As part of a United Fresh Produce Association initiative committed to increasing healthier food options for students, Dole Food Company and local grocery retailer Marc's have partnered to donate a new salad bar to Saint Ambrose Catholic School in Brunswick, Ohio.
The salad bar, unveiled at a dedication ceremony today in the school’s cafeteria, is the first to be implemented by the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland, and will feature a wide array of fresh fruits and vegetables to boost nutritious choices for students at breakfast and lunch.
“One in three children between ages nine to 11, is at risk or already overweight. That’s unacceptable and we need to look at new ways to encourage healthier eating,” said Bil Goldfield, Dole’s director of corporate communications. “Dole prides itself on the fresh flavour of its produce and using that to start the nutrition conversation early in childhood by introducing fruit and vegetables as healthy food options. By providing salad bars that will enable schools to offer a variety of produce choices each day, we are hopefully establishing healthier eating habits that will last a lifetime.”
“Making nutritious food choices is the foundation of a healthy lifestyle, and it’s important to form these habits early in childhood,” noted Lisa Cinadr, principal of Saint Ambrose Catholic School. “We are excited that this salad bar can reinforce childhood nutrition messages by providing fresh fruits and vegetables for our students during mealtimes.”
“Marc’s is known throughout Northeast Ohio for offering high quality, fresh groceries so we’re pleased to partner with Dole to make fresh fruits and vegetables more accessible to students in our community,” said Kevin Yaugher, president of the Cleveland-based retailer. “Our goal is to truly impact the lives of local students through this salad bar.”
The salad bars were arranged through a partnership with the United Fresh Start Foundation to support Salad Bars to Schools, a programme which has donated salad bars to more than 5,000 schools over the last seven years and is benefiting 3m children with increased access to fresh produce.
The United Fresh Start Foundation works with the produce industry, foundations and allied businesses to support salad bars for schools nationwide, promoting salad bars as the most effective strategy for increasing children’s produce consumption at school.
“We are pleased to assist Saint Ambrose Catholic School to begin implementing salad bars in this region of Ohio,' said Tom Stenzel, president and CEO, United Fresh Produce Association. 'Kids like fresh fruits and vegetables and when given the opportunity to make their own choices from a school salad bar, they will select and eat more fresh produce.
“Salad bars are a visual representation of healthy school meals, and this much-needed equipment is often a ‘conversation starter’ amongst students, school administrators and parents about the importance of eating more fresh fruits and vegetables for better health,' Stenzel added.
