My thing with school lunch is, it's a social justice issue. I'm the Director of Nutrition Services for the Berkeley Unified School District. I have 90 employees and 17 locations, 9,600 kids. I'm doing 7,100 meals a day and I've been doing it for two years, trying to change how we feed kids in America. And that's what I want to talk to you a little bit about today. These are some of my kids with a salad bar. I put salad bars in all of our schools when I got there. Everyone says it couldn't be done. Little kids couldn't eat off the salad bar, big kids would spit in it -- neither happened.
Problema mea cu pranzurile in scoli este ca reprezinta o injustitie sociala. Eu sunt Directorul Serviciilor de Nutritie pentru Districtul Scolar Unificat din Berkeley. Am 90 de angajati si 17 locatii, 9.600 de copii. Fac 7.100 de mese pe zi si fac asta de 2 ani, incercind sa schimb modul in care ne hranim copiii in America. Si despre asta vreau sa va vorbesc astazi pe scurt. Acestia sunt unii dintre copiii mei la un bar cu salate. Am pus baruri cu salate in toate scolile noastre cand am ajuns acolo. Toata lumea spunea ca nu se poate face asta -- copii mai mici nu ar putea sa manance din barul cu salate, copiii mai mari ar scuipa in el -- nu s-au intamplat nici una nici alta.
When I took over this, I tried to really figure out, like, what my vision would be. How do we really change children's relationship to food? And I'll tell you why we need to change it, but we absolutely have to change it. And what I came to understand is, we needed to teach children the symbiotic relationship between a healthy planet, healthy food and healthy kids. And that if we don't do that, the antithesis, although we've heard otherwise, is we're really going to become extinct, because we're feeding our children to death. That's my premise.
Cand am preluat comanda, am incercat sa imi dau seama, intr-un fel, care ar fi viziunea mea: cum putem schimba intr-adevar relatia copiilor cu mancarea? Si o sa va spun de ce trebuie sa o schimbam, dar, cu siguranta, trebuie sa o schimbam. Si ceea ce am ajuns sa realizez este, ca trebuie sa ii invatam pe copii relatia simbiotica dintre o planeta sanatoasa, mancare sanatoasa si copii sanatosi. Iar daca nu vom face acest lucru, antiteza, chiar daca am auzit altceva, este ca vom disparea de pe fata planetei, pentru ca ne hranim copiii intr-un mod care le va provoca moartea. Aceasta este premiza mea.
We're seeing sick kids get sicker and sicker. And the reason this is happening, by and large, is because of our food system and the way the government commodifies food, the way the government oversees our food, the way the USDA puts food on kids' plates that's unhealthy, and allows unhealthy food into schools. And by -- tacitly, all of us send our kids, or grandchildren, or nieces, or nephews, to school and tell them to learn, you know, learn what's in those schools. And when you feed these kids bad food, that's what they're learning. So that's really what this is all about.
Vedem cum copii bolnavi se imbolnavesc si mai rau. Iar motivul pentru care se intampla asta, in general vorbind, este sistemul nostru de alimentatie si modul in care guvernul reglementeaza comercializarea mancarii, modul in care guvernul supravegheaza mancarea noastra, modul in care USDA (Directia de alimentatie SUA) pune mancare pe farfuriile copiilor care este unul nesanatos, si permite mancarii nesanatoase sa intre in scoli. Si tacit cu totii ne trimitem copiii, nepotii, nepoatele, la scoala si le spunem sa invete, stiti voi, sa invete ce e in acea scoala. Iar cand le dai acestor copii mancare proasta, asta invata. Deci despre asta e vorba de fapt.
The way we got here is because of big agribusiness. We now live in a country where most of us don't decide, by and large, what we eat. We see big businesses, Monsanto and DuPont, who brought out Agent Orange and stain-resistant carpet. They control 90 percent of the commercially produced seeds in our country. These are -- 10 companies control much of what's in our grocery stores, much of what people eat. And that's really, really a problem.
Am ajuns in situatia asta din cauza marilor afaceri agricole. Traim acum intr-o tara in care majoritatea din noi nu decidem, in general, ce mancam. Vedem afacerile mari precum Monsanto si DuPont -- care au adus pe piata Agentul Orange si covorul rezistent la pete -- ei controleaza 90% din semintele produse comercial in tara noastra. Sunt 10 companii -- controleaza o mare parte din ce se gaseste in magazinele alimentare, o mare parte din ceea ce mananca oamenii -- iar asta este, cu siguranta, o problema.
So when I started thinking about these issues and how I was going to change what kids ate, I really started focusing on what we would teach them. And the very first thing was about regional food -- trying to eat food from within our region. And clearly, with what's going on with fossil fuel usage, or when -- as the fossil fuel is going away, as oil hits its peak oil, you know, we really have to start thinking about whether or not we should, or could, be moving food 1,500 miles before we eat it. So we talked to kids about that, and we really start to feed kids regional food.
Asa ca, atunci cand am inceput sa ma gandesc la aceste probleme si ce urma sa fac pentru a schimba modul in care mananca copiii, Am inceput sa ma concentrez pe lucrurile pe care noi ii putem invata. Iar primul lucru la care m-am gandit a fost mancarea regionala -- sa incerc sa-i fac sa consume mancare din regiunea noastra. Si cu siguranta, cu tot ceea ce se intampla cu utilizarea combustibilor fosili, sau cand -- deoarece combustibilii fosili se consuma, pe masura ce petrolul isi atinge limita, petrolul -- stiti, chiar trebuie sa incepem sa ne gandim daca ar trebui, sau am putea, transporta mancarea 1.500 de mile inainte de a o consuma. Asa ca am discutat cu copiii despre asta, si am inceput intr-adevar sa le dam copiilor mancare regionala.
And then we talk about organic food. Now, most school districts can't really afford organic food, but we, as a nation, have to start thinking about consuming, growing and feeding our children food that's not chock-full of chemicals. We can't keep feeding our kids pesticides and herbicides and antibiotics and hormones. We can't keep doing that. You know, it doesn't work. And the results of that are kids getting sick.
Iar apoi vorbim despre mancarea organica. Acum, majoritatea districtelor scolare nu isi pot permite mancare organica, dar noi, ca natiune, trebuie sa incepem sa ne gandim cum putem consuma, produce si da copiilor nostri mancare care nu este plina de chimicale. Nu putem continua sa ne hranim copiii cu pesticide erbicide, antibiotice si hormoni. Nu putem continua sa facem asta. Stiti, nu functioneaza. Iar rezultatele acestui lucru sunt copii care se imbolnavesc.
One of my big soapboxes right now is antibiotics. Seventy percent of all antibiotics consumed in America is consumed in animal husbandry. We are feeding our kids antibiotics in beef and other animal protein every day. Seventy percent -- it's unbelievable. And the result of it is, we have diseases. We have things like E. coli that we can't fix, that we can't make kids better when they get sick. And, you know, certainly antibiotics have been over-prescribed, but it's an issue in the food supply. One of my favorite facts is that U.S. agriculture uses 1.2 billion pounds of pesticides every year. That means every one of us, and our children, consumes what would equal a five-pound bag -- those bags you have at home. If I had one here and ripped it open, and that pile I would have on the floor is what we consume and feed our children every year because of what goes into our food supply, because of the way we consume produce in America.
In momentul de fata, unul din lucrurile asupra carora incerc sa atrag atentia sunt antibioticele. 70% din toate antibioticele care se consuma in America sunt folosite in hrana animalelor. Ne hranim zilnic copiii cu antibiotice din carnea de vita si din celelalte proteine de origine animala. 70 la suta -- este de necrezut. Iar rezultatul este ca ne imbolnavim. Avem lucruri ca E. coli, pe care nu le putem trata, nu putem sa-i tratam pe copii cand se imbolnavesc. Si, stiti, anumite antibiotice au fost prescrise peste masura, dar este o problema in productia mancarii. Una dintre informatiile mele preferate este ca Statele Unite foloseste in agricultura peste 600 milioane kg de pesticide in fiecare an. Asta inseamnca ca fiecare din noi si fiecare din copiii nostrii consuma echivalentul unei pungi de 2.5 kg -- pungile acelea pe care le aveti acasa -- daca as avea una aici si as deschide-o si gramada aceea pe care as avea-o pe podea este ceea ce consumam noi, si copiii nostrii, in fiecare an din cauza ingredientelor care intra in productia mancarii, din cauza modului in care consumam si producem in America.
The USDA allows these antibiotics, these hormones and these pesticides in our food supply, and the USDA paid for this ad in Time magazine. Okay, we could talk about Rachel Carson and DDT, but we know it wasn't good for you and me. And that is what the USDA allows in our food supply. And that has to change, you know. The USDA cannot be seen as the be-all and end-all of what we feed our kids and what's allowed. We cannot believe that they have our best interests at heart. The antithesis of this whole thing is sustainable food. That's what I really try and get people to understand. I really try and teach it to kids. I think it's the most important. It's consuming food in a way in which we'll still have a planet, in which kids will grow up to be healthy, and which really tries to mitigate all the negative impacts we're seeing. It really is just a new idea. I mean, people toss around sustainability, but we have to figure out what sustainability is.
USDA permite folosirea acestor antibiotice, acestor hormoni si acestor pesticide in productia mancarii noastre, si USDA au platit pentru acest anunt in revista Time. Ok, am putea vorbi despre Rachel Carson si DDT, dar stim ca nu au fost de nici un folos pentru oamenii de rand. Iar USDA autorizeaza folosirea acelor substante in productia mancarii noastre. Iar asta trebuie sa se schimbe. USDA nu poate fi vazuta ca chintesenta modului in care ne hranim copiii, copiilor nostrii si ceea ce este permis. Nu putem crede ca lor le pasa cel mai mult de interesele noastre. Antiteza acestui lucru este mancarea durabila. Asta incerc sa ii fac pe oameni sa inteleaga. Chiar incerc sa ii invat pe copii - cred ca este cel mai important. Este vorba despre a consuma mancare intr-un anumit mod in care vom avea totusi o planeta pe care copiii vor creste sanatosi, si care incearca sa atenueze toate impactele negative pe care le observam. In realitate, nu este decat o idee noua. Ce vreau sa spun este ca se vorbeste mult despre sustenabilitate, dar trebuie sa ne dam seama ce inseamna cu adevarat.
In less than 200 years, you know, just in a few generations, we've gone from being 200 -- being 100 percent, 95 percent farmers to less than 2 percent of farmers. We now live in a country that has more prisoners than farmers -- 2.1 million prisoners, 1.9 million farmers. And we spend 35,000 dollars on average a year keeping a prisoner in prison, and school districts spend 500 dollars a year feeding a child. It's no wonder, you know, we have criminals.
In mai putin de 200 de ani, stiti, in doar cateva generatii, am decazut de la a fii 200 -- de la a fii suta la suta, 95 la suta fermieri la mai putin de 2 la suta fermieri. Traim acum intr-o tara care are mai multi prizonieri decat fermieri -- 2,1 milioane de prizonier, 1,9 milioane de fermieri. Si cheltuim 35.000 de dolari in medie pe an pentru a tine un prizonier in inchisoare iar districtele scolare cheltuiesc 500 de dolari pe an pentru a hrani un copil. Nu e nici o surpriza, stiti, ca avem criminali.
(Laughter)
(Rasete)
And what's happening is, we're getting sick. We're getting sick and our kids are getting sick. It is about what we feed them. What goes in is what we are. We really are what we eat. And if we continue down this path, if we continue to feed kids bad food, if we continue not to teach them what good food is, what's going to happen? You know, what is going to happen? What's going to happen to our whole medical system? What's going to happen is, we're going to have kids that have a life less long than our own. The CDC, the Center for Disease Control, has said, of the children born in the year 2000 -- those seven- and eight-year-olds today -- one out of every three Caucasians, one out of every two African-Americans and Hispanics are going to have diabetes in their lifetime. And if that's not enough, they've gone on to say, most before they graduate high school. This means that 40 or 45 percent of all school-aged children could be insulin-dependent within a decade. Within a decade.
Si ceea ce se intampla este ca ne imbolnavim -- ne imbolnavim si copiii nostrii se imbolnavesc. Este vorba despre ce le dam sa manance. Ceea ce intra in noi este ceea ce suntem. Suntem cu adevarat ceea ce mancam. Iar daca continuam pe acest drum, daca continuam sa ii hranim pe copiii nostrii cu mancare proasta, daca continuam sa nu ii invatam ce inseamna mancare buna, ce o sa se intample? Adica, ce o sa se intample? Ce o sa se intample cu tot sistemul nostru medical? Ceea ce se va intampla este ca vom avea copii care vor trai o viata mai scurta decat a noastra. CDC -- Centrul pentru Controlul Bolilor -- a spus ca din copiii nascuti in anul 2000 -- cei care au azi sapte si opt ani -- unul din trei Caucazieni, unul din fiecare doi Afro-Americani si Hispanici, vor suferi de diabet in cursul vietii. Iar daca asta nu e destul, au precizat de asemenea ca acest lucru se va intampla cu mult inainte de absolvirea liceului. Asta inseamna ca 40 sau 45 la suta din toti copiii care au varsta la care sunt la scoala ar putea fii dependenti de insulina intr-un deceniu -- intr-un deceniu.
What's going to happen? Well, the CDC has gone further to say that those children born in the year 2000 could be the first generation in our country's history to die at a younger age than their parents. And it's because of what we feed them. Because eight-year-olds don't get to decide -- and if they do, you should be in therapy. You know, we are responsible for what kids eat. But oops, maybe they're responsible for what kids eat. Big companies spend 20 billion dollars a year marketing non-nutrient foods to kids. 20 billion dollars a year. 10,000 ads most kids see. They spend 500 dollars for every one dollar -- 500 dollars marketing foods that kids shouldn't eat for every one dollar marketing healthy, nutritious food. The result of which is kids think they're going to die if they don't have chicken nuggets.
Ce o sa se intample? Pai, CDC a mers si mai departe spunand ca acei copii nascuti in anul 2000 ar putea fi prima generatie in istoria tarii noastre, care vor muri mai tineri decat parintii lor. Iar asta se datoreaza modului in care ii hranim. Pentru ca, copiii de 8 ani nu pot sa decida, iar daca pot, ar trebui ca voi sa fiti la terapie. Stiti, suntem responsabili pentru ce le dam copiilor sa manance. Dar ups, poate ei sunt responsabili pentru ce mananca copiii. Marile companii cheltuie 20 de miliarde de dolari pe an promovand produse alimentare fara valoare nutritiva pentru copii. 20 de miliarde de dolari pe an. 10.000 de reclame pe care majoritatea copiilor le vad. Cheltuie 500 de dolari pentru fiecare 1 dolar -- 500 de dolari promovand produse alimentare pe care copii nu ar trebui sa le consume -- pentru fiecare dolar cheltuit promovand produse sanatoase si hranitoare. Resultatul acestui lucru este ca, copii cred ca o sa moara daca nu mananca chicken nuggets.
You know that everybody thinks they should be eating more, and more, and more. This is the USDA portion size, that little, tiny thing. And the one over there, that's bigger than my head, is what McDonald's and Burger King and those big companies think we should eat. And why can they serve that much? Why can we have 29-cent Big Gulps and 99-cent double burgers? It's because of the way the government commodifies food, and the cheap corn and cheap soy that are pushed into our food supply that makes these non-nutrient foods really, really cheap. Which is why I say it's a social justice issue.
Stiti, toata lumea crede ca ar trebui sa manance din ce in ce mai mult. Aceasta este marimea portiei propuse de USDA, acea chestie minuscula. Iar cea de aici, care este mai mare decat capul meu este ceea ce McDonalds si Burger King si acele firme mari cred ca ar trebui sa mancam. Si de ce oare pot ei sa seveasca atat de mult? De ce nu puteam avea inghitituri mari care costa 29 de centi fiecare si hamburgheri dublii care costa 99 de centi fiecare? Modul in care guvernul reglementeaza comercializarea mancarii, si pretul scazut pe care il au porumbul si soia, determina folosirea lor in productia alimentara. si fac aceste mancaruri nehranitoare foarte, foarte ieftine. Si de-asta spun ca este o injustitie sociala.
Now, I said I'm doing this in Berkeley, and you might think, "Oh, Berkeley. Of course you can do it in Berkeley." Well, this is the food I found 24 months ago. This is not even food. This is the stuff we were feeding our kids: Extremo Burritos, corn dogs, pizza pockets, grilled cheese sandwiches. Everything came in plastic, in cardboard. The only kitchen tools my staff had was a box cutter. The only working piece of equipment in my kitchen was a can crusher, because if it didn't come in a can, it came frozen in a box. The USDA allows this. The USDA allows all of this stuff. In case you can't tell, that's, like, pink Danish and some kind of cupcakes. Chicken nuggets, Tater Tots, chocolate milk with high fructose, canned fruit cocktail -- a reimbursable meal.
Acum, am spus ca fac asta in Berkeley, si ati putea crede, "Oh, Berkeley. Poti desigur sa faci asta in Berkeley." Ei bine, asta este mancarea pe care am gasit-o acum 24 de luni. Nici macar nu poate fi numita mancare. Cu asta ne hraneam copiii -- Extremo Burritos, cremvusti cu amidon, rulouri de pizza, sandwich-uri prajite cu branza. Totul a fost adus in plastic, in carton. Singurele ustensile de bucatarie pe care personalul meu le avea erau cutite de deschis cutiile. Singurul aparat functional in bucataria mea era o presa de conserve, pentru ca daca nu veneau in conserve, veneau inghetate intr-o cutie. USDA permite aceste lucruri. USDA permite toate aceste lucruri. In caz ca nu v-ati dat seama, asta ar trebui sa reprezinte pink Danish si un fel de briose. Chicken Nuggets, Tater Tots, cacao cu lapte care contine multa fructoza, coctail de fructe in conserva -- o masa rambursabila.
That's what the government says is okay to feed our kids. It ain't okay. You know what? It is not okay. And we, all of us, have to understand that this is about us, that we can make a difference here. Now I don't know if any of you out there invented chicken nuggets, but I'm sure you're rich if you did. But whoever decided that a chicken should look like a heart, a giraffe, a star? Well, Tyson did, because there's no chicken in the chicken. And that they could figure it out, that we could sell this stuff to kids. You know, what's wrong with teaching kids that chicken looks like chicken? But this is what most schools serve. In fact, this may be what a lot of parents serve, as opposed to -- this is what we try and serve.
Cu asta este guvernul de-acord sa ne hranim copiii. Nu e in regula. Stiti ce? Nu e in regula. Iar noi, cu totii, trebuie sa intelegem ca este vorba despre noi -- ca noi putem schimba ceva in acest caz. Acum, nu stiu daca vre-unul din voi a inventat chicken nuggets, dar sunt sigura ca cine a facut-o este foarte bogat. Dar cine a decis vreodata ca puiul ar trebui sa arate ca o inima, o girafa, o stea? Pai, Tyson a decis, pentru ca nu este deloc pui in puiul lor. Si ei au si-au dat seama ca ar putea sa vanda aceste chestii copiilor nostrii. Stiti, ce e gresit in a-i invata pe copii ca un pui arata ca un pui? Dar asta este ceea ce majoritatea scolilor ofera. De fapt, asta ar putea fii ceea ce multi parinti ofera -- spre deosebire de asta -- ceea ce incercam noi sa oferim.
We really need to change this whole paradigm with kids and food. We really have to teach children that chicken is not a giraffe. You know, that vegetables are actually colorful, that they have flavor, that carrots grow in the ground, that strawberries grow in the ground. There's not a strawberry tree or a carrot bush. You know, we have to change the way we teach kids about these things. There's a lot of stuff we can do. There's a lot of schools doing farm-to-school programs. There's a lot of schools actually getting fresh food into schools.
Trebuie intr-adevar sa schimbam aceasta paradigma cu copii si mancarea. Trebuie sa ii invatam pe copii ca puiul nu este o girafa. Stiti voi, ca legumele sunt in realitate colorate -- ca au un gust, ca de fapt morcovii cresc in pamant, ca de fapt capsunile cresc in pamant. Nu exista un copac cu capsuni sau un tufis cu morcovi. Stiti, trebuie sa schimbam modul in care ii invatam pe copii despre lucrurile acestea. Sunt multe lucruri pe care le putem face. Sunt multe scoli care fac programe de-la-ferma-la-scoala. Sunt multe scoli care intr-adevar aduc mancare proaspata in scoli.
Now, in Berkeley, we've gone totally fresh. We have no high-fructose corn syrup, no trans fats, no processed foods. We're cooking from scratch every day. We have 25 percent of our -- (Applause) thank you -- 25 percent of our stuff is organic and local. We cook. Those are my hands. I get up at 4 a.m. every day and go cook the food for the kids, because this is what we need to do. We can't keep serving kids processed crap, full of chemicals, and expect these are going to be healthy citizens. You're not going to get the next generation, or the generation after, to be able to think like this if they're not nourished. If they're eating chemicals all the time, they're not going to be able to think. They're not going to be smart. You know what? They're just going to be sick.
Acum in Berkeley, am trecut complet la ingrediente proaspete. Nu avem sirop de porumb cu continut mare de fructoza, nu avem acizi grasi, nu avem mancaruri procesate. Gatim de la ingredientele de baza in fiecare zi. Avem 25 la suta din -- (Aplauze) multumesc -- 25 la suta din produsele noastre sunt organice si locale. Gatim. Acelea sunt mainile mele. Ma trezesc la 4 dimineata in fiecare zi si ma duc sa gatesc pentru copii, pentru ca asta trebuie sa facem. Nu putem continua sa le oferim copiilor mancare proasta, procesata, plina de chimicale, si sa ne asteptam ca ei sa fie cetateni sanatosi. Nu o sa faci ca urmatoare generatie sau generatia de dupa sa fie in stare sa gandeasca asa daca nu sunt hraniti. Daca ei mananca chimicale tot timpul, nu vor putea sa gandeasca. Nu vor fi destepti. Stiti ce? Nu vor fi decat bolnavi.
Now one of the things that -- what happened when I went into Berkeley is I realized that, you know, this was all pretty amazing to people, very, very different, and I needed to market it. I came up with these calendars that I sent home to every parent. And these calendars really started to lay out my program. Now I'm in charge of all the cooking classes and all the gardening classes in our school district. So this is a typical menu. This is what we're serving this week at the schools. And you see these recipes on the side? Those are the recipes that the kids learn in my cooking classes. They do tastings of these ingredients in the gardening classes. They also may be growing them. And we serve them in the cafeterias. If we're going to change children's relationship to food, it's delicious, nutritious food in the cafeterias, hands-on experience -- you're looking in cooking and gardening classes -- and academic curriculum to tie it all together.
Acum, unul din lucrurile care -- ce s-a intamplat cand am fost inceput la Berkeley este ca am realizat, stiti voi, ca aceste concepte ii uimeau pe oameni -- foarte foarte diferite -- si eu trebuia sa le promovez. Asa ca mi-a venit ideea sa fac aceste calendare, pe care le-am trimis acasa la fiecare parinte. Si aceste calendare au inceput sa-mi expuna programul. Acum raspund de toate cursurile de gatit si de toate cursurile de gradinarit in districtul nostru scolar. Deci acesta este un meniu tipic -- asta este ceea ce servim saptamana asta in scoli. Si vedeti acele retete pe margine? Acelea sunt retetele pe care copiii le invata la orele mele de gatit. Gusta acele ingrediente in orele de gradinarit. Si s-ar putea sa le si cultive. Iar noi le servim in cantine. Daca vom schimba schimba relatia copiilor cu mancarea, vom face asta numai cu mancare delicioasa si hranitoare in cantine. Experienta practica -- te uiti in cursurile de gatit si gradinarit -- si in programa de invatamant pentru a le uni pe toate.
Now you've probably garnered that I don't love the USDA, and I don't have any idea what to do with their pyramid, this upside-down pyramid with a rainbow over the top, I don't know. You know, run up into the end of the rainbow, I don't know what you do with it. So, I came up with my own. This is available on my website in English and Spanish, and it's a visual way to talk to kids about food. The really tiny hamburger, the really big vegetables. We have to start changing this. We have to make kids understand that their food choices make a big difference. We have cooking classes -- we have cooking classrooms in our schools. And why this is so important is that we now have grown a generation, maybe two, of kids where one out of every four meals is eaten in fast food, one of every four meals is eaten in a car and one out of every last four meals is eaten in front of a TV or computer. What are kids learning? Where is the family time? Where is socialization? Where is discussion? Where is learning to talk? You know, we have to change it.
Acum probabil ca v-ati dat seama ca nu iubesc USDA, si nu am nici o ideea despre ce sa fac cu piramida lor -- aceasta piramida intoarsa, cu un curcubeu deasupra, nu stiu. Stiti voi, sa fug pana la sfarsitul curcubeului, nu stiu ce sa fac cu ea. Asa ca m-am gandit la propria mea piramida. Este disponibila pe pagina mea de web in Engleza si Spaniola, si este un mod vizual de a le vorbi copiilor despre mancare. Hamburgherul minuscul, legumele uriase. Trebuie sa incepem sa schimbam asta. Trebuie sa ii facem pe copii sa inteleaga ca alegerile pe care le fac cu privire la mancare sunt importante. Avem cursuri de gatit -- avem sali de gatit in scolile noastre, iar foarte important este faptul ca acum am crescut o generatie, poate doua, de copii unde una din 4 mese se consuma in fast food, una din 4 mese se consuma intr-o masina iar una din ultimele 4 mese se consuma intotdeauna in fata televizorului sau a calculatorului. Ce invata copiii? Unde este timpul petrecut in familie? Unde este socializarea? Unde sunt discutiile? Unde invata sa vorbeasca? Stiti, trebuie sa schimbam asta.
I work with kids a lot. These are kids I work with in Harlem. EATWISE -- Enlightened and Aware Teens Who Inspire Smart Eating. We have to teach kids that Coke and Pop Tarts aren't breakfast. We have to teach kids that if they're on a diet of refined sugar, they go up and down, just like if they're on a diet of crack. And we have to pull it all together. We have composting in all of our schools. We have recycling in all of our schools. You know, the things that we maybe do at home and think are so important, we have to teach kids about in school. It has to be so much a part of them that they really get it. Because, you know what, many of us are sort of at the end of our careers, and we need to be giving these kids -- these young kids, the next generation -- the tools to save themselves and save the planet.
Eu lucrez mult cu copiii. Acestia sunt copii cu care lucrez in Harlem. EATWISE -- Tineri Luminati si Constienti care Inspira Mancatul Inteligent. Trebuie sa-i invatam pe copii ca, Coca-Cola si Pop Tarts nu reprezinta micul dejun. Trebuie sa-i invatam pe copii ca daca mananca zilnic zahar rafinat, o sa se duca in sus si-n jos, ca un consumator de cocaina. Trebuie sa punem cu totii umarul. Compactam gunoiul in toate scolile noastre. Reciclam in toate scolile noastre. Stiti, lucrurile pe care, poate, le facem acasa si despre care credem ca sunt foarte importante trebuie predate si copiilor in scoala. Trebuie sa fie atat de mult o parte din ei incat sa inteleaga cu adevarat. Pentru ca, stiti ce, multi dintre noi suntem aproape la sfarsitul carierelor noastre si trebuie sa le dam acestor copii -- acestor copii tineri, urmatoarea generatie -- uneltele ca sa se poate salva pe ei insisi si sa salveze planeta.
One of the things I do a lot is public-private partnerships. I work with private companies who are willing to do R & D with me, who are willing to do distribution for me, who are really willing to work to go into schools. Schools are underfunded. Most schools in America spend less than 7,500 dollars a year teaching a child. That comes down to under five dollars an hour. Most of you spend 10, 15 dollars an hour for babysitters when you have them. So we're spending less than 5 dollars an hour on the educational system. And if we're going to change it, and change how we feed kids, we really have to rethink that. So, public and private partnerships, advocacy groups, working with foundations. In our school district, the way we afford this is our school district allocates .03 percent of the general fund towards nutrition services. And I think if every school district allocated a half to one percent, we could start to really fix this program.
Unul din lucrurile pe care le fac des este parteneriatul public-privat. Lucrez cu firme private care sunt dispuse sa faca Cercetare si Dezvoltare cu mine, care sunt dispuse sa distribuie pentru mine, care sunt dispuse sa lucreze pentru a intra in scoli. Scolile sunt subfinantate. Majoritatea scolilor din America cheltuie mai putin de 7.500 de dolari pe an invatand un copil. Asta inseamna sub 5 dolari pe ora. Cei mai multi dintre voi cheltuie 10, 15 dolari pe ora pentru bone, atunci cand ii aveti. Deci cheltuim mai putin de 5 dolari pe ora pentru sistemul nostru educational. Si daca vrem sa schimbam asta, si sa schimbam modul in care hranim copiii, trebuie sa regandim acest lucru. Deci, parteneriate private si publice, grupuri care fac lobby, colaborarea cu fundatiile. In districtul nostru scolar, ne putem permite asta pentru ca districtul nostru scolar aloca 0,03 la suta din fondul general catre serviciile de nutritie. Si ma gandesc, daca fiecare district scolar ar aloca intre jumatate si unu la suta, am putea intr-adevar sa incepem sa reparam acest program.
We really need to change it. It's going to take more money. Of course, it's not all about food; it's also about kids getting exercise. And one of the simple things we can do is put recess before lunch. It's sort of this "duh" thing. You know, if you have kids coming into lunch and all they're going to do when they get out of lunch is go to have recess, you see them just throw away their lunch so they can run outside. And then, at one in the afternoon, they're totally crashing. These are your children and grandchildren that are totally melting down when you pick them up, because they haven't had lunch. So if the only thing they'd have to do after lunch is go to class, believe me, they're going to sit there and eat their lunch.
Trebuie sa incepem sa-l schimbam. Va fi nevoie de mai multi bani. Desigur ca nu este vorba numai despre mancare -- este si despre faptul ca, copii au nevoie de miscare. Si unul din lucrurile simple pe care le putem face este sa punem pauza inainte de pranz. E destul de evident. Stiti voi, daca copiii vin la pranz si singurul lucru pe care il fac dupa ce termina este sa stea in pauza, ii vedeti aruncandu-si pranzul ca sa poata iesi afara. Iar apoi la 1 dupa-amiaza, sunt terminati. Acestia sunt copii si nepotii vostrii care sunt sfarsiti de oboseala cand ii luati de la scoala, pentru ca nu au mancat de pranz. Deci daca singurul lucru pe care l-ar avea de facut dupa pranz ar fi sa mearga la ore, credeti-ma, o sa stea acolo si o sa isi manance pranzul.
We need to -- we need to educate. We need to educate the kids. We need to educate the staff. I had 90 employees. Two were supposed to be cooks -- none could. And, you know, I'm not that better off now. But we really have to educate. We have to get academic institutions to start thinking about ways to teach people how to cook again, because, of course, they don't -- because we've had this processed food in schools and institutions for so long. We need 40-minute lunches -- most schools have 20-minute lunches -- and lunches that are time-appropriate. There was just a big study done, and so many schools are starting lunch at nine and 10 in the morning. That is not lunchtime.
Trebuie sa -- trebuie sa educam. Trebuie sa ii educam pe copii. Trebuie sa educam personalul. Am avut 90 de angajati. 2 pretindeau ca sunt bucatari -- nici unul nu era. Si, stiti, nu stau mult mai bine acum. Dar trebuie intr-adevar sa educam. Trebuie sa facem in asa fel incat institutiile academice sa inceapa sa se gandeasca la moduri in care sa ii invete pe oameni sa gateasca din nou, pentru ca, desigur, nu fac asta -- pentru ca am avut aceasta mancare procesata in scoli si in institutii, de atata timp. Avem nevoie de pranzuri de 40 de minute -- majoritatea scolilor au pranzuri de 20 de minute -- si pranzuri care sunt potrivite ca durata. Tocmai a fost facut un studiu extins, si atat de multe scoli incep pranzul la 9 sau 10 dimineata -- nu este timpul potrivit pentru a lua pranzul.
You know, it's crazy. It's crazy what we're doing. And just remember, at very least tacitly, this is what we're teaching children as what they should be doing. I think if we're going to fix this, one of the things we have to do is really change how we have oversight over the National School Lunch Program. Instead of the National School Lunch Program being under the USDA, I think it should be under CDC. If we started to think about food and how we feed our kids as a health initiative, and we started thinking about food as health, then I think we wouldn't have corn dogs as lunch.
Stiti, e o nebunie, e o nebunie ceea ce facem. Si doar tineti minte, in ultimul rand tacit, ca asta este ceea ce ii invatam pe copii ca ar trebui sa faca. Cred ca daca vrem sa remediem acest lucru, unul din lucrurile pe care trebuie sa le facem este sa schimbam modul in care supraveghem Programul National al Pranzurilor din Scoli. In loc ca Programul National al Pranzurilor din Scoli sa fie sub comanda USDA, eu cred ca ar trebui sa fie sub CDC. Daca am incepe sa ne gandim la mancare si la modul in care ne hranim copiii ca la o initiativa in domeniul sanatatii, si am incepe sa ne gandim la mancare ca la sanatate, atunci nu cred ca am mai avea cremvusti cu amidon in loc de pranz.
Okay, Finance 101 on this, and this -- I'm sort of wrapping it up with this finance piece, because I think this is something we all have to understand. The National School Lunch Program spends 8 billion dollars feeding 30 million children a year. That number probably needs to double. People say, "Oh my God, where are we going to get 8 billion?" In this country, we're spending 110 billion dollars a year on fast food. We spend 100 billion dollars a year on diet aids. We spend 50 billion dollars on vegetables, which is why we need all the diet aids. We spend 200 billion dollars a year on diet-related illness today, with nine percent of our kids having type 2 diabetes. 200 billion.
Ok, cateva informatii financiare despre asta, iar asta -- intr-un fel inchei cu aceste date financiare, deoarece consider ca este un lucru pe care toti ar trebui sa il intelegem. Programul National al Pranzurilor in Scoli cheltuie 8 miliarde de dolari hranind 30 de milioane de copii pe an. Acel numar trebuie, probabil, dublat. Oamenii spun, "O Doamne, de unde o sa scoatem 8 miliarde?" In aceasta tara, cheltuim 110 miliarde de dolari pe an pe fast-food-uri. Cheltuim 100 de miliarde pe an pe suplimente pentru dieta. Cheltuim 50 de miliarde pe legume, si de-asta avem nevoie de produsele dietetice. Cheltuim 200 de miliarde pe an pentru tratarea bolilor rezultate din diete, si 9 la suta din copii nostrii avand diabet tip 2 -- 200 de miliarde.
So you know what, when we talk about needing 8 billion more, it's not a lot. That 8 billion comes down to two dollars and 49 cents -- that's what the government allocates for lunch. Most school districts spend two thirds of that on payroll and overhead. That means we spend less than a dollar a day on food for kids in schools -- most schools, 80 to 90 cents. In L.A., it's 56 cents. So we're spending less than a dollar, OK, on lunch. Now I don't know about you, but I go to Starbucks and Pete's and places like that, and venti latte in San Francisco is five dollars. One gourmet coffee, one, is more -- we spend more on than we are spending to feed kids for an entire week in our schools.
Asa ca stiti ce, cand vorbim despre faptul ca avem nevoie de 8 miliarde, nu e mult. Acele 8 miliarde inseamna doi dolari si 49 de centi -- atat aloca guvernul pentru pranzuri. Majoritatea districtelor scolare folosesc doua treimi din acea suma pe salarii si alte cheltuieli. Asta inseamnca ca cheltuim mai putin de un dolar pe zi pentru mancarea copiilor din scoli -- in majoritatea scolilor intre 80 si 90 de centi. In LA, 56 de centi. Deci cheltuim mai putin de un dolar, ok, pentru pranz. Acum, nu stiu ce faceti voi, dar eu ma duc in locuri ca Starbucks sau Pete's, iar un Venti latte in San Francisco este 5 dolari. O cafea de calitate superioara, una singura, costa mai mult -- cheltuim mai mult pe o cafea decat pentru hranirea copiilor nostrii pentru o saptamana intreaga in scolile noastre.
You know what? We should be ashamed. We, as a country, should be ashamed at that. The richest country. In our country, it's the kids that need it the most, who get this really, really lousy food. It's the kids who have parents and grandparents and uncles and aunts that can't even afford to pay for school lunch that gets this food. And those are the same kids who are going to be getting sick. Those are the same kids who we should be taking care of.
Stiti ce? Ar trebui sa ne fie rusine. Noua, ca tara, ar trebui sa ne fie rusine iar asta -- cea mai bogata tara. In tara noastra, copii care au cea mai mare nevoie, sunt cei care primesc aceasta mancare proasta. Sunt copiii care au parinti si bunici si unchi si matusi care nici macar nu isi pot permite sa plateasca pentru pranz, iar ei primesc mancarea asta. Iar ei sunt aceiasi copii care o sa se imbolnaveasca. Ei sunt copiii de care ar trebui sa avem grija.
We can all make a difference. That every single one of us, whether we have children, whether we care about children, whether we have nieces or nephews, or anything -- that we can make a difference. Whether you sit down and eat a meal with your kids, whether you take your kids, or grandchildren, or nieces and nephews shopping to a farmers' market. Just do tastings with them. Sit down and care. And on the macro level, we're in what seems to be a 19-month presidential campaign, and of all the things we're asking all of these potential leaders, what about asking for the health of our children? Thank you.
Cu totii putem schimba ceva -- fiecare dintre noi, fie ca avem copii, fie ca ne pasa de copii, fie ca avem nepoate si nepoti, sau orice altceva -- putem schimba ceva. Daca stai la masa si mananci cu copiii tai, sau daca iti duci copiii, sau nepotii, sau nepoatele la cumparaturi intr-o piata a fermierilor -- doar pune-i sa guste. Stati jos si dati-va interesul. Iar la nivel inalt, suntem in ceea ce pare a fi o campanie prezidentiala de 19 luni, iar toate intrebarile pe care le punem tuturor acestori potentiali lideri, ce ar fi sa-i intrebam despre sanatatea copiilor nostrii? Multumesc. Multumesc.