Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disorder that affects the body’s ability to regulate, and process sugar. If left untreated, it can cause heart disease, and often irreversible nerve, kidney and vision damage. Sadly, it’s on the rise in the US population, including in children.

Type 2 diabetes is directly related to childhood obesity, which is also on the increase. Both conditions are already known to disproportionately affect racial minority populations and families with socioeconomic challenges. In California, over 41% of 5th graders are currently overweight or obese, and a new CDC study reveals that nearly 1 in 5 adolescents aged 12-18 years, and 1 in 4 young adults aged 19-34 years, are also living with pre-diabetes.

Doctors predict a serious health crisis in the coming decades. The CDC has declared that of those born in the year 2000, one out of three will also develop diabetes.

A range of solutions to curb the escalating crisis have been proposed, but key ones include increased access to healthy foods in schools and also access to health education. The CDC recommends promoting ways to make kids favorite foods healthier. And that’s where we come in. We see our partnerships with schools, hospitals and youth-centered organizations as a key way to teach kids and teens that they can take control of their health outcomes by rethinking their approach to food. Even better, the solution - learning to cook easy meals from scratch with fresh ingredients - turns out to be fun, effective and delicious. We are 100% committed to our mission of reaching and teaching as many at-risk kids and teens as we possibly can!