We will forever be on the side of those who can’t vote, whether feathered, scaled or four-legged. That’s why we are cheering California’s Sweetwater Union High School District for being the gold standard when it comes to offering vegan school lunches.

When asked if it was parents’ and students’ concerns about nutrition and health; animals and the environment; or the overall climate crisis that prompted to start offering daily vegan school lunch options, Eric Span, director of nutrition services, replied: “All of the above.”

SUHSD, which has more than 42,000 enrolled students, announced it would increase vegan options back in 2018. Using locally sourced ingredients, school gardens and clean-label foods, SUHSD’s nutrition services began creating delicious new vegan menu items that appeal to all palates but that are also eligible for federal reimbursements through the National School Lunch Program.

“Our students feel heard and included in our meal program,” Span said.

To accomplish this admirable goal, school kitchen managers within the Sweetwater District participated in free culinary training programs that helped them adopt more plant-based foods, expand their culinary skills and encouraged them to test new flavor profiles from around the world.

According to Jade Kelley, registered dietitian/area supervisor, finding vegan products that meet federal requirements for reimbursement hasn’t been all that difficult.

“Mostly they’re heat and serve items, and we prefer scratch/speed scratch items. So, we developed our own recipes that met the guidelines for a reimbursable meal,” Kelley explained.

“For example, we really like Deeply Rooted vegan crumbles for not only the taste but their simple ingredients, and the crumble allows us to really be creative. We have a house-made vegan crumble burrito, which we add spices and puree beans to in order to meet the meat alternate requirements.”

Schools also offer a vegan taco salad with cilantro lemon dressing.

“The Deeply Rooted product is excellent. We’ve had great feedback from students, and the company has come out to do taste tests as well,” Kelley said.

Falafel wraps with homemade hummus, as well as a falafel bistro box, are also among the vegan menu items.

“The falafel is heat and serve, but another great product, and we make our own hummus,” Kelley said.

The only downside: “We have found that preparation of these items takes a little longer than most other items to prepare,” Kelley said.

Friends of Animals applauds Sweetwater for setting the gold standard for vegan school lunch programs. From working on our campaign to persuade more school districts to add daily vegan entrees to their lunch menus, we’ve heard many food service directors claim it’s too burdensome to meet U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) requirements and get reimbursed for vegan lunch menu items.

That’s why last spring FoA submitted a legal rulemaking petition to the USDA requesting that the agency overhaul its draconian National School Lunch Program, which was enacted by Congress in 1946. Presently, almost 100,000 schools are involved in the NSLP, offering affordable or free meals to students.

Following the legal petition, over the summer the USDA issued astonishing new regulations that make it easier for schools involved in the NSLP to offer daily vegan lunch entrees.

“We’re applauding this significant step that follows the excellence of our persuasive legal rulemaking petition,” said Priscilla Feral, president of Friends of Animals. “This is what change looks like. This is proof you can move mountains. The USDA, which is notoriously in lockstep with the meat industry, has opened the door to progress. It’s gratifying.”

“The USDA is recognizing how good beans, peas and lentils are for you,” added Adam Kreger, staff attorney for FoA’s Wildlife Law Program. “And the USDA is even saying that schools need to provide beans, peas and lentils, but makes no such requirement for chicken nuggets.”

Sweetwater Union High School District offers the following advice to other school districts wanting to offer daily vegan school lunch options: “We suggest that students and parents advocate for these menu items.

Students should offer to become part of focus groups. We think that nutrition directors should embrace all students and their cultures as well as dietary requests, when possible,” Span said.