C is for carrots, community gardens, and co-ops: A thematic analysis of the ways in which Sesame Street tackles nutrition, sustainability, and social justice

In the realm of entertainment education and media studies, there is a sizable amount of research linking children's nutrition and early educational television shows. However, there is a paucity of work that attempts to connect nutrition with sustainability and/or social justice in the context of children's educational television. The portrayal of these issues in the media is incredibly significant, especially in regards to children and their understanding of these complex topics, as it has the potential to serve as a catalyst for social change. Sesame Street is one of the most popular programs used to study the connection between nutrition and children's education, though it too fails to incorporate the other aspects of food, such as the role of food in maintaining cultural identity, as well as issues pertaining to sustainability and social justice. In my research, I have thematically analyzed the ways in which Sesame Street relays, or does not relay, important messages about nutrition, sustainability, and social justice to its viewers.