Wenatchee, Washington, USA
September 21, 2016
Sunnyslope Elementary students receive new salad bar and participate in apple variety taste test
In this photo, L to R are: Tony Freytag, Chairman, United Fresh Produce Association and Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Cashmere, WA based Crunch Pak Jennifer Maloney, Bayer Crop Science Food Chain Sustainability Manager Kent Getzin, Food Service Director, Wenatchee Public Schools) Sunnyslope Elementary Students (4-5 graders) Tate Mathison – Director of Sales, Stemilt Growers David Perkins, Principal, Sunnyslope Elementary School
Bayer, in partnership with the United Fresh Start Foundation, is providing a new salad bar to Sunnyslope Elementary School, Wenatchee Public Schools. To promote the new salad bar, the announcement was made at a special assembly for 4th and 5th grade students, where they taste tested 3 new Stemilt apple varieties, and voted on their favorite tasting apple.
“The new salad bar will allow us to replace our old equipment, and provide students with an attractive display of fresh fruits and veggies every day,” said David Perkins, Principal, Sunnyslope Elementary School. “Our district’s foodservice team does a fantastic job sourcing local produce and offering different veggie choices. The salad bar will definitely highlight that.”
Bayer has committed $20,000 to the United Fresh Start Foundation, in support of their mission to increase children’s access to fresh fruits and vegetables. As part of the partnership, Bayer is funding salad bars to elementary and secondary schools in the Pacific Northwest and California, providing healthy lunch choices for students. Schools will implement the salad bars in their school lunch and breakfast programs, starting in the coming weeks.
“Over 5 billion school lunches were served last year, and we are thrilled to support the United Fresh Start Foundation and their Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools initiative,” said Jennifer Maloney, Food Chain and Sustainability Manger, Bayer. “With more than 30 million American children participating in the National School Lunch Program each day, providing salad bars to schools will expose kids to a variety of fruits and vegetables, and help continue the conversation about the importance of eating more fresh fruits and vegetables for better health.”
Bayer serves as a member of the United Fresh Start Foundation’s committee that’s charged with providing guidance on new and innovative avenues to increase children’s access to fresh produce.
“We greatly appreciate having the support of companies like Bayer to encourage healthy eating habits for the next generation of produce consumers,” said Tony Freytag, Chairman, United Fresh Produce Association and Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Cashmere, WA based Crunch Pak. “We’re pleased to have more companies supporting salad bars for schools and partnering with growers to host fun events that introduce children to new produce items. When students are engaged in the process of selecting choices from the salad bar or voting for their favorite apple, it’s another opportunity to get them excited about choosing fresh produce with their next snack or meal,” Freytag added.
School districts also receiving salad bars from Bayer include the Galt Joint Unified School District (Galt, CA) and the El Monte City School District (El Monte, CA).
To coordinate the salad bar contribution, Bayer worked with the United Fresh Start Foundation, a nonprofit organization affiliated with the United Fresh Produce Association. As part of the Foundation’s partnership in the national Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools initiative, they are working with the produce industry, non-profits and allied businesses to support salad bars to schools across the United States. To date, the Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools initiative has donated salad bars to over 4,800 schools in all fifty states, benefitting more than 3 million children. Bayer’s salad bar investment supports the national initiative.
Current research indicates that the use of salad bars in schools promotes healthy food choices in school-aged children. With access to a salad bar, students are encouraged to try new items and are empowered to make their own healthy choices now, and in the future. The Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools initiative aims to help school districts meet new USDA school lunch nutrition standards and promote a healthier lifestyle for students nationwide.
Bayer’s commitment to sustainability and agricultural education begins with the people it serves every day. This commitment extends to fighting food insecurity and encouraging healthier food choices for a happier and well-educated community. For additional information and background on Bayer and its other programs, please visit cropscience.bayer.us/our-commitment.
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