big screen.
Cafeteria Man will be shown in Chestertown on September 25 a t5:30 PM in partnership with the Colchester Farm CSA’s Marty Fujita Film Project. Tickets can be purchased online or at the box office.
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