For the last eight years I have lived and breathed a myriad of issues surrounding food, education and the health of children. Guess what? Things are not good! Imagine if you were a little kid..... you have a 1 in 4 chance of becoming obese before you turn 18 and risking your future health. You rarely eat a meal with your family, let alone sit at a dinner table. You might never experience fruit or vegetables from a backyard garden or catch and cook a fish. The grownups in your life are too busy to teach you how to budget, shop and cook and you have no time to learn that stuff anyway because you are too busy watching TV, playing computer games, chatting with your friends online, learning the piano to help your maths or playing sport so you don't get fat...

Now imagine what life is like for a child with a terminal disease, a chronic illness, a disability, a drug addition or for a child who cares for others, who has no home or has just become a mother. How, where and when do these children learn about food? I didn't know the answers so I started a quest to find out and to do whatever I could to help (altruistic I know, but I'm that sort of gal).

In 2003 I became an inaugural recipient of a Master of Arts (Gastronomy) awarded by Adelaide University and Le Cordon Bleu during which I was able to research food education in Australia, USA, Europe and the UK. As a result I created Young Gourmet as a resource for teenagers and so discovered many passionate people within schools, the community and the food industry who care deeply about food education and who want to actively participate in making a difference. Hooray!

In 2004 the Children’s Food Education Foundation had a name, a Board of Directors and finally in July 2005 the Foundation was given tax deductibility status and charity concessions. Hooray Again! Whilst the bureaucrats administered, we (no longer just me thank goodness) began identifying food education needs and formed an advisory panel of interested professionals prepared to collaborate in the development of concepts. The Foundation is now hard at work alongside other children's charities and providors of health services delivering food education whereever possible. We are also designing social marketing campains aimed to improve the quality and integrity of food served to children and young people in their own homes and in hospitals, schools, institutions, restaurants, sporting and tourism venues.

Food education has infinite relevance so long as we all need (in the words of Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin) “to preserve humankind by the best possible nourishment”. All Australian children and young people should learn to nourish themselves and be honestly informed about issues that effect their health and wellbeing. If you agree, then join us, and help them learn about food for life!