In recent years, programs promoting more nutrional lunch programs such as Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools have worked to make salad bars available at cafeterias around the country. However, the Boston Globe recently reported that several Boston-area schools shut down their salad bars, claiming they were too expensive to maintain. While a $3.6 million deficit is significant, many advocates of the salad bars claim it is not enough of a reason to deny students access to fresh vegetables. This is crucial, because as a recent study shows, students perform better in the classroom and eat more vegetables when they participate in cross curricular programs such as hands-on vegetable gardens in schools.
Instead of eliminating salad bars, schools should work to find more creative ways to save money. Having a school garden that utilizes an experiential learning model where students can grow and harvest their own food would not only provide students access to more affordable fresh food, but would also allow them to make a connection to where their food comes from. Educating students and having them take ownership of their food encourages them to care about both what they put in their bodies and what they put into the trash. In this way, having a nutrition program that encourages students to get involved in school gardening would not only decrease the initial cost of buying vegetables but also decrease the money wasted on uneaten food.
