As students returned to schools in the past month, the controversy over nutrition mandates calling for more fruits and vegetables on students’ lunch trays heated up again. The issue – foodservice operators saying it’s harder to meet budgets with the new standards and more fruits and vegetables are ending in the trash – is on the U.S. Potato Board’s agenda. The board’s main push for schools focuses on potato-friendly salad bars and more menu options that will be eaten instead of tossed in trash bins. The salad bar campaign – Potatoes Raise the Bar – has received pledges of 20 of the bars since it officially kicked off July 1, and the potato board is matching the donations. The board has set aside $900,000 to donate 300 salad bars, if the industry pledges the same. More