Whole Foods Market and “Renegade Lunch Lady” Ann Cooper have teamed to launch a “School Lunch Revolution” website (thelunchbox.org) featuring a set of comprehensive, easily accessible and free resources to “help schools replace frozen processed foods with fresh, natural, made-from-scratch foods in a realistic, cost-effective manner.” Among the resources for directors:
• Recipes that work for schools of all sizes and can be nutritionally analyzed, tested and costed;
• Resources for procuring natural foods, regionally and locally, from smaller vendors to create local food economies;
• Training videos that cover topics ranging from cooking techniques to food safety.
Cooper was the nutrition director for the Berkeley (CA) USD schools until this spring. This fall, she will begin a consulting contract through her Lunch Lessons LLC consulting organization with Boulder Valley (CO) School District to implement her program of bringing more natural and freshly prepared foods to the district’s school cafeterias.