More Veggies, Juice at Glendale Schools

The addition of a serve-yourself-condiment bar in the barbecue grills at some California secondary schools has increased participation by 8% and is expected to grow this quarter.

"The new veggie bar features whole rather than shredded iceberg lettuce leaves, sliced tomatoes and onions so [students] can design the kind of burger they want, sort of a 'have it your way' concept," says Agnes Lally, fsd for the 30-school Glendale Unified School District. "It's more cost-effective for us since there's less waste and customers only pick out what they want, in addition to providing students with more vegetables in their diets."

More healthy choices: Lally is also introducing more juice options to prepare for the possibility of a ban on soft drink sales—as has occurred in neighboring Los Angeles. "In December, we contracted with Naked Juice to provide us with a smaller size and have already introduced it into two of our four high schools with good success. It's a quality product with brand-name recognition among the students."

Santa Monica–based Naked Juice, has become well-known in Southern California for its array of preservative/additive-free juices and smoothies, such as Berry Blast, Carrot-O-Copia, Tangerine Scream and Maui Zow-ie, many of which are fortified with extra vitamins and nutritional supplements such as ginseng.

At the elementary level, the district has replaced many breakfast carbohydrate choices with an expanded offering of protein entrees such as eggs, omelettes and bean burritos.