California schools embrace plant-based meals as students lead the way

More California schools are introducing vegan meals thanks to student demand and state-funded programs supporting farm-to-school initiatives.

Frida Garza reports for Grist.

In short:

• California schools are expanding vegan meal options due to demand from environmentally conscious students and programs aimed at sourcing local, plant-based ingredients.
• State funding has allowed districts to upgrade kitchen equipment, implement farm-to-school programs and develop new recipes, although these funds are set to expire soon.
• School nutrition leaders report that free meals encourage students to try new plant-based dishes, reducing waste and improving participation in school lunch programs.

Key quote: 

“We want [to serve] food that is just so good, everybody wants to eat it. Whether or not it has meat in it is almost secondary.”

— Erin Primer, student nutrition director

Why this matters: 

School nutrition leaders are seeing something special: free meals encourage more kids to try these new dishes, and they’re finding that vegan meals lead to less waste and better participation overall. Read more: The outsized role processed food plays in our health and environment.