I'm fascinated. What ad? I'm not getting an add except for piece of machinery on the base of the page.
if you're not up to speed on what happens in France, take a look at restos du coeur you can't live in France and not know about coluche and what he did, bit like abbé Pierre and emmaus. I think the French state probably does far more than the US to make sure people have food, I have now figures to back that up but it's one of the biggest nanny states in the world, there's aid for everything and everyone :-O
My kids both eat in the primaire canteen, with a perfectly balanced lunch however, picnics are extremely rare and are treated as an opportunity to have 'junk' for a change. There are not many schools that allow packed lunches everyday, so it is a rare treat and not reflective of everyday eating.
Mind you, one of my kids favourite food for a picnic is the little bags of ready sliced saussison - can't spell that and the spell check is no good!
Difficult school lunch issues…I volunteer on school trips and in general , at least at the primary school my kids go to, the lunches are ok…the school actually encourages a “no fizzy drink” policy on these trips. Water…only! Plus the snack policy in the school is fruit only (not even fruit juice) or dried fruit-so this is good too.
As far as the article on hunger in America, it was a collaboration with 250 food bloggers and was a big success. I can post the link, or you can go to: brightonyourhealth.com and click on recent posts (to the right-). You can see the article, published on April 8th-called “The Giving Table: This food blogger is hungry for change” (something like this). Let me know if you cannot find it. Really, hunger is a BIG issue in America-striking and shocking!
Did not know this…thank you. The bakery by our house does something wonderful. Every evening the bakery ‘must’ throw away the bread and patisseries that are old. The staff puts the throw aways into clean garbage bags , puts them outside by the back door and they get taken away by those who need this-every night the same story…
It's a fascinating subject Mary, and I would be interested to read your blog posts mentioned above.
For me, I'm afraid, I don't believe it is the government responsibilty to ensure people eat well. We live in an relatively affluent area where employment is high. My two children are both in Primaire, and many parents of the children at school both work. I've been horrified at what is brought along as a "packed lunch" when I've gone along to help out on school trips. Packaged crepes, white bread, brioche, crisps - altogether, as an apparantly balanced lunch. Obviously, I don't know what the families eat at home, but if it is like this, those children of working parents are not far away from malnourishment surely?
My point is, we all know fruit and veg are not expensive or can be grown, and people have survived on for 1000's of years without junk food. Avoiding hunger & malnutrition takes thought, hard work and effort on the part of the individual, but is possible in many cases.
I don't wish to sound smug, I don't know first hand the problems in inner cities in France, though I have worked on soup kitchens in the UK.
Why do we have this intrusive advert actually in Mary’s post?
We totally understand that SFN needs advertising revenue, but methinks this is taking it just a bit too far.
I have wondered why the supermarkets, especially, Carrefour, do not try and sell more food which is on its sell by date as reduced items. In the Carrefour in Crèche sur Saone near Macon, there is one very old chill cabinet that is sometimes available with a very narrow range of items available.
It seems to me that is a huge waste of food and having no consideration for their customers, which is not surprising.
In our small ATAC supermarket in Cluny there is often a trolley for the Restaurants du Coeur.
There is a great deal of poverty and hunger in the inner cities, not the part of France the tourists see. My husband works with Secours Populaire helping give food parcels to those who have signed on at the Mairie do get a ticket. The agricultural system is good, he used to be a farmer, but there is terrible waste by the supermarkets who keep to date stamping and throw away perfectly good and eatable produce every day.
Sadly there are many poor people everywhere, and France is not immune to it. There are many charities trying to address the problems - often related to poor housing.
Fast food IS generally cheaper and filling, so we cannot be surprised that many lower-income people choose that option.
What doesn't seem to work is continually haranguing those who literally have few if any choices as to what they can get to eat, and thus imparting a sense of guilt as to how they are trying to get by and feed their children as well as themselves. They have enough problems to contend with.
There but for the grace etc..........................?