Programs that deliver produce from local farms directly to
schools are a good way to get kids to eat more greens, according to
a new study by the University of California.
Hollister – Programs that deliver produce from local farms directly to schools are a good way to get kids to eat more greens, according to a new study by the University of California.
“When a variety of fruits and vegetables is offered, kids take them,” said Dr. Gail Feenstra, one of the authors of the study.
Feenstra’s team took photos of what the kids selected during the study and found that the biggest reason more kids were choosing fruits and veggies was that they had the freedom to decide what to put on their plate. The research team tracked what elementary age children in Davis picked at salad bars and found that they chose more fruits and vegetables than usually found in typical cafeterias.
“Some chose lots of salad with tomatoes, others lots of oranges with a little bit of chicken and others all fruit. When you add it all up over the course of the week, it’s pretty darn good,” she said.
Although some districts in San Benito County get produce from farmers in the region, none have created a similar program, largely because many do not have their own kitchen facilities where they can store and prepare perishable goods. Another reason districts have overlooked farm-to-school salad bars, or even regular ones, are the added costs of monitoring them to make sure kids don’t throw the food or pick up items and put them back.
“A salad bar would require more supervision than we have funding for,” said Janie Cecena, cafeteria manager for the Aromas -San Juan Unified School District.
That doesn’t mean schools don’t serve salads to kids, but if they do, they are usually prepared ahead of time by cafeteria workers. San Benito High School is slated to begin a salad bar this spring and will use some local produce, such as Salinas’ Fresh Express and Earthbound Farms in the San Juan Valley, said Dawn Snyder, the food service manager at the district. Although San Benito High is interested in contracting with organic growers, they tend to lean towards bigger producers because they are better equipped to provide a constant supply of food, she said.
Getting the food is just one aspect of a food managers’ job and when the produce trucks leave, they face tough decisions about how to create menus both appetizing and nutritious.
“Kids are picky eaters,” said Cassie Freeman, manager of food services for the Hollister School District.
The program is not hard to implement, but it does take a concerted effort by parents to make it a reality, said Feenstra.
“You have to have parents who are well-connected to the agricultural community to make this happen,” said Feenstra.
“School personnel are so busy with other things, they really need additional help.”
