Salad bars and energy intake in Virginia elementary schools with free meals.

School salad bars are widely promoted as a means to increase adherence to National School Lunch Program (NSLP) nutrition mandates. Yet it is unknown how salad bars or fruit and vegetable (FV N = 1,102 students; >90% Black and Latinx; 100% free meals). Two-level hierarchical models assessed group differences in energy intake and the proportion of energy from each meal component. Mean total lunch energy intake was 304 ± 157 kcal (salad bar); 269 ± 152 kcal (no salad bar). Students in salad bar schools consumed more energy from vegetables (+11 kcal; P < .001). Energy intake patterns were inconsistent across pairs. F&V energy was not associated with non-F&V energy (F = 1.04, P = .31). Findings do not suggest that salad bars were associated with lower energy intake. Evidence was inconsistent regarding F&V displacement of other lunch calories. Further research regarding F&V, salad bars, and energy intake is needed.