Dear TLT’ers: Happy New Year! I hope you and your families are safe and well, and I think speak for all of us when I say that 2021 couldn’t get here fast enough. I wish you nothing but good health and greater happiness in the months ahead! And with the start of this brand new year, I’m also excited to announce a brand new project: After ten wonderful and fulfilling years of blogging here, today I’m officially closing this WordPress platform (though it remains live and searchable) and launching a new weekly Substack newsletter under the same name! My first issue will go out tomorrow—January 7 ..read more

Dear TLT’ers: For almost ten years now, I’ve used this space to keep you informed of important and interesting issues relating to kids and food. In all that time, there’s never been a shortage of things to write about and my enthusiasm for blogging here has never waned. But just as this pandemic has disrupted every other aspect of our lives, it has fundamentally affected my feelings about writing this blog—at least for now. Precisely because food is so central to our daily existence, the ripple effects of this pandemic, as it relates to feeding children, are seemingly endless. In the span of ..read more

Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue Last April, I told you about two federal lawsuits seeking to block a 2018 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) rule that weakened two key school meal nutrition standards. Yesterday, the Maryland District Court handed public health advocates a victory by vacating that rule. But based on my own reading of the court’s opinion, the ruling is a narrow one.  If it’s determined to do so, the Trump administration could well succeed in reinstating those same weaker standards through a new rule-making process. The Background: “Making School Meals Great Again” Bac ..read more

A moment’s solace? Normally I devote this blog to kid-specific food issues, but something has been bugging me for a few weeks now and I feel the need to vent. I hope you’ll indulge me, and that you’ll also share this post if it resonates with you. Here’s what’s been on my mind: In this very anxious moment, we Americans are clearly finding solace in the warm embrace of “comfort food.” We’re doing so much “stress baking” that grocery stores are selling out of flour and yeast, while sales of potato chips, cookies, popcorn, pretzels, and candy are booming. Only yesterday, the New York Times publis ..read more

Today I’m sharing some recent news items about feeding kids during the COVID crisis: Door Dash Reaches NYC’s Medically Fragile Children New York City has been doing an admirable job of feeding children while its schools are closed, with over 450 distribution centers now providing grab-n-go meals. Last week alone, about half a million such meals were reportedly distributed across all five boroughs. But what about the estimated 800 New York City children who are considered “medically fragile”—that is, those with compromised immune systems, impaired mobility, or other disabilities? In an innovat ..read more

Last week, I circulated a digital thank you card to show our appreciation for the dedicated school food professionals who are serving emergency school meals during the coronavirus crisis.  I’ve collected the responses below, and the list will continue to update as more people sign on in the future. (To add your own name and message, just click here.)   Thanks to everyone who participated! PS: My friends at Wellness in the Schools recently offered their own heartfelt thank you to school food professionals! You can read it here.     Copyright secured by Digi ..read more

Last week, when only a handful of American schools had closed due to the COVID crisis, I wrote a Civil Eats story exploring the potential impact of these closures on the school meal program: Millions of lower-income kids rely on school food for daily nutrition, so what would happen when even more cafeterias were shuttered?* Well, just one week later, we’ve sailed past “potential impact” into a harsh new reality—one in which school meal service now looks like this: photo credit Frisco Independent School District And this: photo credit Jefferson County Public Schools And this: photo credit Gree ..read more

That’s the question that has been on my mind ever since I first heard about schools closing due to the virus. So I asked my editors at Civil Eats for the opportunity to dig into the issue, and my resulting story is up today. I hope you’ll take the time to read it. Thanks!           “A blueprint for how to raise healthy eaters in a fast-food culture”—New York Times “One of the Best Books of 2019 (So Far)” — Real Simple  “Everyone who has children should read Kid Food. And everyone who doesn’t should read it, too.” — Eric Schlosser, Fast Food Nation ..read more

TLT’ers: I’m sorry to report that I’ve had to cancel my planned Bay Area book tour later this month. Most of my tour stops were at tech companies, but those speaking engagements have now been cancelled due to concerns about COVID-19. Accordingly, I’ve also had to cancel my planned March 25th appearance at Books Inc. in Mountain View. When/if concerns about COVID-19 abate, I’ll try to recreate the same tour—including another bookstore appearance that’s open to the public. In the meantime, stay healthy and safe!       Copyright secured by Digiprove ©&nbs ..read more

Hello, TLTers! Just wanted to let you know that I recently updated the events calendar on my author website, bettinasiegel.com, to list my upcoming spring speaking dates. They include: the Berkeley Food Institute’s annual fundraiser on the evening of March 2nd, where I’ll be joined in conversation by Dr. Kris Madsen, BFI’s Faculty Director Books Inc. in Mountain View, CA on the evening of March 25, where I’ll be joined in conversation by Carolyn Federman, founder of the Charlie Cart Project (a wonderful nutrition/cooking education initiative I shared with you in Kid Food) a special evening f ..read more