Our goal is the every school has a salad bar as part of their school food service program so that every child from elementary school, to middle school, to high school has daily access to fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and healthy proteins.
Salad Bars to Schools (SB2S) is a granting program that provides schools and districts with salad bar equipment and support. SB2S launched in 2010 with the mission of donating salad bars to U.S. schools so that every child has daily access to fresh fruits and vegetables.
This healthy school lunch initiative was a partnership founded by the Chef Ann Foundation, National Fruit and Vegetable Alliance, United Fresh Start Foundation, and Whole Foods Market in support of Former First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! Initiative. The program is currently a partnership of the Chef Ann Foundation and Whole Kids Foundation.
While there is growing awareness of the health and educational benefits that salad bars provide to kids, many school districts are unable to afford the basic equipment needed to adopt this strategy. SB2S is committed to helping schools make this positive change.
Why salad bars? Supporting Research shows that incorporating salad bars into school lunches increases children’s consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. When offered healthy food choices, children respond by trying new items, incorporating greater variety into their diets, and increasing their daily intake of fruits and vegetables. Through these early, positive experiences, students are better prepared for a lifetime of healthy eating.
In support of these benefits, the White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity endorses the use of salad bars in schools and upgrading cafeteria equipment in order to provide healthy meals for kids. Similarly, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies determined in 2009 that America’s schools should increase fruits and vegetables at lunch to two servings in order to meet children’s basic health requirements. And in 2012, the USDA released new meal guidelines requiring 6.25 – 10 servings of fruits and vegetables weekly at lunch depending on grade level. The USDA also stated: “Salad bars continue to be a great option for meeting the meal pattern requirements, especially vegetable subgroups.”
Supporting Research
Significant supporting research from both the USDA and public groups has demonstrated that school children significantly increase their consumption of healthy fruits and vegetables when given a variety of choices via a school salad bar.
- USDA Memo – Salad Bars in the National School Lunch Program
- Salad Bar Evaluation
- Salad Bars to Schools: A Public–Private Partnership To Increase Student Fruit and Vegetable Consumption
- Center of Excellence for Training and Research Translation Evaluation Riverside (CA) Unified School District Farmers’ Market Salad Bar Program
Approved applications for a salad bar are immediately placed on a waitlist and then their team works to acquire funding for your school district as quickly as possible. Once your salad bar has been funded you will be notified via email.
Learn more about how to Get a Salad Bar.
Questions?
Contact the Salad Bars to Schools team at saladbargrant@chefannfoundation.org
