Resources Archive

Resources

Visually Recognizable Foods Fact Sheet

Current regulations requiring plant-based protein foods to be “visually recognizable” create barriers for school food operators.

Policy Brief: Regulatory Changes to Enable Plant-Forward School Meals

Demand for plant-based foods is growing rapidly among our youth, whether for environmental, health, religious or cultural reasons.

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.

The State of School Lunch in California

The need to make school food healthier, climate-friendly and accessible to all families is more urgent than ever.

Organic School Food Roadmap

This report outlines six key strategies and shares seven brief case studies from diverse school districts that show how school districts with various food service models can successfully source organic food.

Organic, Plant-Forward, Scratch Cooked School Meals: A California Case Study

As schools across the nation grapple with how to feed kids healthier, more sustainable food on tight budgets, an inspiring story from Northern California provides a roadmap for change.

Scaling Up Healthy, Climate-Friendly School Food

Within this broader vision of climate-friendly foodservice, this report focuses primarily on strategies for increasing offerings of healthy, cost-effective plant forward foods.

Shrinking Carbon and Water Footprints of School Food

As schools across the nation grapple with how to feed kids healthier, more sustainable food on tight budgets, an inspiring story from Oakland Unified School District provides a roadmap for change. Friends of the Earth’s new case study shows how the district was able to significantly reduce its carbon and water footprint by replacing a share of its meat, poultry and cheese purchases with plant-based proteins