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Climate-Friendly School Food

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  

Sign up for Friends of the Earth’s Climate-Friendly School Food newsletter  

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.

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