Farm to School Salad Bars

WHAT IS A FARM TO SCHOOL SALAD BAR?

A Farm to School Salad Bar is a type of school food service that enables students to serve themselves from a selection of healthy foods, including a variety of vegetables and fruit and at least one grain and one protein option. Foods served in the Salad Bar should be as locally and sustainably produced as possible.

As a meal service model the salad bar is flexible. It can be adapted to fit and reflect each school community’s needs and it has been shown to work well in a variety of different school settings.

** See our Glossary to understand what we mean when we use terms such as “healthy”, “local” and “sustainably produced”.

EVERY SALAD BAR IS UNIQUE!

Salad Bars look different in every school. They reflect the local geography, diverse cultures, traditions and preferences of their school communities…and sometimes they may not include salad at all! The important thing to remember is that they should give students a choice to build their own bowls and create their own plates from a variety of healthy, local foods. Below are a few examples of how schools get creative with their salad bar:

GETTING STARTED

Small is beautiful…and attainable!

When starting a Salad Bar service, avoid proposing something large or complex to start. Instead, begin with a thoughtful plan that builds on your school’s strengths. From there, set progressive goals to help grow the initiative as you gain experience and feedback from your school community. 

For a comprehensive guide to building a Farm to School Salad Bar, check out the New Brunswick Farm to School Guide (see page 23) and the Quebec Farm to School Resources Guide

BEST PRACTICES

Farm to School Salad Bars should:

• Be accessible to all students who wish to participate, regardless of means.
• Be self-serve, to provide students with variety and choice in their food selection.
• Offer foods that are as locally and sustainably sourced, nutritious, and as culturally appropriate as possible.
• Offer a selection of foods in alignment with Canada’s Food Guide Eat Well Plate, with at least 5 options for students to choose from to create a balanced meal or snack.
• Ideally involve students in preparing and serving the food. At minimum, engage students in informing what will be served.

LOOKING FOR INSPIRATION?

With an emphasis on variety and choice, Salad Bars provide flexibility and room to be creative. The possibilities are endless. Here are ideas to create excitement and fuel student curiosity:

• Offer a variety of simple dressings, dips, sauces or other condiments 
• Offer a variety of toppings such as dried or fresh berries, school-grown herbs or even edible flowers
• Host theme days featuring regional and diverse cultural foods such as ‘build your own’ tacos or burritos, sushi featuring locally harvested seaweed, ramen bowls, etc. 
• Use your Salad Bar to serve a celebratory meal or snack on holidays and other special occasions
• Feature the salad bar during parent teacher nights and other school events to engage parents and the community
• Teach students about reducing food waste and composting; and provide reusable salad containers or reusable plates and cutlery
• Check out stories from previous grant recipients for even more inspiration!

MAXIMIZE ACCESS TO LOCAL FOOD YEAR-ROUND

Access to local food throughout the school year can be a challenge in most regions in Canada. The important thing is to set local food procurement targets and increase them year after year as your program becomes more established. Below are some ideas to incorporate local food outside the growing season, help students learn about where their food comes from, and enable your school community to preserve the growing season:

• Preserve local food in the warmer months for use in the winter. For example, pickle vegetables, dehydrate berries and beans, or freeze vegetables and fruit 
• Grow salad greens and herbs indoors 
• Partner with local farmers who have the capacity to store winter-hardy cops (ex. carrots, onions, beets, potatoes, squash, and others)
• Make simple, tasty home-made dressings sweetened with local honey or maple syrup, and flavoured with dried local herbs
• Purchase from year-round farmers markets that offer a variety of cold-hardy produce crops, as well as preserved, frozen or dried foods for sale