TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- A pilot program placing salad bars in four Florida school districts was unveiled by the state's Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services and the Produce for Better Health Foundation.
A recent report shows that only 14% of school-aged children met the recommended number of daily servings for fruits, and only 17% met the target for vegetables. Simply incorporating salad bars as part of school lunch has shown to increase fruit and vegetable consumption an average of 1.2 servings per student per day, according to officials. Currently, only 21% of U.S. schools offer a salad bar at least once a week.
As part of the salad bar program, PBH plans to involve key produce distributors in Florida to encourage greater work with local school districts; to research and develop a "How To" training module on implementing sustainable salad bars and other fruit and vegetable options in Florida K-6 schools; to develop a series of seasonal marketing materials using the color theme and key marketing messages to be used on salad bars; and to develop seasonal 5 A Day messages for use in monthly menus.