Jamie Oliver's TED Prize Wish: a Movement to Fight Obesity

Jamie Oliver, internationally recognized chef and food activist, has been granted one wish and given $100,000 to make it come true. Like the genie in the bottle, the prize committee at the TED innovation conference, happening now in California, has told him to set his imagination wild. As winner of the 2010 TED Prize, he must follow in the footsteps of inspirational thinkers and aim high.

“I wish for your help to create a strong, sustainable movement to educate every child about food, inspire families to cook again and empower people everywhere to fight obesity,” he said at the prize ceremony Wednesday.

Aiming high, check. That is no small wish, but luckily there's a plan that goes along with it. According to the TED blog, Oliver will establish an organization that will spark a popular movement to get people to change unhealthy eating habits. How, exactly? Through a network of community kitchens, a traveling theater troop that will engage both kids and adults in issues of food and cooking, and an online community. Of course you can't forget where all the unhealthy food comes from in the first place, so it's good news that the movement will also target corporations to help "change the culture of junk food."

This is a big and important topic, one that's all the more timely since Michelle Obama announced her Let's Move campaign to combat childhood obesity in the US on Tuesday.

TED Curator Chris Anderson summed up the widely accepted stance on this problem when he said in an interview that "...the issue of obesity, both in the US and worldwide, is a very big deal." So Oliver was a natural choice. "We were interested in finding an inspirational figure who could address that," said Anderson.

I, for one, have faith that this remarkable young chef is up to the job.

Photo courtesy of really short via Flickr