What is The Future of Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools?

14-Main_Post-AD_LetsMoveFutureThanks to the commitments and efforts of many, the Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools initiative has become a favorable fixture in our industry. First Lady Michelle Obama lent the name of her “Let’s Move” initiative to this cause that, to date, has donated over 4,100 salad bars to schools across the country. And while the name and connection with the First Lady have helped the cause, there are many other factors at play that directly impact the salad bar initiative and will keep the good work going long after the Obamas leave the White House.

You see, the salad-bars-as-charity story began right around the time that our nation took a nosedive into recession. In 2009, Congress passed the huge stimulus bill that reversed the nosedive and, within that bill, the government began funding school cafeteria infrastructure and equipment (including salad bars). Then, the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 provided a huge boost to salad bars since, to remain in compliance with that legislation, schools needed to provide the nutrition and variety that salad bars and their contents deliver.

Now, the current list of schools approved for private funding but awaiting their salad bars is around 350 – the lowest it has ever been. Healthcare partners and other outside-the-industry groups like the Silicon Valley Leadership Group have ramped up visibility for the cause; while like-minded foundations and charity events like the Tour de Fresh have also made major contributions. Andrew Marshall, Director of Foundation Programs & Partnerships at the United Fresh Produce Association (UFPA) asserts that, “there’s nobody that we won’t talk to or coordinate with to advance the salad bar cause.”

In 2014, UFPA launched the United Fresh Start Foundation, which is exclusively focused on increasing kids’ access to fresh fruits and vegetables. The foundation will establish the long range goals for the salad bar program and, ultimately, drives the efforts to reach or exceed them. In short, UFPA is committed to the future of Salad Bars to Schools and therefore, the salad bar cause is here to stay.

And it’s a good thing, too. 31MM kids eat school lunches every day and these 31MM consumers are forming lifelong eating habits now. Salad bars provide kids with fresh choices, rather than the institutionalized uniformity that’s otherwise available. If it’s these choices that become habits, then future generations will actually stand a chance at overcoming many of the nutrition/health hurdles that face us today.