Climate-Friendly School Food

School food is a daily source of nourishment for more than 32 million children nationwide, serving over 7 billion meals annually.

As one of the nation’s largest public feeding programs, U.S. K-12 public schools have a profound impact and opportunity to improve the health of students and the environment for generations to come. Despite growing student demand, plant-based options account for a tiny portion of school meals. Serving more plant-based food and reducing institutional purchasing of factory farmed meat and dairy in schools is a high-impact strategy to mitigate climate change, improve student health and racial equity, and strengthen local food systems.  

Friends of the Earth’s Climate-Friendly School Food Program helps school districts make the shift towards healthy, delicious, organic, plant forward menus. We provide organic procurement and plant-based technical assistance and marketing materials, support student and community engagement strategies, and link school districts with the resources they need in order to be successful. We also partner with school districts and NGOs to advocate for state and federal policy change. For more information or to request support, please email [email protected].

Learn more about Friends of the Earth’s Climate-Friendly School Food Program

Proyectos

K-12 School Nutrition Services Resources

Student Resources

Educator Resources

Medios de comunicación

Comunicados de prensa

Passionate Youth Traveled to Capitol Hill to Advocate for Plant-Based School Meal Options

Student leaders from 11 states traveled to Washington, D.C., as part of the Plant Powered Youth Steering Committee to meet with members of Congress and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Comunicados de prensa

U.S. Senate Takes Action to Expand Nondairy Milk Access in Schools

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, Friends of the Earth, and other members of the Plant Powered School Meals Coalition applaud the Senate Agriculture Committee for advancing provisions…

Comunicados de prensa

Healthy, Climate-Friendly School Meals Are on the Rise in California

California has pushed farther in investing state funding for free and nutritious student meals that offer plant-based options, according to a new report that tracks progress on plant-based options ove…

Comunicados de prensa

Youth from Across the Country Visit Washington DC to Advocate for Plant-based School Food Options

This week, members of the Plant Powered Youth Steering Committee met with their elected representatives and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to advocate for expanding daily access to plant-based me…

Comunicados de prensa

Friends of the Earth Applauds Improvements to USDA’s School Meal Nutrition Standards

Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture published a Final Rule updating nutrition standards for child nutrition programs, including school lunch and breakfast.

Comunicados de prensa

White House takes first step toward transforming federal food procurement and service

This week the Biden administration released best practices to increase access to healthy and safely prepared food in federal facilities.

Archivo de medios

Our Work

Inspiring Stories from K-12 School Districts

Recursos

Guía práctica para el uso de legumbres: Mejores prácticas para la utilización de frijoles, guisantes y lentejas en las comidas escolares

Este conjunto de herramientas tiene como objetivo ayudar a los directores de nutrición escolar de K-12 a servir frijoles, guisantes y lentejas nutritivos, asequibles y respetuosos con el clima en las comidas escolares.

Climate-Friendly Plant-Based Recipes for Schools

Our Climate-Friendly Plant-Based Recipes for Schools resource is a vibrant collection of student-approved recipes from over 25 California K–12 school districts, designed to help school nutrition tea…

A Guide for Food and Nutrition Services to Navigate Requests for Cow’s Milk Substitutes

School food operators may receive two types of requests for a cow’s milk substitute: Disability based requests must be accommodated by operators.

For Parents/Guardians and Students: Your Right to Request a Substitute for Cow’s Milk at School

Parents and guardians have a right to request a substitute for cow’s milk for their child as part of school meals.

Plant-Based & Plant-Forward Menus in K-12 Schools

Students and their families are increasingly asking for plant-based food at school for a wide variety of reasons, including cultural, religious, health, and philosophical reasons.

Six Changes USDA Made to Help Schools Serve More Plant-Based Foods

This fact sheet summarizes these changes and serves as a tool to support schools in implementing the new opportunities.

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Climate-Friendly School Food