WASHINGTON, D.C. – Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools (LMSB2S) announced that salad bars have been donated to more than 1,000 California schools. The salad bars benefit more than 700,000 students every day by increasing their access to fresh fruits and vegetables at school lunch. The Golden State leads the nation with the most salad bars in schools.
The announcement was made at an education and agriculture forum in Salinas, CA with Tom Torlakson, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, California Department of Education, a champion of school salad bars. Three years ago, Superintendent Torlakson challenged LMSB2S to reach the goal of 1,000 California schools. That goal has now been surpassed – 1,018 schools from all over the state receiving salad bars.
Margaret D’Arrigo-Martin, Vice President Community Development, Taylor Farms Inc., and a co-chair of United Fresh Produce Association’s 2013 Let’s Move Salad Bars to California Schools campaign, made this announcement:
“On behalf of the Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools campaign, I’m thrilled to announce today that salad bars have now been donated to more than 1,000 California schools. The salad bars benefit more than 700,000 California students every day by increasing their access to a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, many grown right here in the Salinas Valley.
Three years ago, Superintendent Torlakson, you set a goal of 1,000. LMSB2S has surpassed that goal – 1,018 CA schools have now received salad bars from LMSB2S!
Thank you for your leadership. And, thank you to my colleagues in the produce and grocery industry, and to California health and business foundations for their generous contributions to reach this important milestone for our kids.”
“At a time when most children still eat less than half of the daily amount of fruits and vegetables recommended for good health, school salad bars are a powerful tool to increase student’s fruit and vegetable consumption. Salad bars are also one of the easiest ways for schools to meet the new school lunch standards, which require serving a greater variety and amount of fruits and vegetables every day,” said Dr. Lorelei DiSogra, Vice President, Nutrition & Health, United Fresh Produce Association. “We very much appreciate our partnership with Superintendent Torlakson and his staff at the California Department of Education. Nationwide, more than 4,000 schools have received salad bars from Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools.”
The goal of Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools is to increase student’s fruit and vegetable consumption by donating salad bars to schools. The campaign supports First lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative to improve children’s health and end childhood obesity. LMSB2S was founded by the Chef Ann Foundation, United Fresh Start Foundation, Whole Kids Foundation and the National Fruit and Vegetable Alliance. For more information about how schools can apply for a salad bar, visit www.saladbars2schools.org.
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About the Chef Ann Foundation The Chef Ann Foundation was founded in 2009 by Ann Cooper, an internationally recognized author, chef, educator, public speaker, and advocate of healthy food for all children. Chef Ann founded the organization to help schools transition to healthier school food. To-date their programing has reached over 2,000,000 children across the country with its flagship program The Lunch Box providing schools and districts with free tools and resources to help them create healthy and delicious scratch-cooked meals made with fresh, whole food. As a 501(c) 3 nonprofit organization, the Chef Ann Foundation is grateful to their generous supporters and friends who help them carry out this mission.
About the United Fresh Start Foundation
The United Fresh Start Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) not-for-profit organization focused exclusively on increasing children’s access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Affiliated with the United Fresh Produce Association, the Foundation is committed to helping today’s kid’s achieve the public health goal to make half their plate fruits and vegetables in order to live longer and healthier lives. We work to create an environment in which kids have easy access to high-quality, great-tasting and affordable fresh fruits and vegetables, whenever and wherever they are choosing snacks or a meal. To learn more: http://www.unitedfresh.org/nutrition/united-fresh-start-foundation/
About Whole Kids Foundation
Whole Kids Foundation, a Whole Foods Market foundation, is based in Austin, Texas, and operates as an independent, nonprofit organization. Its mission is to improve children's nutrition and wellness, with the goal of ending the childhood obesity epidemic. Through partnerships with innovative organizations, schools and educators, the foundation works to provide children access to healthier choices and aims to help children reach their full potential through the strength of a healthy body. To learn more about Whole Kids Foundation and its salad bar and garden grant programs, visit www.wholekidsfoundation.org.
About the National Fruit and Vegetable Alliance
The National Fruit & Vegetable Alliance (NFVA) is a national alliance of public and private partners working collaboratively to increase nationwide access to and demand for all forms of fruits and vegetables for improved public health. The vision of NFVA is that fruits and vegetables comprise half of the food that Americans eat. For a list of NFVA members, see www.nfva.org/about.html.
Source: United Fresh Produce Association