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

Projects

K-12 School Nutrition Services Resources

Student Resources

Educator Resources

Media

News Releases

California Schools Scale Up Organic Purchasing to Benefit Farmers and Student Health

The USDA’s Department of Defense Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program grew from no organic options in 2020 to nearly $6 million in organic produce sales by the end of the last school year.

News Releases

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.

News Releases

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…

News Releases

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…

News Releases

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…

News Releases

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.

Media Archive

Our Work

Inspiring Stories from K-12 School Districts

Resources

From Zero to $5.5 Million

In just five years, California schools have gone from having no access to organic produce through the Department of Defense Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (DoD Fresh) to purchasing over $5.5 millio…

The Pulse Playbook: Best Practices for Utilizing Beans, Peas & Lentils in School Meals

This toolkit aims to help K-12 school nutrition directors serve nutritious, affordable, and climate-friendly beans, peas, and lentils in school meals.

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.

More Resources

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Climate-Friendly School Food