DETROIT — While some students might prefer to grab a plate of fries for lunch, Bates Academy eighth-grader Miah Caine prefers a crisp salad.
Caine and dozens of her classmates have opted for a healthier lunch alternative since a salad bar was introduced at Bates Academy about a month ago. Since 2009, Detroit Public Schools officials have been working to revamp the district's breakfast and lunch menus in hopes of increasing student access to nutritious food.
"I think they're so good," Caine, 13, said as she eyed one of the salads in the cafeteria. "Before, I felt like I only had one option for what to eat."
Bates Academy, which is the first K-8 school among Detroit Public Schools to offer a salad bar, is in rare company nationwide.
According to research published online by JAMA Pediatrics, from fall 2007 to spring 2012, only 2% of middle school students and less than 1% of high school students attended schools where all five components of the new U.S. Department of Agriculture nutrition standards were in place for school meals, vending machines and snack bars.
A recent University of Michigan study shows that implementing the latest government standards for food and beverages sold at U.S. schools would substantially improve school nutrition.
"These results indicate that the USDA standards — if implemented fully and monitored for compliance — have the potential to change the current U.S. school nutritional environment significantly," said Yvonne Terry-McElrath, a researcher at the U-M Institute for Social Research and first author of the study, in a statement.
The USDA standards limit fat, sodium, sugar and calories. Final implementation of the new guidelines will remove candy, salty snacks, sugary treats, milk with higher levels of fat, savory foods with high levels of fat and calories, and sugar-sweetened beverages.
"What the USDA is doing, improving the quality of meals, has been long needed," said Betti Wiggins, executive director of DPS' Office of School Nutrition. "I think all kids should be ensured of good nutrition."
At Bates Academy, the salad bar is available to the sixth, seventh and eighth grades. It will slowly be introduced to the younger classes over time, according to school officials. The academy has about 850 students in pre-K through eighth grade.
Principal Cleo Moody said she's also noticed more of her staff members taking advantage of the new salad bar.
"People are going out less for fast food," Moody said. "It's healthier for the kids and the adults. The first day it was offered, the kids were so excited. We're noticing less waste. I'm pleased to know my students are choosing healthy options."
Wiggins said the salads are made in-house and consist of a romaine lettuce mix. Students are able to pick the toppings, which range from fruits like apple slices to veggies like chick peas and banana peppers.