Lunch box revolution

Last weekend, Whole Foods sponsored a workshop to give parents fresh suggestions on what to pack in the ever pesky lunch box. Steeped in convenience, the session taps into a bigger issue: the mounting concern over what children are eating during the day, both from the lunch box and the school cafeteria. For the former, Whole Foods Team Member Trey McLean demonstrated two recipes, a turkey, brie and Adriatic fig spread sandwich on “Seeduction” bread along with simple meatloaf developed by Chef Ann Cooper, Whole Foods Market’s national collaborating partner and a school lunch reformer. Cooper has led the way in modifying the menus of public schools in Berkeley, California and now Boulder, Colorado, two cities that you have to believe would have gotten around to doing it themselves eventually. But they serve as models for the rest of us. Imagine fresh Louisiana strawberries instead of syrupy canned fruit, or farm-raised fowl instead of industrial chicken nuggets. Check out Cooper’s site, thelunchbox.org, which features recipes and advice on working with local school cafeterias in deliberate, agreeable fashion.

Meanwhile, post what works in your lunch box.