I still remember the day my school in England switched from old-fashioned plates of meat and veg to our new menu of burgers, fries, and other fast fare from which then-PM Margaret Thatcher had decreed we could choose. Frankly, as a picky teenager, I was thrilled.

Today, as a 44-year-old mother and former cancer patient who still struggles with the weight she put on from a steady diet of junk, not so much.

That's why I'm delighted to announce the Slow Foods USA Time for Lunch campaign, which is holding what has to be a first: Potluck/sit-ins in every state on Labor Day, September 7.

This is our chance to sign a petition, attend or organize a potluck, and otherwise demand that America's schools be given the resources to stop feeding our kids garbage: Not just fast food, but also cheap-o ingredients like corn-fed everything, battery eggs, and alleged cheese. Giving kids real food: What a concept. And the money spent on feeding kids properly will more than repay itself in reduced medical costs. That's a point that could not be more timely, given President Obama's concern with preventative care as we reform our health care system.