Cafeteria Confidential

This brief segment from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation news program Marketplace tracks the efforts of a high school student to improve cafeteria food. Allison Ewell spent her entire 10th-grade year trying to have soda vending machines removed from the school, but was unsuccessful because “money is more important than our health—at least according to the school board.” Undeterred, Ewell recruits students from other Toronto-area schools to document a week's worth of cafeteria food in notes, photos, and samples, after which the team compares their evidence and presents their findings to a nutritionist and a food critic. The experts critique each school's lunch offerings and assign them a grade; for example, the vegetarian pizza and salad receives an “A,” while a carb-heavy lunch is deemed a “D.” Allison then takes her findings to the head of nutrition services for Toronto district schools, who basically claims that nutritious foods are available in cafeterias, but it's the students responsibility to choose them…even though the majority of choices are fried, high-fat, high-carb foods. Cafeteria Confidential ends with Allison offering an alternative to unhealthy cafeteria food: students in her home-ec classroom cook a low-cost, high-nutrition meal that they sell to their peers. An interesting look at one student's mission to improve food in schools (although very little actual nutritional information is presented here), this inspirational short is recommended. Aud: H, P. (E. Gieschen)