Whole Foods, Ann Cooper bring salads to school kids

AUSTIN, Texas Whole Foods Market announced that it is partnering with Chef Ann Cooper for a second year to help bring fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and healthy proteins to school lunch programs and raise awareness around healthier school food through a project that will fund salad bars for public schools across the country.

"With childhood obesity levels at an all-time high, everyone has a stake in this fight and must take action to help change the way our children eat both at home and school," said Walter Robb, co-chief executive officer for Whole Foods Market. "We see partnering with our shoppers to raise funds for salad bars in local schools as an immediate way for us to come together and make an impact on our children's health in the communities we serve. Our goal is to provide a salad bar in a local school in each of the communities we serve with our 300 stores."

From now until Sept. 29, shoppers may donate to the project at the check-out or make a donation online through saladbarproject.org. Each salad bar kit costs approximately $2,500 dollars, and includes a Cambro portable 5-well salad bar unit with all the necessary insert pans, cutting boards, knives and shipping costs. Salad bar training tools and videos for school nutrition staff will also be available through TheLunchBox.org.

The salad bars will be donated to local schools through a simple online grant process, the company reported. Whole Foods Market is partnering with Cooper's nonprofit, F3: Food Family Farming Foundation, which will administer the process. Any public elementary, middle or high school within 50 miles of a Whole Foods Market is eligible to apply with the support of the school principal, nutrition service director and the superintendent of the district.