School Nutrition Personnel Perceptions of School Salad Bars Before and after COVID-19

Many schools have salad bars as a means to increase students’ fruit and vegetable intake. School nutrition programs experienced drastic changes to the school food environment due to COVID-19. The aim of the current study was to understand cafeteria personnel’s experiences related to salad bar implementation before the COVID-19 pandemic and in the current school environment to inform efforts to enhance salad bar sustainability. Seven elementary schools (N = 30 personnel) installed salad bars prior to COVID-19; three of these schools (n = 13 personnel) re-opened salad bars after COVID-19. Cafeteria personnel completed surveys assessing their experiences with salad bars at both time points. Satisfaction with salad bar implementation and training was high pre- and post-COVID-19. Most agreed that salad bars increased students’ fruit and vegetable intake, yet had concerns about cleanliness and waste. Perceived job difficulty increased post-COVID-19 (p = 0.01), and satisfaction with student salad bar training decreased (p = 0.001). Additional staff support and greater student training were needed post-COVID-19. Overall, salad bars were viewed favorably; however, more challenges and lower satisfaction were reported following COVID-19. Increasing support for cafeteria personnel is needed for salad bar sustainability and improving the school food environment.