Students Have Healthy Appetite for Farmers Market Program

A program to bring fresh produce directly from farmers to an elementary school salad bar may result in healthier eating patterns by students, officials said.

Wendy Wax, principal of McKinley Elementary School, said that about one-third of the school’s 500 children are now choosing the salad bar.

Wax said parents of McKinley students prepare produce for the salad bar daily, and farmers deliver twice weekly.

“It has had such a great total effect on our school in terms of healthy eating,” Wax said.

The number of students who eat at the salad bar daily has tripled since the Santa Monica Farmers Market began delivering the fresh produce a month ago, said Lucia Sanchez, project manager.

Robert Gottleib, founder of the Occidental-UCLA Community Food Security Project, a co-sponsor of the program, said the salad bar project seeks to improve community access to high-quality food and support local farmers.

Gottleib, a professor of urban environmental studies at Occidental, said he will propose similar projects to the Los Angeles Unified School District if the McKinley program proves successful.

The project was initially funded by the California Endowment, but will probably pay for itself, he said.

Carolyn Onley, a spokeswoman for the Southland Farmers Market Assn., said farmers are providing seasonal vegetables such as lettuce and cherry tomatoes, but fresh fruits seem to be more popular among students.