Salad bars increase compliance issues:
Salad Bars can actually decrease compliance issues. With the rollout of the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act, the USDA enacted guidelines on the amount of whole grains, protein, fruit, and vegetables that must be offered or served at lunch. Further, the guidelines dictate the various colors that must be served during the course of a week—salad bars help assure these guidelines can be easily met. When your reimbursable lunch includes a salad bar, you must have a salad bar recipe, which ensures that all the items that are on the salad bar become part of the meal’s recipe. The recipe and the salad bar production record are explained in the above-mentioned guide as well as in the Salad Bar section of the Lunch Box. But to put it simply, when fruit and vegetables are served from your salad bar and are included in the recipe that meets the weekly color guidelines, your salad bar assures compliance. Whole grains and protein can augment your lunch entrees in the same fashion, which allows for menu flexibility.  In Boulder Valley’s schools, all of our salad bars always include: a whole grain salad, three types of protein, and vegetable colors that assure compliance. It really works! The Lunch Box provides salad bar recipes, whole grain salad recipes, and salad dressing recipes.
Students are too slow at the salad bar:
I often hear that schools can’t implement salad bars because it takes too long for the students to make their choices and that it “holds-up’ the line. I believe that we need to extend lunch periods as opposed to make all of the food we serve “fast-food.” But until then, this too is an education issue. Both students and food service workers need to be trained and educated on efficiencies. Once students understand the procedures, they can move through the lines in a timely fashion, making their choices and still having time to eat.
Salad bars don’t increase ADP:
Salad Bars are one of the best initial changes a school district can make to show their community that they’re making positive change in their food program. Implementing salad bars in schools gives students choice; allowing them to taste new flavors, expand their pallets, and begin to enjoy healthy food. Salad Bars help increase participation as parents see healthy, fresh food being offered to their children, and as students are allowed to make their own choices from the salad bar. In our most recent evaluation, 68% of schools that implemented salad bars saw an increase in ADP.
There’s so much more to learn about salad bars, from procurement to marketing, training, and financial management, all of which can be accessed on the Lunch Box in the Salad Bar section.
I hope you’re inspired to implement salad bars in your schools. They are truly the best way to get kids eating more fruits and vegetables!
