The pioneering Californian chef and activist Alice Waters has been pointing out the connection between declining family meals and rising obesity for some time. But it is her young counterpart in the United Kingdom, Jamie Oliver, who may soon become the public face of a campaign urging families to sit down to meals together.
The Department of Health revealed that talks were underway with British supermarket company Sainsbury’s a day after releasing a report suggesting that public/private partnerships, with appropriate ethical guidelines, ought to be encouraged. Jamie Oliver appears in advertising for the company and is said to earn in the region of a million pounds a year.
There is little disagreement about the drastic decline in family meals. Estimates suggest that as few as three families in ten sit down to dinner together more than once a week in the United Kingdom. And few have expressed doubt about the idea that more family meals will improve the health of the population.
There are misgivings, however, about the Department of Health’s reliance on companies to convey their message. If this campaign becomes a reality, it is likely to encourage further partnerships and is certain to intensify the debate.
Source: The Guardian, 27 June 2006