Cafeteria Confidential 2007
Distributed by Fanlight Productions, 32 Court St., 21st Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201; 800-876-1710
Produced by Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)
Director n/a
DVD, color, 11 min.
Jr. High - Adult
Food, Nutrition
Date Entered: 09/18/2009
Reviewed by Leigh Mihlrad, Schaffer Library of Health Sciences, Albany Medical College, Albany, NYThough short, this Canadian Broadcasting Corporation news segment packs a powerful lesson. It follows Toronto student Allison Ewell and a group of Toronto high-schoolers as they rate the food in their school cafeterias; it ends with them creating their own (cafeteria) kitchen in response to overall poor food quality.
Outspoken Ewell has lobbied before–to remove soda vending machines from schools, but was unsuccessful because, she said, “money is more important than our health, at least according to the school board.” This time, she gets others on board in her mission. Ewell and her volunteers—plus a nutritionist and food critic—rate food from 5 Toronto schools. Most items fare poorly, consisting of fast, unhealthy, or (literally) rotten food. She also asks the head of her high school’s cafeteria why students are served food that the person herself admits are unhealthy/untasty–and fails to get direct answers.
Cafeteria Confidential would be fine viewing for a high school health or nutrition class, or for anyone who is interested in improving school cuisine. It is fast-paced and succeeds at holding the viewer’s attention.