For the eighth year in a row, Salt Lake City School District has been awarded a federal grant to increase the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables at Title 1 schools.
The grant of a little over $300,000 will provide fresh produce for 16 elementary schools in high poverty neighborhoods. The cost is about $42 per student for the year.
Rather than serving these fruits and vegetables during lunchtime when they would have to compete with other foods, the kids at these schools get an extra snack break twice a week.
“They’re definitely more likely to eat it in that scenario," says Katie Kapusta, a child nutrition supervisor for the district. "The goal is definitely to get them to try it but ideally they’ll eat the whole snack."
Kapusta says this approach cuts down on waste but it also gives teachers a chance to teach the students about fruits and vegetables that might be new to them.
The idea is to get a large variety of produce in front of these kids to help them find some healthy options they really love.
