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‘Salad Bars to Schools’ Campaign Puts Produce Back in the Lunch Line | Health | Change.org var $j = jQuery.noConflict(); var _gaq = [["_trackPageview","/blog/view/salad_bars_to_schools_campaign_puts_produce_back_in_the_lunch_line"]]; // Environment Variables var ENV = {}; ENV['BITLY_LOGIN'] = ‘change’; ENV['BITLY_API_KEY'] = ‘R_b0212d1925f49ac025bdc40b95931393′; ENV['GA_USER_TYPE'] = ‘Guest’;
How do you get kids to eat more fruits and vegetables? It’s an age-old question that — given the health problems and junk food options facing our kids — has undergone a renewed and heightened interest. The latest answer comes in the form of a simple solution: the salad bar.
A coalition of farming groups and healthy nutrition advocates launched a new initiative yesterday that wants to put 6,000 salad bars in schools throughout the nation over the next three years. The “Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools” supports first lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign, which is tackling childhood obesity through a variety of nutrition and physical education measures.
Aiming to make apples and spinach as ubiquitous in schools as tator tots and corn dogs, the Salad Bars to School Coalition brings together industry, foundations and health advocates. The founding partners include the National Fruit and Vegetable Alliance, the United Fresh Produce Association Foundation and the Food Family Farming Foundation, which was founded by chef and healthy food advocate Ann Cooper, aka, the “Renegade Lunch Lady.” Cooper recently partnered up with Whole Foods to raise 1.4 million to establish a grant program to put salad bars in schools. The new initiative will take this idea a step further, aiming to raise $15 million dollars and put produce bars in thousands of schools.
Michelle Obama made the announcement of the public-private partnership yesterday at Riverside Elementary School in Miami, Fl. the first salad bar recipient. She complimented the students on their tomatoes, eggplants and kale from the school garden and noted that eating vegetables can improve learning and brain functioning.
School gardens are becoming more commonplace, but produce eating habits are still trailing behind. A recent report by Produce for Better Health Foundation found that children ages 6 to 12 consume an average of 1.43 cups of fruits and vegetables a day, well below the recommended 2-1/2 to 4-1/2 cups. Teens aren’t much better — while they should be consuming 4 to 6 cupsof produce a day, they average below 2.
A diet high in fruits and vegetables provides numerous health benefits for kids and adults alike — lowered risk of cancers, stroke, heart disease, diabetes and other chronic diseases.
Despite their benefits, the salad bars are not without controversy. Grist.org reports that some schools refuse to install salad bars for food-safety reasons — kids might spread disease because they’re too short for the “sneeze-guards” on most salad bars and some fear they’ll use their hands to pick up cucumber slices and carrot sticks, rather than utensils.
Might these concerns be a bit paranoid? “As far as I’ve found out, there are no documented disease outbreaks from school salad bars. By and large, this is not a high risk area,” Chef Cooper told Grist.
The real challenge will be to ensure that schools are able to afford putting in the salad bars (hence the $15 million fundraiser) and that kids do pick salad over other, less healthy options. As the First Lady told Riverside Elementary School yesterday, presentation can go a long way.
“We have here this beautiful salad bar, because what we’ve also found is that if you take vegetables and you organize them in a pretty, delicious way, kids like you may actually eat them more — because it looks kind of cool, doesn’t it?”
Grant eligibility applications for the Salad Bars to Schools campaign are being accepted January 1, 2011 and donations to the program help buy salad bar equipment of schools.
Photo credit: angela n.
Brie Cadman is Change.org’s health editor. Previous professions include biochemist, clinical trial coordinator, indoor air pollution researcher and farm hand. She earned her Master of Public Health from U.C. Berkeley.
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Nov 23, 2010 @ 06:16PM PT Max Helmberger
Serve lots of really spicy vegetables like jalapeños and habaneros. Kids will dare each other to eat them.
Humor aside, I think a sandwich bar might be a better option. Speaking as a kid and from experiences with other kids, we don’t really like eating too many vegetables plain and by themselves (with some exceptions, like baby carrots). But in a sandwich, we really don’t care as long as there’s some good bread and some (lean) meats and cheeses.
Another good idea would be to offer more exotic options of vegetables, instead of the typical rubbery iceberg lettuce, slimy tomato slices, and mushy corn and peas that kids will just end up throwing in the trash anyway. Kids are adventurous, and most’ll try anything once.
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Nov 23, 2010 @ 07:18PM PT Marty Kassowitz
It will take more than just installing the salad bars. The “alternatives” have to be removed. There’s a reason junk food is so prevelant in many schools. It is just too easy to use. It takes little effort to provide. A school in Appleton, WI removed all the junk food and vending machines years ago. The long term results were a revelation: http://organicconnectmag.com/wp/2010/07/can-we-cut-crime-by-changing-cafeteria-menus/
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Nov 24, 2010 @ 01:15AM PT M. Laridon
Hmm, seems like nutritious food would outway possible disease spread risks, though like Marty says, taking away some of the less healthy alternatives would help too. Corn dogs and soggy pizza can’t be that good for the immune system.
Doesn’t hurt to try an make the veggies a little more exciting as Max says either, bell peppers are pretty tasty when grilled for example. Tortilla’s with some grill veggies are fairly cheap and quick.
Nice to see some effort put into healthier school food, long overdue.
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