I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2688 
To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to expand 
the use of salad bars in schools. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 10, 2019 
Ms. WILSON of Florida introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Education and Labor 
A BILL 
To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch 
Act to expand the use of salad bars in schools. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Salad Bars in Schools 
Expansion Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) In the United States, one-third of all school- 
aged children are overweight or obese and very few 
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eat the daily amount of fruits and vegetables rec-
ommended by national health authorities. 
(2) On average, more than 30 million children 
participate in the National School Lunch Program 
daily, with more than 70 percent qualifying for free 
or reduced-price meals based on family household in-
come. 
(3) Improving the healthfulness of school meals, 
including serving more fruits and vegetables, will im-
prove children’s eating habits and their health. The 
Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that 
children ‘‘make half their plate fruits and vegeta-
bles’’ at each meal. 
(4) Research indicates that school salad bars 
are an effective strategy to increase children’s con-
sumption of a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. 
(5) Salad bars are one of the easiest ways for 
school food authorities to meet the new school lunch 
nutrition standards that require serving a fruit and 
a vegetable every day, a colorful variety of vegetables 
every week, and that students select at least one-half 
cup of a fruit or a vegetable at lunch. 
(6) Salad bars are effective in elementary, mid-
dle, and high school, they empower students to try 
new fruits and vegetables and are a tangible example 
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of a school’s commitment to wellness and healthier 
school meals. 
SEC. 3. EXPANSION OF SALAD BARS. 
Section 18 of the Richard B. Russell National School 
Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1769) is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
‘‘(l) EXPANSION OF SALAD BARS.— 
‘‘(1) 
MARKETING
AND
COMMUNICATIONS 
PLAN.—Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
enactment of the Salad Bars in Schools Expansion 
Act, the Secretary shall establish and implement a 
plan to promote the use of salad bars in schools par-
ticipating in the school lunch program established 
under this Act. 
‘‘(2) TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.— 
In carrying out the plan described in paragraph (1), 
the Secretary shall provide training and technical as-
sistance to eligible entities to assist the entities in 
establishing salad bars in schools. Such training and 
technical assistance may include— 
‘‘(A) webinars; 
‘‘(B) training workshops; 
‘‘(C) implementation resources; 
‘‘(D) nutrition education; and 
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‘‘(E) strategies for parent engagement and 
to encourage collaboration with allied organiza-
tions and partners. 
‘‘(3) GRANT PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the 
plan described in paragraph (1), the Secretary 
shall establish a grant program under which the 
Secretary shall provide grants, on a competitive 
basis, to eligible entities selected under sub-
paragraph (C). 
‘‘(B) USE OF FUNDS.—Each eligible entity 
receiving a grant under this subsection shall use 
the grant funds to award schools a one-time 
payment equal to the anticipated cost of install-
ing a salad bar, including the purchase of any 
durable equipment required for a salad bar. 
‘‘(C) APPLICATION.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—To receive a grant 
under this subsection, an eligible entity 
shall submit to the Secretary an applica-
tion at such time, in such manner, and 
containing such information as the Sec-
retary may require. 
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