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Celebrity Chef Jamie Oliver Wants Food Revolution to Fight Obesity

by Trilok Kapur on Feb 13 2010 12:34 PM

On Wednesday British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver won heavyweight allies in a campaign to foment a food revolution.

Oliver received a TED Prize that entitled him to make a wish that the group's influential members would try to make real.

He revealed his desire during a high-energy talk at a TED gathering with the likes of Google co-founder Larry Page, Microsoft chief strategy officer Craig Mundie, YouTube co-creator Chad Hurley, and Amazon.com boss Jeff Bezos.

"I wish for your help to create a strong, sustainable movement to educate every child about food, inspire families to cook again and empower people everywhere to fight obesity," Oliver said.

Oliver started a movement to get school children eating healthier food in Britain and is now taking on the United States.

He worked with a US television broadcaster last year on a series based on a reality show focused on bringing healthful eating habits to residents of a West Virginia town notorious for corpulent citizenry and junk food culture.

"I'm here to show American that just a little effort can make a big difference," Oliver said.

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"We have an awful reality right now. The adults of our generation have blessed our children with a shorter life span; ten years less because of the landscape of food we built around them."

Diet-related diseases are top killers in the United States and the situation is becoming an increasingly global problem, according to Oliver. Obesity is at the heart of 10 percent of US health care expenses and rising.

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"We need a food revolution," Oliver said. "The time is ripe for it."

"I know it's weird to have a British person standing here talking about it, but I truly care. And if America does it, others will follow."

By the time Oliver left the stage, "TEDsters" in the audience had promised office space, access to US legislators, buses for mobile food education teams, and help making a website and a healthy meals cookbook.

"This is an amazing vision and this man has the talent to tell it to the world," said TED curator Chris Anderson. "This community has the resources and skills to fulfill Jamie's vision."

Source-AFP
TRI


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