Chef Ann Cooper is a celebrated author, educator, and enduring advocate for better food for all children. She has been a relentless champion of school food reform for improved child nutrition. Known as the “Renegade Lunch Lady,“ Chef Ann founded the Chef Ann Foundation in 2009, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping schools take action so that every child has daily access to fresh, healthy food.
Chef Ann Cooper: “In the beginning, I just kind of thought, I know what's right. This is what I want to do. I'm going to push, I'm going to push, and I'm going to push and yell and scream and jump up and down and people will listen. And I think maybe, you know, 25 years ago, there was a place for that, but I've come to learn that system change has to be really inclusive. It has to be collaborative. Doesn't mean I can't jump up and down and yell and scream, but I have to listen as much as I yell and I have to bring everyone to the table. And when you do that, it's maybe slower, but then this change becomes more sustainable and more people come under the umbrella.”
01:14 How a digital lunch box could change the world
04:02 The role of parents, educators, farmers in school food reform
04:50 From renegade to mainstream
06:42 Why collaboration is essential to sustainable systems change
09:10 Pushing from the inside vs. hammering on the outside
10:16 Future opportunities for shifting school foodservice operations
12:05 Working on a continuum to evaluate partners and focus efforts
13:55 The catalyst for change comes from within
15:04 Levers for changemaking: food, finance, facilities, human resources, marketing
17:02 Shedding light on the nuanced school food rules and regulations
19:26 Changing behavior through ownership and education
21:14 The two things that would change everything: free school meals for all and higher reimbursement rates
22:21 What partners, policy, and patience have to do with changemaking
24:43 How to become a leader and changemaker
26:59 Reflections from founding and scaling a social impact organization
31:13 Takeaways for changemakers
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*The views expressed by the guests in this podcast don't necessarily represent the host’s views, nor those of his employer.
What is Food Lab Talk?
A better food system starts with one thing: vision. Food Lab Talk gives global food system changemakers a platform to articulate their vision for the future of food.
The series features interviews with inspiring individuals who are working on the frontlines of many of our most pressing food issues: reducing food loss and waste, enhancing food system transparency, facilitating shifts toward more balanced plant-forward diets, enabling informed individual choices for sustainable lifestyles, and accelerating the transition to a circular food economy.
Join Google’s Michiel Bakker to meet the leaders taking bold action and answering what each of us can do to create a better food system for us all.