The University of California CalFresh Nutrition Education program is partnering with the Santa Maria-Bonita School District food service to nudge students toward healthier choices in the school cafeteria.
From March through May, students have had the opportunity to try new vegetables: Brussels’ sprouts, asparagus, and sweet bell peppers, for instance. And after tasting those veggies, students vote on whether they want to see those vegetables in their salad bar. A press release from CalFresh said that so far the results have overwhelmingly been in favor of adding those green things to the menu.
The district’s food service has cooked from scratch and provided healthier, locally sourced meals to students since 2007, when it received funding through the Orfalea Foundation. That money funded large-scale cooking equipment, kitchen remodeling, and staff training. The release said Santa Maria-Bonita currently sources 80 percent of its produce locally and makes food on-site, such as sweet potato wedges and granola.
“Despite efforts to provide fresh, healthier meal options, school lunches can get a bad reputation with students negatively reacting to unfamiliar foods,” the release said. “That leads to food waste and concerns that kids won’t try anything new.”
So CalFresh partnered with five of the district’s cafeterias to do the monthly tastings of those veggies that kids don’t get a ton of exposure to.
In May, students are taking on raw bell peppers—orange, yellow, red, and green.
This article appears in May 14-21, 2015.