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Morgan's Experience: Vegan School Lunches
Morgan's Experience: Vegan School Lunches
My public high school (~2500 students) used to offer an occasional vegetarian option. After noticing this issue, some friends and I started a petition for a daily vegan option. After collecting over 200 signatures, we met with Nutrition Services, who were skeptical due to the National School Lunch Program's tight budget for public schools. We settled on starting with a one-month pilot program to test out some vegan meals, which eventually expanded to a daily option. We got support from Friends of the Earth who gave my school a grant for cooking supplies, helped find vendors, and offered recipe ideas for my school district to try.
Nancy's Experience: Plant-Based Grill in an Indiana Public School
Nancy's Experience: Plant-Based Grill in an Indiana Public School
When I first realized the lack of plant-based options in my high school, I looked on my school's staff directory for the food service staff's contact information. Explaining the issue, my cafeteria staff were receptive to making changes; however, because I attend a public high school in Indiana with over 5,400 students, the food service team at my school were always constantly busy. Our cafeteria didn't have the capacity to introduce many plant-based options due to costs, needing items in bulk, and lack of staff. However, we made the most of what we could! I created and distributed multiple surveys, and held a taste test for potential menu items to find options that would be well received and purchased by all students--not just those who were already plant-based. My school has added 3 new vegan options to the daily lunch line: a black bean burger, vegan "chicken" nuggets, and vegan buffalo wings. Please reach out if you are struggling with implementing plant-based options in similar circumstances ("meat and potatoes" state, large high school, lack of POC and ethnic foods in cafeteria)!
Marielle's Experience: Plant-based milk
Marielle's Experience: Plant-based milk
Growing up through the Los Angeles Unified School system, it was always surprising to me that the vegetarian options (and vegan, recently introduced) were so limited and unhealthy. These products were loaded with dairy, on top of the excessive amount of colorful, flavored milk cartons we were told to take and throw away if unwanted. Working through internships with New Roots and the Physician's Committee, I eventually learned of the extent of big dairy's influence in American public schools, and was shocked to find that the USDA itself funds the Got Milk Campaign. In May of 2023, upon being told by administrators that I could not distribute information on the detrimental impacts of dairy milk to students unless I promoted dairy posters as well, I partnered with the Physician's Committee in a class action lawsuit against my district, landing features in the LA Times, the Washington Post, and NBC Live among others. In our November settlement, LAUSD agreed to update its guidelines on dairy promotion, as well as provide substantial funding for soy milk in its cafeterias through donation. I am currently still working on dairy policy in American schools while focusing on improving my university's vegan options abroad. If you are interested in policy, media work, or plant-based advocacy in your cafeteria, please feel free to reach out!
Ezra and Hanna's Experience: Meatless Mondays and Vegan Options
Ezra and Hanna's Experience: Meatless Mondays and Vegan Options
Brookline is a very liberal city just outside of Boston, so we were surprised when we showed up to the public high school (~2100 students) and found that the only vegan option in the cafeteria was a sun butter and jelly sandwich. And even that was occasionally labeled with a sticker that said "contains dairy". When we reached out to our food services director, she was supportive of the idea but asked that we do most of the work. So we reached out to students, collected hundreds of signatures, held a food tasting, and drafted menus. We dealt with supply chain issues, problems with communication between administrators and chefs working in the cafeterias. We ran an outreach campaign that was embedded into the district's 5th grade science curriculum and the high school homeroom curriculum. We drafted policy and lobbied the school board, and worked with different groups across the town , such as the local TV station. We have maintained close connections with our school's food service department and meet with them frequently. We could be super helpful in mentoring anyone who lives in a relatively urban, liberal area with a self op. food services department.
Brookline Plant-Based Peers Testimony (1).pdfAva's Experience: School lunches
Ava's Experience: School lunches
My love for animals started at a very young age. I knew as a young child that every life was valuable, despite their species, size, or how the rest of the world may have viewed them. I found purpose in every creature, which ultimately led me to become a vegetarian at 7 years old. Despite the majority of my family still eating meat and being one of the only few vegetarians at my elementary school, I knew the value chickens, pigs, cows and other animals that ended up on dinner plates had. Being one of the only vegetarian and then vegan students in various of schools throughout my education, I was always made aware of the lack of plant-based lunches. Although the mandatory peanut butter and jelly sandwich was available along with the singular vegan chicken patty, these foods were unappealing to students who may have been interested in plant-based options. These foods also significantly lacked nutrient, especially for older students such as those in high school.
Want to share your own story and experiences?
We would love to hear about the successes and challenges you've faced in promoting plant-based eating at school. Sharing your story is a powerful way to inspire and help others in similar situations.
Shoot us an email with your story (and a few photos if you've got them) and we will post it here!
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