Resources for Parents | Resources for Schools | Resources for Students

Resources for Schools

Healthy Lunch Program for Schools

To help give students access to more healthful choices, PCRM’s Healthy School Lunch Program for Schools helps schools explore how to integrate plant-based options in their cafeterias.

Promotional Materials

• Five Reasons to Veg Out Poster (PDF)
• Veggie Burger Poster (PDF)
• Word Search and Coloring Page for Students (PDF)

Schools Making a Difference

• Innovative school lunch programs: informedeating.org's article on lunch programs offered in several states.
• Broward County Public Schools in the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., area offer daily salad bar and hot potato bar with veggie toppings.
• Detroit City School District: In 2003, the Detroit City School District had a menu overhaul and improved its score on PCRM’s annual School Lunch Report Card from 57 percent to 94 percent. This improvement was triggered by important menu changes, including daily offerings of fruits and vegetables, calcium-fortified juices, meatless entrées, and whole-grain breads. Vegan burgers are offered three times per week. The district is also investigating the possibility of offering calcium-fortified soymilk and more soy-based and legume-based entrées for the lunch menu.
• Both California's Healthy School Lunch Resolution asks schools to offer a plant-based lunch option on the daily menu and New York State’s Resolution for Healthy Plant-Based Food asks schools to offer a plant-based lunch option on the daily menu.
• PCRM awards school food service authorities for serving healthy school meals and encouraging good nutrition with its Golden Carrot Awards.

Sample Menus and Quantity Recipes

• Vegetarian Options for School Lunch Programs (PDF)
• Vegan Quantity Recipes for School Lunch Programs (PDF)
• PCRM’s Healthy Plant-Based Cycle Menu
• Quantity recipes from PCRM’s Gold Plan
• USDA Quantity Recipes: Vegan or Easily Made Vegan
• Vegan Institutional Recipes
  • Sloppy Joes
  • Baja Bean Tacos
  • Black Bean Vegetable Wrap
  • Garden Pasta Salad
  • Falafel Sandwiches
  • Stuffed Green Peppers
  • Stir-Fry Vegetables
  • “Chicken” Fried Rice
  • Very Primo Pasta
  • Orange Couscous Salad
  • Pueblo Pie
  • Vegetarian Chili
• Vegan In Volume offers quantity recipes for every occasion. The book, written by Chef Nancy Berkoff, R.D., is available through the Vegetarian Resource Group.

Nutrition Curricula

• Guide to Healthy School Meals for Grades K-12 (PDF)
• Food is Elementary By Antonia Demas, 2001. Food is Elementary contains 28 age-appropriate lesson plans for pre-K through second grade and third grade through eighth grade. Dr. Demas’ innovative approach centers around experiential learning and interdisciplinary studies. The participatory one-hour lessons integrate art, geography, history, language arts, writing, mathematics, and science and encourage students to engage all their senses while they study whole foods, nutrition and cooking.
• Citizens for Healthy Options in Childrens’ Education offers a nutrition lesson plan at three grade levels.
• The Produce for Better Health Foundation offers some lesson plans to encourage students to learn about and eat more fruits and vegetables.
• Citizens for Healthy Options In Children’s Education CHOICE offers curricula and grant resources for educators
• Center for Ecoliteracy’s Rethinking School Lunch Program provides a guide with tools and curricula to help schools improve school lunch and integrate nutrition education into the classroom.

Background Information

Hot Lunch: A History of the School Lunch by Antonia Demas, Ph.D., 2000, explores the origins of school meals programs in Europe and the United States, and it may be ordered from the Food Studies Institute.

Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health by Marion Nestle, Ph.D., 2002, offers an in-depth look at how economics and politics have shaped nutrition policy, including that which affects the National School Lunch Program. Look for it at your local bookstore.

Food Companies and Distribution

• VegAdvantage
• PCRM Vegan School Lunch Product List
• A completely vegan food line distributed by SYSCO and ARAMARK

home | about us | contact us

This Web site does not provide medical or legal advice.
This site is for information purposes only.
full disclaimer | privacy policy