Salad Bars Move into Local Schools

Students at Baldwin Elementary School and other Manassas City schools will be eating healthier thanks to a federal grant that will bring salad bars to area school cafeterias,  the school system has announced.   

The schools recently participated in the National School Lunch Program and was therefore eligible to apply for the Great American Salad Bar grant.

Four Manassas City schools were selected as winners for the grant and will now receive a portable, 72-inch, 5-well insulated salad bar with all the necessary trimmings.

 Any school district or individual school could apply for the grant as long as they participated in the National School Lunch Program.

Cecily Anthony, Director of Food and Nutrition Services for Manassas City Public Schools, said six of the eight city schools were eligible to apply for the grant. Out of the six, four were awarded the grant, including Baldwin. The other three schools that will be getting the salad bar include: Metz Middle School, Haydon Elementary School and Jennie Dean Elementary School.

 Anthony said she is working on applying on behalf of the remaining two schools in the system, so all schools have may have access to healthier foods.

 Baldwin is the first school to have received the salad bar and Anthony said it is expected to be set up this week and ready to use by the last week of Feb. or first week of March. 

The salad bar will not increase lunch rates for families, Anthony said,  and students who are part of the schools’ Free and Reduced Lunch Program will have access to the salad bar as well.

According to Anthony, about 52 percent of students applied for the free or reduced meal plan. The program allows students of income eligible families to get a full meal at a reduced price.

The salad bar is part of a larger wellness policy the school system has adopted. Anthony, who is also a chef, said the schools have been focused on providing healthier options for students, including more whole grain products, low-fat dairy products,  sauces with lower sodium and more fruits and vegetables.

Anthony said the schools’ Food and Nutrition Services is focused on how they can serve students the foods they like in a healthier way and have done this by using more whole grain ingredients in traditional student fair such as chicken nuggets and fish sticks. 

When asked if looming budget cuts would affect the schools’ focus on healthier eating habits, Anthony said the program is in a good position because the schools’ Food and Nutrition Services has access to outside revenue, such as grants and reimbursement from state and federal governments for meeting certain nutrition requirements.

The White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity has endorsed schools using salad bars and upgrading cafeteria equipment to support providing healthier foods to children. And, just recently, the president signed a nutritional bill in response to too many students not having access to healthy food.

The Great American Salad Bar Project was started in order to increase the consumption of healthier foods such as fruits and vegetables by offering them to students on a daily basis. 

"Manassas City Public Schools seeks ways to increase student access to multiple fruits and vegetables while providing experiences that can shape healthy habits outside of school,” Anthony said.

To learn more about the grant or about donating to the program at Baldwin Elementary School, visit: http://saladbars2schools.org/ and click on “Donate Now”.