Determined to transform the way students eat, Chef Jamie Oliver’s campaign to improve school lunches began in 2004 at one school in southeast London, bringing public attention to the massive amounts of processed foods being served to children. The British government responded by pledging a total of 650 million British pounds (or nearly U.S. $1 billion) to improve school menus and train school catering staffs.

In 2009, Oliver’s crusade came to the United States through his latest television series, “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution,” which aired Friday nights on ABC. Like the food Oliver found in the UK, the American diet of processed food contributes to the obesity problem.

In the U.S., Oliver began his journey in Huntington, W.Va, ranked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as the unhealthiest city in America. It’s not surprising when you watch the show and see that in Huntington schools, French fries are considered a vegetable and pizza is an acceptable breakfast food. Oliver’s food and healthy eating philosophy is essentially about achieving a sense of balance: lots of the fresh food, loads of variety and the odd indulgence every now and then.

“This food revolution is about changing the way we eat. We need to start cooking again, to make sure our children don’t grow up on a diet of processed food, at school or at home, and so they won’t have to battle obesity and diet-related illnesses when they grow up. America needs to do something now, before it’s too late,” Oliver said.

Oliver isn’t the only person trying to bring awareness to the poor quality of what American children eat at school. In her blog, “Fed Up With School Lunch,” Mrs. Q — the pen name of an Illinois teacher — is eating the lunches served in her school’s cafeteria every day of 2010 and blogging about it. Mrs. Q is not a chef or a nutritionist, just a mother and a teacher concerned for the health of children. Guest bloggers, including other mothers and teachers, concerned students and some in the school food industry, also contribute regularly.

On April 9, Mrs. Q blogged that when Jamie Oliver changed school lunches in the UK, absences went down. Students who eat healthier are sick less frequently, and schools get funding based on average daily attendance, making more money for the schools a side benefit of healthy school lunches.

Sales of supermarket bakery cookies remain strong, according to a review conducted by the Perishables Group FreshFacts. Time-starved shoppers continue to turn to store bakery cookies out of convenience and because many schools now prohibits home-baked goods in the classroom. Cookies captured just under 10 percent of total supermarket bakery department sales nationwide over a one-year period.

58
Within the cookie category, percent of bakery department dollar share attributed to “everyday” cookies.

16
Within the cookie category, percent of bakery department dollar share attributed to iced cookies.

7
Within the cookie category, percent of bakery department dollar share attributed to specialty cookies.

5
Within the cookie category, percent of bakery department dollar share attributed to “message” cookies.

<4
Within the cookie category, percent of bakery department dollar share attributed to mini and filled cookies and doughs/mixes.

$1,570
Average retail value of cookies sold during the peak week of the year at supermarkets surveyed (week of Dec. 20, 2009).

What is the high point and last course of any meal? Dessert of course! The latest “What’s-hot” trend in after dinner treats include miniature desserts, drinkable desserts, less sugar and fat, and retro classic childhood sweets.

Recently, the National Restaurant Association surveyed more than 1,000 chefs about the hottest menu trends in the U.S. today. The overwhelming winner—bite-sized desserts. A full 85 percent of chefs rated delectable mini-sweets as “hot.” The trend is toward individuality. Blame it on the cupcake, which brought attention to the individual dessert trend.

Executive Chef Robert McGowan said individual portion size desserts are one of the biggest trends for 2010.

“People who dine out every day want something sweet at the end of their meal, but they are not ready to jump into the $6 dessert that’s going to put them over the top,” said McGowan. “I think we want the real thing, but we’re not going to go so big. Maybe a little smaller portion is still cutting the calories in the long run, but at least what you had tastes very good.”

In addition to serving classic milk shakes, pastry chefs are now experimenting with flavors and ingredients to create innovative liquid desserts served in fancy goblets. Glasses are used to show off dramatic layered desserts of jewel-colored fruits and vegetables that require a spoon, not a fork.

Trendy and childhood-inspired desserts like apple pie and rice pudding bring back fond memories and keep us turning to comfort foods with pleasure. Chefs are looking to old-school treats like Twinkies and Moon Pies for inspiration, and coming up with their own versions, minus the preservatives.

Getting away from elaborate baked desserts is another trend. Refreshing fruit desserts, such as a salad of sliced oranges or strawberries drizzled with balsamic vinegar, end a meal on a lighter note.

Trendy and often served as a first course, granitas are fancy ice beverages that also work well as a light dessert or a refreshing palate-cleansing pause in a multi-course dinner. As a dessert, granitas can be served in sherbet glasses with fruit. Guests can spoon scraped granita over the fruit like syrup.

The biggest trend in pastry arts, and one that is projected to have a lasting impact on the American dining scene, is the development of the standalone dessert bar, such as Finale in Boston, Sugar in Chicago and Chickalicious in New York. These late-night outlets are perfect for post-theatre and filmgoers.

What remains certain is desserts continue to be popular and will keep their staying power wherever the food trends lead. They may be smaller and lighter, but they are still sweet and delicious and are a great way to cap any meal.