Our farmers market here in Harlingen has become a place for families and children. We are very happy to see more and more young parents and children exploring the market, and are pleased to witness the excitement fresh vegetables can evoke in children. This connection to what food actually looks like and where it comes from is very important, and will undoubtedly stay with the children as they grow up. It will also teach them to differentiate between food and the foodlike substances they encounter in fast food restaurants.

During a distressing and much talked about scene in a recent episode of Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution TV series, a group of first grade school children in Huntington, West Virginia was asked to identify basic vegetables such as tomatoes, potatoes, cauliflower and eggplant. The resulting scene depicted in the dramatization revealed that the students were not able to identify a tomato, but they all knew what ketchup is!

Jamie Oliver, chef, foodie, author and television personality, has turned his attention to the United States. After he aired a series of four one hour television shows in the UK aimed at improving school lunches, the British government decided to allocate one billion dollars to revitalize the British school lunch system. Jamie’s foray into improving the quality of food available to children was successful beyond his dreams.

His latest campaign is to improve the eating habits of children in the U.S. by focusing his sights on an elementary school in Huntington, a city that reportedly has the unhealthiest population in the U.S. It has not been easy! So far, he's had to deal with a defensive radio DJ, the kitchen staff’s highly emotional connection to their deep fryer, and an entrenched attitude of "we eat what we like" regardless of the consequences.

And the consequences are grim. For the first time in two centuries, the current generation of children in the U.S. may have a shorter life expectancy than their parents, according to a report out of the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences. The report projects that the rapid rise in childhood obesity, if left unchecked, could shorten life spans by as much as five years.

No single TV series will change our eating habits and our addiction to the western diet with its focus on fat, salt and sugar. It will be particularly hard to change the eating habits of adult Americans. With a significant amount of diet related, and therefore, preventable, disease going unchecked, a mounting health care crisis seems unavoidable. But it is our responsibility to make sure we do not pass this crisis on to the next generation. This is where a family-friendly farmers market, in conjunction with more responsible school breakfast and lunch programs, can be part of the solution by teaching children about real food and what it actually looks and tastes like.

Please join us with your children every Saturday from 3 - 4:30 p.m. (note the NEW CLOSING TIME) at the Harlingen Farmers Market, 712 N. 77 Sunshine Strip in the courtyard at El Mercado Mall.