Children in schools throughout Silicon Valley have access to new salad bars with a wide variety of fresh fruit and vegetable choices, thanks to a coalition of partners from the renowned high-tech business sector in San Jose.

The United Fresh Start Foundation joined the Silicon Valley Leadership Group Foundation Oct. 26 at a salad bar ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate and recognize the Leadership Group’s donation of salad bars to 120 San Jose-area schools over the past two years. The announcement was made at Aptitud Academy in East San Jose, where elementary school students are now enjoying choices from the salad bar every day. Salad bars have been donated to 19 school districts in the San Jose area, and are benefitting an estimated 98,000 students every school day.Students getting ready to choose their fresh fruit and veggies from the new salad bar.

“These salad bar donations are providing our local schools with 21st century cafeterias that highlight fresh options each day,” Carl Guardino, president and chief executive officer of Silicon Valley Leadership Group, said in a press release. “Our Heart & Soles 5K, and today’s special announcement, has enabled us to bring together the community, connecting children, parents, advocates, school administrators and leaders in government, the non-profit and private sector to inspire the next generation to live healthy, active lives. It’s a win-win for us all.”

“It is so gratifying to be standing in the center of the Silicon Valley, working with the world’s leading tech companies to increase kids’ access to fresh fruits and vegetables,” Tom Stenzel, United Fresh Start Foundation president, said in the release. “The commitment shown by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group is a testament to the fact that providing children with easy access to healthy, fresh food is a universal goal that cuts across our diverse business interests. Together, we can influence the next generation to choose healthy fresh produce snacks and meal choices.”

Research and experience in schools across the country demonstrate that children significantly increase their fruit and vegetable consumption when given a variety of choices in a school salad bar. When offered multiple fruit and vegetable choices, children respond by incorporating greater variety and increasing their overall consumption. Salad bars empower students to make their own healthy choices and create excitement about trying new fruits and vegetables, ultimately increasing children’s daily consumption. Additionally, new USDA nutrition standards require schools to serve an increased amount and variety of fruits and vegetables each day, and salad bars are the easiest way for schools to meet these requirements.

The two groups first came together in 2013, following United Fresh’s successful yearlong produce industry campaign to support salad bars for California schools. The “Let’s Move Salad Bars to California Schools” campaign resulted in the donation of salad bars to 436 California schools throughout the state. The United Fresh Start Foundation has since worked closely with the Silicon Valley Leadership Group and the California Department of Education, headed by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, to continue supporting healthier school meals for local schools.

Now in its third year, the March 12, 2016 “Heart and Soles 5K” sponsored by Lam Research will once again benefit salad bars for Silicon Valley area schools. Silicon Valley-area schools that are interested in requesting salad bars can visit the Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools website, www.saladbars2schools.org, for details and information about submitting an application.

Since 2010, the national Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools initiative has facilitated the donation of salad bars to more than 4,100 schools in all 50 states, benefitting nearly 3 million children every school day. Salad bars have been donated to 1,030 California schools, the most of any state.