Salad Bars Expand to All High Schools

Posted April 16, 2026, 8:00 AM. Updated April 15, 2026, 11:52 AM.

GreEnergy Spots give students fresh choices while supporting local agriculture and healthy meals.

APS Food and Nutrition Services has officially expanded its GreEnergy Spots salad bars to all district high schools after a successful pilot earlier this year at Eldorado and Highland High Schools. The expansion brings back salad bars to high school campuses for the first time in years, giving students a fresh option as part of their free daily lunch.

The program was initially shaped by student voice through collaboration with a gifted health class at Eldorado, where students shared feedback about the kinds of fresh options they wanted to see in their cafeterias. Their ideas helped guide the creation of GreEnergy Spots, which feature fresh greens, seasonal vegetables, proteins and dressings.

The salad bars also support the goals of New Mexico’s Healthy Universal School Meals program by emphasizing scratch-cooked foods and New Mexico Grown ingredients whenever possible. In addition to providing healthy choices for students, the initiative helps reduce food waste and supports local farmers.

Food and Nutrition Services Executive Director Marie Johnson said the districtwide expansion is part of APS’s commitment to listening to students and investing in meal options that support student health and learning.

“We are incredibly proud to bring GreEnergy Spots to all of our high schools,” she said. “This expansion reflects the passion and dedication of our entire Food and Nutrition Services team, who work every day to make sure our students have access to fresh, healthy meals they truly enjoy. Seeing students excited about these options and knowing we’re supporting local farmers at the same time makes this work incredibly meaningful.”

With salad bars now available at every high school, APS is already planning the next phase. The district hopes to introduce GreEnergy Spots at middle schools during the 2026-27 school year, pending additional funding and grant opportunities.