Bien manger, ça s'apprend ! - La Maison des maternelles #LMDM

For more than 20 years, you have been the chef of the cuisines of the Elysée. Today, you are the ambassador of French gastronomy, the representative of Emmanuel Macron to gastronomy actors, to talk today specifically about school food. If we talk about school food in France, the canteen is a lever of well-being. Yes, it is a lever of well-being. It is the moment when children will have a sense of living together, of sharing, and where we can send messages of society, of environment, and of course of food linked to their territory. We have already received from school directors, from parents too, who tell us that the only real healthy meal that children have is often at the canteen. When in families it is more complicated, etc. Is that what you have in mind? Yes, the debate has been animated, especially with the vegetarian meal, or with different proposals that have been made for many years. We have been looking at the subject of the canteen for more than 40 years. One out of five children today in France do not eat to their heart's content. It is out of 450 million children in the world, a much larger percentage, of course. And that is why the United Nations took this initiative, by France and Finland initially, and today almost 90 countries. 90 countries that are currently in Paris. The absolute counter-example is what is done in the United States, where children go with their little sandwiches, their chips, and then they eat a little bit of grocery at lunchtime. Yes, so without flashing the good and the bad initiatives, since the goal of this coalition is really to think together about something, but what we know is that there are initiatives... So we are not going to continue with the United States. But the bad example would be that. It does not work. That is not the solution. Since today in the United States, young people under 21, almost 30% are obese. These are figures that we also compare with France. So our young people under 21, 18% of young girls are obese, 17% of young boys. That's why the president wanted to take this subject up, because it is above all a public health issue. To link with the Olympic Games in a year. Yes, there is nutrition and sport, etc. There is all this dynamic that is rather healthy. Yes, we are in a good time between the Rugby World Cup and the Olympic Games. We have created, at the initiative of all these organizations, the 15th of Gastronomy, with chefs who also accompany the festivities around rugby, an Olympic and Paralympic team of Gastronomy to accompany all this. And the president announced it. We are going to create a team of canteens in France with chefs, nutritionists, managers, producers, distributors, and all those who want to participate in the paradigm shift in our canteens. There is a whole dynamic. The Rugby World Cup is over, isn't it? No, it's not over yet. It's over for the 15th of France. Stop, it's very bad for us. Okay, we'll talk about other things. This summit has a global objective, since you gave this figure. Food insecurity affects 153 million children. The UN has become aware of the role of the school in the whole world. The goal is that in 2030, all children in the world can have this school food. Is this achievable? I don't realize it. Listen, we're trying to get there. 90 countries have mobilized. Many heads of state or delegations are in Paris for two days. In any case, the means are put in place and each country participates. After that, out of 500 million children, you said it, nearly 130 are not guaranteed, beyond food security, to go to school or even to have a school. I have been campaigning for many years for this education in food, with cooking classes at school, not to make them chefs, but simply to make them better consumers. They are today's consumers, but tomorrow's. If we want to go towards a more engaged food, in terms of society, in terms of health, and in terms of environment, it will go through the education of our children. Yes, that's it. Militant and Thierry Marx, in particular, of a more engaged food with children. What would it go through? For the parents who watch us, how can we put things in place to sensitize our children a little? So it's quite, not complex, but ... It's vast anyway. It's very vast. There are a lot of tracks that work. We know it works today. That is, we are not going on an unattainable dream. We know that there are schools that are 100% organic, they can do it. This is not applicable to all schools in France, of course. Schools can do 100% local. Schools can have a cook in each canteen, depending on the cities, regions, departments. So there are tracks that work. There is not one solution for each school, and for each child, but in any case, with good will and good sense, seasonal products, the least possible transformation, of course. Depending on all this, we can go towards a better diet. You have to ask yourself the right question every time. What I eat, what I give my child to eat, is it good for him? Is it too sweet, too fat? Too salty? Is it too salty? Is it good for the environment? Does it come from here, or is it 10,000 km away? And is it good for the one who makes it? Is there a producer behind it, or is it something ... It's a virtuous circle. We're going to boost local agriculture. Exactly, that's the goal. So if it's no to one of these questions from time to time, we can have fun. Children sometimes want to eat too fat, too sweet, and I'm a good example of that. But it must not be no ... Don't say that, Guillaume. Every time, every consumption, it must not be no every time. In fact, we have to keep it in mind and pass it on to the children. Yes, bring some common sense. Today, in our school canteens, unfortunately, nearly 70% of the fly is imported. Well, it's a gustative nonsense, first of all, ecological and economic. Why? Because it's a big machine to make move. Why? That's why France has realized, with Finland, it's not old, in 2021, to say that this coalition must be global and that, in fact, wanting to change things in France alone, it won't work. We've been trying to do it for 40 years. So today, the goal of this coalition is to take all the good will and to say, it can work, we are on the same planet, our children are all concerned, and what concerns our children concerns the children of the rest of the world too. I remember when I was little, there was soda at will, at the canteen. It no longer exists. And if you ask someone else in your family, there is even red wine. Yes, yes. Even rosé cut with water, from the mother. So still, I mean, things are evolving. Things are evolving. Over time, so we can be quite optimistic. Yes, but you have to be optimistic. In the health records, even of people born in the 70s, there is a little word on alcohol. Be careful, frankly, for children, in fact, with moderation. Yes, that's good. At least there was already this precaution. Yes, yes, yes, but I think it was in the 70s that we started to say with moderation. We mentioned here, even recently, these polls that show that, basically, there are a lot of children who don't recognize vegetables. For them, fries come out of the ground like that, beets, we don't know what it is. This is also a matter of concern. Yes, yes, yes. It's a matter of concern and the rural environment, which is no longer true today. And we realize that people who are affected in particular by obesity, who eat the least well, are people, either from rural areas or people also from a certain social category. And while it is not necessarily access to food, because in France, we still have access to food, but it is the distribution of it. And today, one in five children do not eat to their fill and almost 50% of the adult population is overweight. And when you take the figures of the United Nations, since this coalition is global, 50% of what is produced on Earth is not consumed. Between what is left for production and what is wasted, there is a part of the planet that does not eat as it should and the other part that tries to lose weight. So, that's it. It's a problem, above all, of balance and distribution. In a word, do you manage to cook for children in the Elysée? Of course. Yes? Of course, of course. We did a lot of operations, whether inside or outside. The Christmas of the Elysée, all that. Whether it's the Christmas of the Elysée for festive moments or less festive moments when we accompany associations, whether in hospitals or even in schools. It happened to me several times to follow the heads of state when they had lunch in the canteens and to go see what was going on in the canteens. And our dream would be that you would come to cook one day in the maternity home. I point out your book which is wonderful, that I have at home, Leçons de cuisine pas à pas for children. It's really wonderful and that's to do hand in hand with these children which is a good way to cook. Thank you, it's nice. It came out a few years ago. It came out a few years ago but it still works. It works well. It's a Bible to have anyway. Thank you very much Guillaume Gommet for coming here. Par chez nous, as we say.