Vegan School Lunches On the Rise

With childhood obesity skyrocketing and climate change looming for future generations, schools across the country are fighting back.

A recent Organic Authority article reports that schools in major cities from Los Angeles to Philadelphia are implementing policies to reduce animal-based offerings in cafeterias and increase plant-based options.

The author explains:
Interest in plant-based foods is at an all-time high, according to Lux Research, a strategic advisory firm for emerging technologies, “by 2054 meat alternatives will comprise 33 percent of the overall protein market.
The market for meat alternatives includes school lunch programs. In fact, more than 50 school districts nationwide observe Meatless Monday, “the popular diet that promises improved personal health and a healthier planet if more people give up meat just one day per week.

MUSE School in Southern California, founded by film director James Cameron and his wife, became entirely vegan last year. Both Cameron and his wife are committed vegans. Jeff King, MUSE’s head of school, explains, “The way we eat is the easiest and most impactful way we can alter our carbon footprint as a school. The largest consumers of water are not people but cattle. To truly deliver our mission of sustainability, we had to find a sustainable way of eating.

Earlier this year, The Wall Street Journal reported that The Scandinavian School of Jersey City, a preschool just across the Hudson River from Manhattan, went entirely vegan.

Whether it’s to save the planet, help children be healthier, or prevent animal suffering, these shifts toward plant-based school lunches are shaping the way future generations will eat.

Interested in reducing your environmental impact with a vegan diet? Check out ChooseVeg.com for more information.