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The effort to promote healthy eating at school has spawned student “Fruit and Vegetable Ambassadors,” who are supposed to spread enthusiasm for  healthy eating among their fellow students.

Students in the summer food service program at Slater Junior High School in Pawtucket, R.I. spent some of their time learning about malangas and chocolate peppers — exotic vegetables that were part of a recent taste-testing, the Agriculture Department said in a blog posted on its website.

The newly designated fruit and vegetable ambassadors — along with the “prestigious title” — got “cool t-shirts and, most importantly, the responsibility of encouraging fellow students throughout the school year to make healthier decisions at lunchtime,” the blog said.

During their government-subsidized mealtimes, the students brainstormed on fun ways to “get their peers excited about eating fruits and vegetables.” The ideas include taste-testings, a fruit and vegetable eating contest, a cafeteria remodel, and creating rap songs about healthy eating to be aired during morning announcements.

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