Frequently Asked Questions by...

FAQ : Parents

Q: Why would my son/daughter eat from the Salad Bar at school if he does not eat salad at home?

A: Often when salads are prepared at home, they are complete – meaning everything is already in them. A tossed salad will have cucumber and tomatoes; a Caesar salad will have the dressing, cheese, croutons, etc. already included. Kids like the idea of creating, individualizing their plate, putting on it what they like best. The salad bar allows them to do that. The salad bar is also more than just salad. Each student will have the opportunity to create a healthy lunch including three to four food groups as specified in the Canada Food Guide. Each student will also be able to choose the portion size that is best for him or her. Too often these decisions are made for them, often resulting in children eating more than is needed or having food wasted.

Q: How do you decide what to select for the Salad Bar each day?

A: The main focus of the salad bar is fresh fruits and vegetables. In order to ensure that the students are excited to eat from the salad bar, there must be variety. Cost is also an important factor and the cost of fresh fruits and vegetables is greatly influenced by seasonality. Deciding what to serve on the salad bar each day should take these two factors into consideration.

Q: What if my child does not like what is on the Salad Bar on a particular day?

A: The salad bar will have a choice of five vegetables plus lettuce, 3 fruits, 2 meat and alternative options, as well as a grain option. Your student should be able to find a combination of items from this bar that will allow him/her to have a balanced, nutritious lunch. Each student is also encouraged to try something new from the bar so that they might find a ‘new’ favourite. It is well recognized that it often takes children five to ten times seeing a new item before they are willing to try it. The salad bar provides a great opportunity for students to try new things, to try one piece or a small serving of the ‘new’ item without having to worry about eating a whole plate full.

Q: Is the Salad Bar lunch a complete meal?

A: The salad bar will have a minimum of three food groups on the bar each day, often times, however all four food groups will be represented. Students are encouraged to take options from each food group when selecting their lunch.

Q: How do I know that my child will make a variety of choices?

A: There will be supervision at the salad bar in order to ensure that students are taking a variety of foods, to encourage students to try something new as well as to ensure that students are taking appropriate portion sizes to fulfill nutritional requirements as well as to minimize waste.

Q: How much does it cost to provide the Salad Bar lunch?

A: The cost to provide the salad bar lunch falls within the recommended guidelines of $2.00 per student for the lunch program. During the pilot program, $1.00 per student was spent for fruits and vegetables and $0.50 for meats and alternatives and grain options. The remaining $0.50 was allocated for salaries and supplies. During the Pilot phase, $1.00 easily supplied a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. The schools were paid $0.50 per student to provide the protein and grain options and were able to stay within this budget throughout. It is recommended during training that the protein option include Pulses (chickpeas, black beans, pinto beans, lentils, etc.), eggs, tuna and salmon wherever possible. This will help to keep the costs reasonable and provide

Q: How much will my child have to pay?

A: Each school is responsible for setting an appropriate charge for the salad bar lunch, taking into consideration their school population, financial situation, etc. Most schools charge anywhere from $1.25 to $2.50, rarely do the cost go higher than this range. However, in Ontario, any school nutrition program receiving partial funding from the municipal and/or provincial governments are required to ensure that all students have access to this program regardless of their ability to pay.

Q: What steps do I need to take to start a Salad Bar lunch in my child’s school?

A: If you presently have a lunch program in your school, it can be as simple as deciding that your school would like to offer this healthy lunch alternative every day or a few days a week. A Salad bar unit is not necessary to offer this type of lunch option, but it does make it more convenient and ensures that all items are kept at the proper temperature while being served. Please call Joanne Porter at 416 566-8142 for your copy of the Salad Bar Lunch Manual.

If you do not presently have a lunch program in your school, you must first ensure that you have support from the school administration, teachers, parents and students. Once this is achieved, a committee should be formed representing these groups that will work with you to ensure that this program is successful. A budget should be prepared and funding sourced. In Ontario, Provincial and Municipal funding is available for grades K to 8 and Provincial only for grades 9 – 12. In Toronto, please call the Toronto Partners for Student Success and a Community Representative for your area will be happy to help you along the way. Once this foundation is set and you have volunteers are ready to work, your salad bar lunch program will be well on its way to success.

Q: How much does the salad bar cart cost?

A: The salad bar unit is a ‘Kid friendly’ sized stainless steel refrigerated unit that has storage capacity underneath for refilling while in use. It can be plugged into any household electrical outlet and fits through standard door openings. It is on wheels for easy movement and is approximately 4 feet tall and 5 ft long. The unit has fold down plate rails on three sides and a double sneeze guard to allow access on both sides of the unit. The unit was designed and made in Toronto and retails for $3,900 including standard inserts.

FAQ : School Administrators

Q: What facilities are needed to prepare the Salad Bar lunch?

A: As with any nutrition program, you must have access to washing facilities and preparation facilities. Facilities vary greatly from program to program. Some Schools are lucky enough to have a full cafeteria-style kitchen with an industrial stove and dishwasher, a large double door refrigerator, an exhaust system and large preparation surfaces. Other programs manage in a small section of a room having washing facilities, a lone refrigerator and a hot plate, while other programs use the staff room. Whatever your facility, you must be aware of the requirements of public health for preparation of food (your Community Representative can help with this) and you must have commitment from Parents and Teachers to ensure it’s success.

Q: Do we need a stove?

A: A stove is not necessary, but will certainly help in the preparation of the Meats and Alternatives and Grain Options that is necessary on the salad bar. Examples of options not needing cooking facilities are: tuna, bean, and salmon salads, hummus, whole grain breads, crackers, etc., Rice cooked in a rice steamer.

Q: What storage (for food and salad bar) facilities will be needed?

A: The salad bar unit is approximately 5ft long, 4ft high and fits through a regular door opening. It is on wheels for easy movement so can be stored quite easily in any spare space after use. Many programs store the unit in the preparation area. The unit is then moved into the hall or close by for filling prior to the lunch. Most programs offering the salad bar two to three days per week manage with only one refrigerator. Fresh produce does not always require refrigeration, especially if you will be using it within a couple of days. A cool storage area will hold most fruits and vegetables a couple of days until needed for the salad bar lunch.

Q: How many people are required to prepare the food?

A: Most programs will have one paid coordinator whose job it is to plan the menu, collect money, organize volunteers, communicate with administration and parents and ensure the food is on hand for lunch. The coordinator will then have a volunteer or two who are available to come in and help prepare on the day of the salad bar lunch.

Q: Where do we get the food?

A: FoodShare’s Field to Table has a fresh produce delivery program available to schools providing nutrition program/programs to their students. Field to Table also supplies all the produce for the Salad Bar Pilot program as well as the coordinator-training program. Produce sourced by Field to Table considers local produce when available and offers produce based on what’s available at the best cost. Many student nutrition programs also use local community fruit markets, supermarkets, etc. that they have built a relationship with. It is up to each program to decide on what works best for their circumstances, school, and budget. Your Community Representative will be able to provide options for your school, should you need assistance.

Q: How many students can the Salad Bar serve and how long will it take?

A: During the Salad Bar Pilot, most schools were able to serve upwards of 120 to 130 kids in 30 minutes from the salad bar. This time allotment allowed for students to serve themselves, guided by volunteers, the coordinator and/or other older students to ensure that the students were taking a well-balanced lunch. If a program was serving more that 120 to 130 kids, the lunch period was often split or served classroom by classroom to limit the amount of time the students spent waiting in line. These numbers served and time frames recognize that the first couple of weeks were less efficient. It will be chaotic for the first couple of weeks as the coordinator, volunteers, and students get use to the process.

Q: What is the expected preparation time?

A: At the beginning, preparation time will be 3 to 3 ½ hours with the coordinator and a couple of volunteers preparing the lunch. This time will be cut back quickly to 2 to 2 ½ hours as the coordinator gets use to the process and menu planning becomes easier. It is a balancing act planning fruits and vegetables that need to be cut versus those that don’t. Some salad bar items can also be prepared in advance to lessen what needs to be done on the day of the salad bar lunch.

Q: How much does it cost (per child) to provide the Salad Bar lunch?

A: The cost to provide the salad bar lunch falls within the recommended guidelines of $2.00 per student for the lunch program. During the pilot program, $1.00 per student was spent for fruits and vegetables and $0.50 for meats and alternatives and grain options. The remaining $0.50 was allocated for salaries and supplies. During the Pilot phase, $1.00 easily supplied a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. The schools were paid $0.50 per student to provide the protein and grain options and were able to stay within this budget throughout. It is recommended during training that the protein option include Pulses (chickpeas, black beans, pinto beans, lentils, etc.), eggs, tuna and salmon wherever possible. This will help to keep the costs reasonable and provide

Q: How much will each child have to pay?

A: Each school is responsible for setting an appropriate charge for the salad bar lunch, taking into consideration their school population, financial situation, etc. Most schools charge anywhere from $1.25 to $2.50, rarely do the cost go higher than this range. However, in Ontario, any school nutrition program receiving partial funding from the municipal and/or provincial governments are required to ensure that all students have access to this program regardless of their ability to pay.

Q: Do we have to have an established lunch program in order to participate in the Salad Bar program?

A: Most programs that have participated in the Salad Bar Pilot Program had a lunch program already established in their school. These programs are therefore receiving some portion of funding for this program either Provincially, Municipally or both. They also have established fundraising, fees, volunteer base, etc. that make including the salad bar lunch into their existing program an easier process. However due to popular demand a few schools have continued their lunch program after participating in the salad bar program. One thing to keep in mind is that in order to receive any funding, municipally or provincially, your lunch program must be offered a minimum of two days per week.

Q: How do we make the Salad Bar part of our classroom experience?

A: The Ontario Curriculum grades 1 to 8 require a ‘Healthy Eating Component’ be taught in the classroom. The salad bar lunch program can easily be incorporated into this curriculum given that the whole focus is on healthy foods.

Q: What happens at the end of the eight weeks?

A: The purpose of the eight-week pilot period is to give schools the opportunity to experience the salad bar lunch from training, planning, preparation, serving and evaluation. Hopefully at the end of the pilot, the program will continue to serve this healthy lunch to the students in some capacit

FAQ : Lunch Coordinators

Q: How do I know how much food to prepare?

A: The salad bar manual will provide some guidelines on quantities to prepare for the number of students being served. However, each school population is different. As the Coordinator, you will so develop a sense of quantities appropriate for your program. It is very important, however, to continue to provide a variety of fruits and vegetables, beans and Legumes even if the initial reaction is to by pass the selection. It will often take encouragement and seeing others try new items before a child will try something new for themselves.

Q: Is there a lot of waste?

A: As the salad bar is introduced into the school, salad bar etiquette should be discussed with the students. It is an opportunity to remind students that there are others following them in line that might also like to try the same things on the bar. They should also be reminded to take only the quantity that they can eat, what is appropriate for them. Remind them that what they don’t eat will go into the garbage and cannot be put back. As coordinator, you will also quickly become aware of the quantity required to for lunch. All these efforts will help to limit waste.

Q: What do you do with the leftovers?

A: Leftover vegetables can be used in pasta & rice salads, soups or in a stir-fry. Leftover fruit can be combined with a fruit juice to create a fruit salad, can be combined with yogurt or could be used in muffins. There are a number of ways to use leftover, be creative. However, leftovers can be controlled by adjusting quantities prepared to accommodate what is eaten on a regular basis.

Q: How many students can the Salad Bar serve without replenishing it?

A: This will depend on the container size, the food being served, and the age of the students. However, on average, the salad bar should be able to accommodate 80 students, perhaps replenishing only the most popular items.

Q: Do I have to go to the training in order to get the Salad Bar at my school? And if so, how long is the training?

A: All Coordinators participating in the pilot are required to take a two-day training session. The first day will discuss the pilot details, financial arrangements, commitments and objectives. The coordinators will have an opportunity to share information with others from different programs, discuss opportunities and challenges anticipated with the salad bar pilot, discuss menu planning, and the delivery service from Field to Table. The features of the salad bar unit will be reviewed, kitchen safety will be discussed and preparation for day two will finish the day. Day two will be straight to the kitchen to prepare the salad bar for lunch.

Q: What will I put on the Salad Bar in mid January when the prices are high?

A: One section that is included in your manual and will also be discussed in the seasonality of fruits and vegetables. It is possible to serve fresh fruits and vegetables all year round at a reasonable price if you are aware of when the produce is in season and therefore at it’s cheapest price. This provides the opportunity to expand your knowledge of the produce available as you look to serve seasonal items in the salad bar.

Q: Who will help me once we get started?

A: The program manager for the pilot will be available to help during the pilot phase as will your Community Representative from the Toronto Partners for Student Nutrition. Field to Table will also be available to answer any questions you have on Produce and preparation. There are a number of people that are available to help during as well as after the pilot phase.

FAQ : Students

Q: I hate lettuce salad. Why would I choose to eat from the Salad Bar?

A: The salad bar lunch is much more than just lettuce salad. Lettuce is sometimes served as is spinach, mescaline mix, and other leafy vegetables. There are also 5 vegetables, 3 fruit, two protein options (bean salads, hummus, etc.) and one grain option (pasta salad, rice, pita bread, etc.) that will provide you a well-balanced healthy lunch. The best part is you choose what you would like for lunch from the options provided and you also choose how much.

Q: Do I have to eat one of everything?

A: No, you do not have to eat one of everything, the choice is yours. In order to have a balanced lunch, it would be good to choose a few choices from both vegetables and fruits, and one choice from the protein and grain options. Just remember to try to take a serving size – for example: a serving of fruit would be one apple, peach or banana or two half pieces, two plums or a ½ glass of fruit juice; a serving of vegetables would be 4-5 pieces of broccoli, cauliflower or mini carrots, a regular size potato; a serving of protein would be a scoop of beans or bean salad, a big spoonful of tuna or salmon salad, or one egg; a serving of grain would be ½ a whole grain bagel, 1 slice of whole grain bread, ½ cup of brown rice or pasta; a serving of milk product would be 1 slice of cheese about the size of two thumbs, a glass of milk, a small bowl of yogurt.