Jamie Oliver Food Revolution Huntington West Virginia
Author: Ian C. Langtree - Writer/Editor for Disabled World (DW)
Published: 2010/04/18 - Updated: 2026/02/08
Publication Type: Reports & Proceedings
Category Topic: Nutrition - Related Publications
Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main - Insights, Updates
Synopsis: This report documents British chef Jamie Oliver's initiative to address the obesity crisis in Huntington, West Virginia, which was identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as America's unhealthiest city. The information provides valuable context about childhood nutrition challenges, school lunch programs, and community-based health interventions that remain relevant for parents, caregivers, educators, and health advocates - particularly those working with children who have disabilities or chronic health conditions that require careful dietary management. Oliver's work highlighted systemic issues in American school food programs, including the classification of French fries as vegetables, while demonstrating practical approaches to improving nutrition education and meal quality in communities facing significant health disparities - Disabled World (DW).
Introduction
Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution Huntington America
Jamie Oliver, Britain's celebrity chef from the UK's "The Naked Chef" TV series, is in America to start a revolution by highlighting the problems of unhealthy eating both at home and in American schools.
The impassioned chef, TV personality and best-selling author is determined to take on the high statistics of obesity, heart disease and diabetes in Huntington, West Virginia, America, where the nation's children are the first generation not expected to live as long as their parents. Jamie Oliver is inviting viewers to take a stand and change the way America eats, at home, in schools and workplaces, with this thought-provoking new TV series.
Main Content
Though french fries count as vegetables according to whoever's in charge of the Huntington, West Virginia school food program, renowned British chef Jamie Oliver kindly disagrees. Huntington had recently been singled out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as the nation's unhealthiest. Jamie Oliver hopes to help get Huntington off that list and start a chain reaction of positive change across America.
Oliver says:
"The time is right for people to rediscover the sense of pride, satisfaction, and fun you can get from cooking for the people you love. There's an incredible community in Huntington, and I want this experience to be a celebration of what we can achieve when people come together. I want to prove that turning around the epidemic of obesity and bad health doesn't have to be boring or dull in the slightest. Wonderful stories will unfold in Huntington, and hopefully this will inspire the rest of the States."
Jamie Oliver is the author of nine popular cookbooks, including The Naked Chef, Cook with Jamie, Jamie at Home, and Jamie's Food Revolution: Rediscover How to Cook Simple, Delicious, Affordable Meals.
"Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution," commenced March 26th 2010 on the ABC Television Network. The series is produced by Ryan Seacrest Productions and Fresh One Productions.
Executive producers of "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution" are Jamie Oliver, Ryan Seacrest and Craig Armstrong ("Extreme Makeover: Home Edition").
If you care about the health of your children and the food they eat sign Jamie's petition to save cooking skills and improve school food to show you care, as Jamie would like to take his petition to the White House to show the President and First lady how many people really care and ask for their support.
Insights, Analysis, and Developments
Editorial Note: While Jamie Oliver's 2010 intervention in Huntington brought national attention to school nutrition reform and sparked important conversations about childhood obesity, the underlying challenges he identified - limited cooking skills, institutional resistance to change, and socioeconomic barriers to healthy eating - continue to affect American communities today. The series demonstrated that sustainable improvements in public health require more than celebrity advocacy; they demand systemic policy changes, adequate funding for school meal programs, nutrition education integrated into curricula, and community investment in food access. For families managing disabilities or chronic conditions where diet plays a crucial role in health outcomes, Oliver's emphasis on practical cooking skills and affordable whole foods remains particularly relevant, though the real work of food revolution happens not on television but in kitchens, classrooms, and policy chambers across the country - Disabled World (DW).
Author Credentials: Ian is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Disabled World, a leading resource for news and information on disability issues. With a global perspective shaped by years of travel and lived experience, Ian is a committed proponent of the Social Model of Disability-a transformative framework developed by disabled activists in the 1970s that emphasizes dismantling societal barriers rather than focusing solely on individual impairments. His work reflects a deep commitment to disability rights, accessibility, and social inclusion. To learn more about Ian's background, expertise, and accomplishments, visit his full biography.