About Phil’s Food Sense
“Supermarket Guru,” ABC News Reporter and Today Show food editor, Phil Lempert, illuminates a one-hour national Public Television special about food sources and sustainability.
Why do many children think that milk comes from a jug and bread comes with a plastic wrapper? Has our disconnection from food origins led to the nation’s problem of obesity and other food related disorders? Will we be able to sustain the same food quality and supplies we have today in ten, twenty, or even thirty years?
This program uncovers the mysteries of the food chain that bring us a simple American breakfast – starting at a diner in Baltimore. Seeing this process in its entirety is an eye opening and complex adventure and a starting point for meaningful national discussion. Phil Lempert and a group of industry experts ask and answer important questions in an entertaining and easily comprehensible way by simply tracing our food and following its path from farm to table.
The breakfast presented in our program explores the manufacturing and major issues around: coffee, sugar, milk, eggs, bacon, orange juice, strawberries and bread from source to table. We visit both organic and conventional dairy farms and detail the differences between the processes. The program next explores the idea of buying local – covering farmers markets as well as introducing viewers to the idea of “locale” growing and production methods. Phil then uncovers food pricing by explaining the process of the Mercantile exchange in Chicago and New York and participants review its importance in the food chain.
An interactive website will let the viewer review the nutritional aspects and the sustainability of each item, along with discussion boards with blogs and forums that will allow consumer questions and discussions about each food product and other such topics moderated by Phil Lempert and industry experts. Educating our youth about the sources of our food supply is an important aspect of the program, so we also plan to create a classroom study guide and make DVD’s available for educational purposes.