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# Salad bar program has
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/salad-bar-program-has/
- Published: 2004-10-02T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T05:14:57.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Education, Malibu, #archive-import

*others green with envy*

*By PAM WIGHT Special to the Daily Press*

DISTRICT HDQRTS. — Kids in Santa Monica often eat healthier at school than they do in their own homes, thanks to a salad bar program instituted seven years ago.

The program received recognition from City Hall on Friday night as part of 10Fest, a week-long celebration of Santa Monica’s sustainability plan. The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District’s salad bar program was chosen “Outstanding Institutional Program.”

Since 1995, the school district and City Hall have operated the school gardening program. Today, there are organic gardens at all 15 Santa Monica schools and 50 throughout the entire district, according to Donna Rich-wein, the school district’s nutrition educator. The program has been touted by school officials as a great educational tool by virtue of a hands-on, real-world approach. and staff, students do hands-on work in the organic gardens, learning how to bring a crop to harvest. Once the food has been harvested, it goes directly to the school’s salad bar. This year, 10 of the crops already have been harvested, the most recent being lettuce at Santa Monica High School.

In 1997, local parent Bob Gottlieb suggested a salad bar program to then-nutrition director Rodney Taylor. Taylor was hesitant, but gave Gottlieb permission for a pilot program, as long he organized everything, according to a city of Santa Monica Web site.

Gottlieb, a university professor, was able to gather students and write the grant proposal to hire staff to operate the program.

Richwein said the salad bar program is a collaboration between the local Farmers’ Market, parents, students and food service staff. Specific orders are placed each week with farmers

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 2, 2004.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/100204.pdf?ref=smdp.com)