Key Points
Primer, who has worked in student nutrition within Californias public school system for 10 years, applied for grant funding from the state to kick off the curriculum, and got it..
Although experts say this growth is partly a reflection of demand from students and parents, they also credit several California state programs that are helping school districts access more local produce and prepare fresh, plant-based meals on-site...
A recent report from the environmental nonprofit Friends of the Earth found that among Californias 25 largest school districts, more than half56 percentof middle and high school menus now have daily vegan options, a significant jump compared to 36 percent in 2019..
Nora Stewart, the author of the Friends of the Earth report, says the recent increase in vegan school lunch options has also been in response to a growing demand for less meat and dairy in cafeterias from climate-conscious students..
(The standard in school lunch sometimes is jokingly referred to as cooking with a box cutter, as in heating up and serving premade meals that come delivered in a box.) Another state program, the $100 million School Food Best Practices Funds,gives schools money to purchase more locally grown food..
