Salad bars and energy intake in Virginia elementary schools with free meals

Abstract

School salad bars are widely promoted as a means to increase adherence to National School Lunch Program (NSLP) nutrition mandates. Yet it is unknown how salad bars or fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake relates to energy intake within the NSLP, or if F&Vs displace energy from other sources. This relation is particularly important to understand among children from minoritized backgrounds, who are at high risk of obesity and food insecurity, and the most likely to be impacted by school food policies, given their reliance on school meals. This study purpose was to evaluate if school salad bars and F&V intake are associated with lower lunch energy intake. Energy intake in Virginia elementary schools with and without salad bars, and associations between F&V energy and other energy sources, were examined. Cross-sectional plate waste assessments were conducted in matched school pairs (3 with, 3 without salad bars; N = 1,102 students; >90% Black and Latinx; 100% free meals). Two-level hierarchical models assessed group differences in energy intake and the proportion of energy from each meal component. Mean total lunch energy intake was 304 ± 157 kcal (salad bar); 269 ± 152 kcal (no salad bar). Students in salad bar schools consumed more energy from vegetables (+11 kcal; P < .001). Energy intake patterns were inconsistent across pairs. F&V energy was not associated with non-F&V energy (F = 1.04, P = .31). Findings do not suggest that salad bars were associated with lower energy intake. Evidence was inconsistent regarding F&V displacement of other lunch calories. Further research regarding F&V, salad bars, and energy intake is needed.

Keywords

• Salad bars
• National School Lunch Program
• Energy
• Elementary school