Momentum for Food Day Builds as October 24 Nears

Thousands of Events Will Celebrate Healthy, Affordable, Sustainable Food

WASHINGTON, Sept. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Food Day, the nationwide grassroots mobilization for healthier diets and improved food policies, is gaining momentum as organizers plan thousands of events big and small on October 24.  As the project moves into the home stretch, it has picked up some important national partners, including the Cooking Channel, Epicurious.com, and Change.org, all of which will be publicizing Food Day in the coming weeks and participating in events on the day itself.

"One of the best things you can do for your health is to cook and enjoy family meals made with fresh, colorful seasonal ingredients," said chef and author Ellie Krieger, host of Healthy Appetite on the Food Network and a member of the Food Day advisory board.  "Food Day is a chance to celebrate the power good food has to nourish us and bring us together."

Fruit and vegetable marketer Dole will be supporting Food Day by putting Food Day stickers on 100 million bananas, and one of the nation's largest carrot growers, Bolthouse Farms, will be including Food Day messages on 11 million bags of carrots.  The National Archives in Washington, D.C., will host a Food Day open house in conjunction with its What's Cooking, Uncle Sam? exhibit, which examines the government's role in food policy.  

For some of the Food Day events being planned around the country visit: http://bit.ly/npKI8T

"Food Day is about eating real—which I believe means eating more food that comes from farms, and less food that comes from factories," said Morgan Spurlock, a Food Day advisory board member who documented the effect of eating at McDonald's for 30 days straight in his award-winning 2004 film Super Size Me.      

"Americans are craving change—they are improving their diets and they want to steer food and farm policies in a more just and sustainable direction," said Michael F. Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which is providing national coordination for Food Day.  "Food Day is a perfect opportunity for groups and advocates to advance their goals, for companies to announce more healthful or sustainably produced foods, and for health departments to launch new nutrition campaigns."

Food Day's advisory board, chaired by Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), includes many of the most prominent voices for change in the food policy world.

"All Americans will benefit from greater understanding and appreciation of food, agriculture and nutrition—spanning the food chain from farm families to family tables," said Senator Harkin. "Participants in Food Day activities and events will be helping to promote better nutrition and health, lessen hunger and increase access to food, conserve and protect our land and water, and enhance the lives of consumers, farm families, and rural communities."

SOURCE Center for Science in the Public Interest