(US) The tempting smell of pepperoni pizza drifted through the air as students poured into the cafeteria.
But 11-year-old Cameron Landry walked straight past the cheesy slices and started piling organic lettuce, pita pockets and blueberries on his tray.
Sounds like a nutritionist's dream. But it's reality at Lincoln Elementary. The school's organic salad bar has proven so popular and surprisingly economical that all Olympia grade schools now have one.
"The food is pretty good. And it's much better because you actually have a choice," Landry said as he chowed down on salad. "Otherwise, it's 'eat this or nothing!'"
While fried chicken nuggets and cheeseburgers still reign supreme in most cafeterias, a small but growing number of schools are turning to organic food as a way to improve children's health and fight obesity.
The Seattle school district recently adopted a new policy banning junk food and encouraging organic food in school cafeterias.
California school districts in Berkeley, Santa Monica, and Palo Alto have organic food programs. And through a program sponsored by the organic yogurt company Stonyfield Farm, schools in Rhode Island, California, Massachusetts, New York, New Hampshire and Connecticut have or are getting new vending machines stocked with all-organic treats.
