www.health.state.mn.us/fts
National campaign: www.saladbars2schools.org
Outline
 What
is the Let’s Move Salad Bars to
School Campaign?
 Why
Salad Bars?
 Food
Safety Implications
Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools Launch
November 22, 2010
Riverside Elementary School, Miami
Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools is…

A comprehensive grassroots public health effort to
mobilize and engage stakeholders at the local, state
and national level to support salad bars in schools

National Goal – donate 6,000 salad bars to schools by
the end of 2013

MN Goal- 120 salad bars donated by 2013
Bottom Line: This is a funding
mechanism for equipment
Whole Foods Market
& The Lunchbox (F3)
• Raised $1.4 million
• Donated 560+ salad bars
United Fresh Produce
Association
• Donated over 100 salad bars in 12 states
Why is this so important
to leaders?
Childhood Obesity on the Rise

Nearly one-third of children and adolescents
are overweight or obese.
Ogden, C.L., Carroll, M.D., Curtin, L.R., Lamb, M.M., and Flegal, K.M. (2010). Prevalence of
high body mass index in US children and adolescents, 2007-2008. JAMA. 303(3):242-249.

“Obesity is the leading medical reason why
young adults are unable to join the military,
with one in four too overweight to enlist” Admiral
Barnett
“Efforts to improve school nutrition and get
junk food out of schools are critical to
reducing childhood obesity and ultimately
improving national security.” General Hawley
www.missionreadiness.org
Children eat too many of the high
calorie foods and not enough of
the healthy foods
 Less
than 1 in 5
Minnesota 6th-9th
graders eat the
recommended
amounts of fruits
and vegetables
daily
If we keep going in the same
direction…
 It
is estimated that
this generation will
be the first whose
life expectancy is
shorter than their
parents
 Health care costs
may reach 50% of
our GNP by 2050
If we keep doing the same thing, we
will get the same results…
Programs
have not
worked
 We
in:



need changes
Our environments
How things get
done (systems)
Our policies or
rules
Changing the food environment through
salad bars has shown:
 When
offered
choices, children
will:




Try new foods
Decrease waste
Increase the variety in
their diet
Increase their fruit and
vegetable
consumption
 Salad bars can:
 Increase revenue for
school meal programs
 Improve the public
perception of school
meal programs
 Increase school meal
participation
Salad Bars Make it Easy to Make
Half Your Plate Fruits and
Vegetables
But wait…
 How
do we get this
done safely?
 What
are the
policies or rules
affecting our ability
to support our
children’s health
Produce Benefits
The benefits of consuming fresh
produce far outweigh the risks

Produce safety is important

Food safety risks can be minimized
Salad Bar initiative required
collaboration to find consensus on the
rules and systems for optimal health
Department of
Health:
-Environmental
Health
-Office of Statewide
Health Improvement
 University of MN
Extension
 Department of
Agriculture
 Department of
Education

Salad Bar Food Safety Fact Sheet
Fact Sheet Highlights




Self-service bars are allowed as part of a
reimbursable meal for participants in the
National School Lunch Program
If using a non-mechanically cooled salad bar,
you must use time as a public health control
Schools should work with their local health
inspector to minimize food safety risks
Handwashing as a critical prevention step for
both staff and students
Highlights continued…
 Education
of students and staff essential
to success
 Proper preparation to avoid
contamination
 Recommendation that leftovers be
minimized by good planning and
discarded after service or if saved, used in
a cooked product the next day
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/hpcd/chp/cdrr/nut
rition/docsandpdf/SchoolSaladBarSafety.pdf
A Pause for Questions…
A little more about the Let’s
Move Salad Bars to Schools in
Minnesota
Food Management July, 2010
http://ns.spps.org/sites/3045cf14-0431-4dc4-af6fc79a83745084/uploads/FoodManagement.pdf
In Minnesota we are Raising the Bar by:
 Providing
support for schools in the application
 Initiating fundraising
 Making available Best Practices and other
resource materials from our own MN stars
 Creating a salad bar etiquette educational
video for students by students
 140 school food service and other professionals
in MN have participated in intensive Produce
Safety University workshops across MN
 Additional training and support
will be taking place
Reproducible
Materials
Schools/Districts Must Apply
Online
1
page online application, including a
superintendent letter of support
 District or school applications
 Priority goes to:


Healthier US Schools Challenge (HUSSC)
Awardees
All schools in NSLP – prioritized based on %
free/reduced & commitment to salad bars
Reminder: If you don’t apply,
you can’t receive
Sample Form
Letter:
Nutrition staff
requesting
support of
Superintendant

http://www.health.state.mn.us
/divs/hpcd/chp/cdrr/nutrition/
FTS/saladbars-schools.html
LMSB2S Salad Bar Package
 Cambro
portable 72” 5-well
insulated salad bar with two
tray rails (regular or low
height)*


Buffet Camchillers®
Translucent polypropylene food
pans
 16
x 9” Scalloped serving
tongs
* Vollrath electric (mechanically cooled)
salad bar also available by special request
Examples of Best Practices
Resources

Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools (National):
http://saladbars2schools.org/

Minnesota Department of Health - Let's Move Salad Bars to
Schools:
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/hpcd/chp/cdrr/nutritio
n/FTS/saladbars-schools.html

National Food Service Management Institute “Handling
Fresh Produce on Salad Bars”:
http://nfsmi.org/documentlibraryfiles/PDF/20110822025744.
pdf

Salad Bars - The Lunch Box Guide:
http://www.thelunchbox.org/sites/default/files/Salad%20Ba
rs-The%20Lunch%20Box%20Guide_v1_0.pdf

Christine Twait, MS RD
651-201-5095
[email protected]
Thank You…
with special thanks to Deb Durkin,
Jim Topie, Suzanne Driessen, Kara
Mitterholzer, Katherine Simon, Deb
Lukonen and all the other reviewers of
the “Safe Use of Salad Bars in Schools”
fact sheet.
Lisa Gemlo, MPH, RD, LD
[email protected]
651-201-3537