Starting a Salad Bar Presented by Alma Hopkins, RDN, LD

Participants Will Learn: • The considerations before starting a salad

bar

• The steps in implementing a salad bar

• The requirements for making the salad bar part of a reimbursable meal

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3

Do I have support?

1

Is it economically feasible?

Is it logistically feasible?

Considerations Before Starting

Value of Salad bars in Missouri

• ↑Purchases & Variety of fresh fruits and vegetables • ↑ Participation* • ↑ Consumption

*Sustained increase in salad bar sales two months after Rainbow Day Events. Data: Missouri Team Nutrition – Marketing of Salad Bars in Schools

Salad Bars Use

• Complete as a reimbursable meal OR

• Fruit and vegetable component only • Utilize USDA commodity foods • Ability to serve special diet needs • As part of farm to school program (local produce)

Students & Parents

Staff

Teachers &

Adminis-trators

Do I Have Support?

• Have they been asking for a salad bar or more choices of fruits and vegetables?

• Have they been asking for healthier meals?

Do I have the Support from Students & Parents?

Rainbow Days at William Cappel Elementary, Troy SD

• Is the staff excited about the idea or apprehensive?

• Is staff willing to help in planning? • Do staff see a salad bar as good for

students? • Do staff see a salad bar as

potentially increasing staffing?

. . . . from Administration and Staff?

Rainbow Days at Hancock Place SD

Is It Economically Feasible?

Equipment

Supplies

Food Cost

Labor Cost

Maintain Fiscal Neutrality

• Do I already have equipment that can be repurposed?

• Is there room on the serving line?

• Is funding available for a salad bar and the equipment for it?

• Do I have a prep sink if food will be prepared on site? – Cannot be used for any

other purpose

Equipment

Pros: • No up-front costs if a

school already owns one. • Gives site personnel

control during service. • Staff can assist younger

children from the service line.

Equipment: Regular Salad Bars with Cold Wells

Cons: • Creates slower lunch lines. • Often too high for K-2 students who either cannot

reach the product or reach below the sneeze guard which is unacceptable from a food safety perspective.

Pros: • Fully mobile. • Inexpensive. • Easy to maintain. • May be used as either

one- or two-sided.

Equipment: Freestanding, Mobile-Insulated Salad Bars

Cons: Requires a freezer to freeze buffet chiller packs, which may not be permitted by some health departments.

Pros: • Less expensive and

more compact than a wheeled unit.

• Can be used as either one- or two-sided.

Equipment: Table Top Insulated Salad Bars

Cons: • Does not store well. • Height is an issue so tables must be

adjustable to attain the appropriate height.

Pros: • Hold temperature. • Easy to clean. • Do not require a freezer to

keep unit cold.

Equipment: Freestanding, Mobile, Mechanically Cooled Salad Bars

Cons: • Most expensive mobile option. • Not as compact as mobile units. • Fewer location choices due to electrical needs. Requires

floor plug to remove tripping hazards. Some locations will require electrical work to use.

• Fewer models have height options.

• What kind of containers will be used? – What is the cost?

• Will there be packaged or wrapped items? • Will different eating utensils be needed? • Does my prime vendor carry the supplies

needed?

Supplies

Funding Equipment and Supplies

Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools

Grants

Fund Raising

Cafeteria Fund

Grants

• Apply directly online at www.saladbars2schools.org – Letter of support from Superintendent – Find local funding source or get in queue – Funding source sends check to LMSB2S – LMSB2S coordinates shipping

• Includes bar, cold packs, pans, tongs

Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools (LMSB2S)

LMSB2S Salad Bar Package

• Cambro portable 72” food bar • 5-well insulated salad bar with two

tray rails (regular or low height)* – 5 Buffet Camchillers®

– Translucent polypropylene food pans • 2 x 4” full; 4 x 4” half; 12 x 4” ¼ pans with

covers

• 16 x 9” Scalloped serving tongs

* Vollrath electric (mechanically cooled) salad bar also available by special request

Capital Expenditure Approved List USDA Capital Expenditure Approved List for school food authority equipment purchases Includes salad bars

Cafeteria Fund

• Grant funding from community organizations – PTA/PTO – Service clubs – Food-related associations – School, State or Local Foundations

Grants and Fundraising

• Compare current cost versus projected cost • Investigate using local produce, USDA Foods, and

Department of Defense Produce • Put out food in batches rather than all at once • Utilize seasonal products

Food Cost

• Can you repurpose current staff? . . . ~3 hrs to prep/supply/serve/clean a salad bar

• Are funds available to hire and train a salad bar person?

• Will staff need to package or wrap food items? • If no funds are available,

are there older students or parents who could be trained as volunteers?

Labor Cost

Is It Logistically Feasible?

Food Source

Placement

Storage

Staffing

• Is there space on the serving line? • Is there space before the serving line? • Is there space before the cashier, after the

serving line? Will you need a separate monitor? • What type of equipment would fit?

– Is it available from the Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools group?

• Is electricity available? – Refrigerated unit – POS system

Placement

Salad bars have the potential to “nudge” people

to make healthier food

choices

• Is there room for preparation? • Can you put someone in charge?

– Ask for a volunteer from staff – Do ordering, preparing, serving, clean-up – Need minimum of 3 hours per day

Staffing

• Consider current prime vendor • Integrate local produce

– Start small – Define local

• No legal definition • 50 miles? 100 miles? Missouri grown?

– http://mofarmtoschool.missouri.edu/ – Establish relationships with local farmers – And neighboring food service programs already doing this

• Check out Rodney Taylor’s (Riverside USD) Farmers Market Booklet in the handouts

Food Source

• School garden – Must ensure food safety – Visit the garden – Ask questions about growing practices – Contact local health department – See Food Safety in School Gardens handout

• Quantity of produce needed will increase – Use school garden as adjunct with small quantities

Food Source

• Is there adequate refrigeration? • Is there adequate dry storage? • Will the food be stored on-site or at a central

kitchen?

Storage

• Is there adequate refrigeration?

• Is there adequate dry storage?

• Will the food be stored on-site or at a central kitchen?

Storage

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4

Plan Menu and Layout 1

Meeting Meal Reimbursement

Produce Safety

Steps in Implementing

Market

Fruits Vegetables

Monitoring time & temps?

M/MA? Grains? Milk?

Cooling method?

Plan Menu and Layout

• Will the salad bar be a complete meal? • Will it be used as a choice/fruit and vegetable

bar? • Will it be offered daily? If not, how often? • Will there be a cycle menu? • Will the salad bar have the same choices every

day? • Will the salad bar be tied to the entrée of the day?

Decisions

• Chef’s Salad – Turkey, ham, cheese, egg – WGR Roll or breadstick – Fruits and vegetables – Extras: Ranch and other dressings, bacon bits

• Taco/Nacho Bar – Taco meat, cheese – WGR Tortilla chips and tortillas – Fruits and vegetables – Extras: Sour cream, Thousand Island dressing

• Baked Potato Bar • Pasta Bar

Complete Meal Bars

• Minimum of two of each – Minimum of one fresh – Minimum quantity to meet meal pattern – Easy to take ½ cup for reimbursement

• Seasonal – Imported when out of season? Buy American Clause.

• USDA Foods (canned, frozen, dried and fresh) • Department of Defense (DOD) produce

Fruit and Vegetable Bar

• Put dressings out in dispensers or pre-portioned units

• Pre-portion more expensive items – Deli meats – Sour cream

• Pre-portion items if students may take too much – Croutons – Bacon bits

Extras

• Sample layouts are available from a variety of sources – www.fns.usda.gov/tn/fruits-vegetables-galore-

helping-kids-eat-more – www.thelunchbox.org – A Field Guide to Salad Bars in Schools, Minnesota

Layout

• Check out the Smarter Lunchroom Movement website for ideas on the salad bar and the entire cafeteria – Place healthier foods in convenient areas that are at

students’ eye-level, – Place unhealthy foods in hard-to-reach locations,

and – Develop creative names to describe lunch entrées

and display them on a white erase board.

http://www.smarterlunchrooms.org

Layout

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3

Work with health department 1

Develop SOPs

Develop tools

“Must Do’s” for Safety

Work With Health Department

You Health Department Success

Involve your local health department whenever you add a new food process.

• When changing a food process, equipment, or using time and temperature, involve your local health inspector – Submit prior written notification of your intention to your

health department – Assess risks – Identify practices to reduce risk

• All items on elementary bars do not have to be wrapped or served by an adult

• Salad bars must be NSF approved • Handwashing stations for students

are highly recommended

Working With Your Health Department

• Potentially hazardous foods (PHFs) or time and temperature controlled foods (TCSs) require special considerations – Keep in mechanical refrigeration at 41° or below, or – In mechanical hot holding at 135° or above, or – Use time as a public health control

• Develop standard operating procedures

Time and Temperature Control

http://nfsmi.org/ResourceOverview.aspx?ID=75 HACCP-based SOPs, 2016

Develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)

Serving and Re-Serving

Utensils Logging

Storage and Preparation

Storing Processing

Purchasing and Receiving

Vendor criteria Checking

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Plan portion size 1

Recognize portion sizes

Menu production records

Point of service

Requirements for Reimbursement

Plan Portion Size

3/8 cup 1/8

cup

1/4 cup

1/2 cup

• Reasonable for the menu item – Radishes = 1/8 cup – Leafy greens = 1 cup = 1/2 cup creditable vegetable

• The ½ cup requirement may be fruit, vegetable, or a combination of both – Any combination of fruit and vegetable count if there is

1/8 cup minimum of the menu item – Examples:

• 1/8 cup V + 1/4 cup F + 1/8 cup V = ½ cup V & F • 1/4 cup V + 1/4 cup F = 1/2 cup V & F

Requirements for Portion Sizes

• Must offer full amount required for the meal pattern – K-8

• ½ cup Fruits • ¾ cup Vegetables

– 9-12 • 1 cup Fruits • 1 cup Vegetables

• Minimum requirements for M/MA and Grains must also be met – K-8: 1 oz eq – 9-12: 2 oz eq

Requirements for Portion Sizes

Recognize Portion Sizes

Example Text.

Example Text.

Example Text.

Example Text.

½ Cup F & V

=

• Pre-portion • Train to recognize portion size • Relate portion to known object

– Deck of cards – Baseball

• Show pictures of recommended portion size • Check the Food Buying Guide

– 3 cherry tomatoes = ¼ cup – Apple, size 125-138 = 1 cup – 3 ½ x 4“ carrot sticks = ¼ cup

Recognizing Portion Sizes

Point of Service

Milk & Extras Entrées

Cashier or

Monitor Salad Bar

• Critical: Relationship to Point of Service (POS) – Station cashier after the salad bar

• The CDE has authorized alternatives – Trained, dedicated salad bar

monitor • May not leave to re-supply the line • Be trained in food safety (record)

– Reroute student entry to the food service area

• Permit access to the salad bar prior to main area and cashier

Requirements for Location

• Considered “Extra Foods” – Cannot contribute to the reimbursable meal

components • M/MA • Fruits • Vegetables

– Vegetable Subgroups

• Grains • Milk

– Do count toward dietary specifications • Calories • Sodium • Saturated fat

Unmonitored Bars

Menu Production Records Record daily and save for three years.

• Record beginning quantity in number or weight • Record ending quantity • Record each menu item separately unless mixed Samples are available at www.thelunchbox.org and at www.icn.org • Pre-print all the items

– Beginning – Ending – Used – Discarded

Salad Bar Production Record

• Use the capacity of your pans to measure ingredients

• Identify each ingredient by – Pan size – Fill line or mark – Weight of product per pan – Serving size if served alone

• Use scales if changing pan sizes or not having a consistent layout

• Weights per pan resource → Monterey Peninsula USD

Tips for Tracking Usage

• Students go through the line quickly and food runs out – Have a second pan ready

• Staff does not know what will be popular – Do survey

• Clean-up time is longer than expected – Parchment paper or foil under pans

• Staff and teachers resist the idea – Use a school wellness committee to help sell the idea

Challenges and Solutions

• Begin planning at least three months early • Plan a variety of colors • Use small pans to reduce waste • Have a “Take what you will eat”

campaign • Use visual examples of how much to take • Form a team; teamwork makes all the difference • Have back-up food ready to go • Keep smiling

Tips

Market your salad bars with: • Receive supplies and $200 stipend per school

site! • Go to www.health.mo.gov/teamnutrition!

Closure

OR

Alma.Hopkins@health.mo.gov Alma.Hopkins@dese.mo.gov

(573) 751-2342