Resources Archive

Resources

Promoting Sustainable Food Service Operations

The pilot team found that adding plant-based menu options coupled with behavioral design strategies is a cost- effective, achievable, and high-impact strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

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 teams prepare and serve delicious, climate-friendly meals.  

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.

Plant-Based Trends in California’s School Lunches (2024)

Friends of the Earth’s new report provides a 5-year snapshot comparing 2019 and 2023 school menu entrées served at the 25 largest school districts across the state.

Plant-Based Trends in California’s School Lunches (2023)

As our climate crisis intensifies and more than half of Americans suffer from diet-related disease, California’s school nutrition service staff have heeded the urgent call to make school food healthier and more climate-friendly.

How a Rockstar Lentil Burger Inspired More Plant-Forward School Food

This case study highlights San Luis Coastal Unified School District’s Thai Basil Lentil Burger, which has become one of the school’s most popular plant-forward entrees

USDA Foods: How a $1.3 billion program can be transformed to create a more just and healthy food system

The USDA Foods program, while providing well-intentioned financial support for school districts, contributes to menus that rely heavily on carbon-intensive, ultra-processed foods like hamburgers, deli meat sandwiches, and chicken nuggets sourced from the largest industrial meat and dairy corporations.