Please fill out the form below to sign onto this letter urging Secretary Vilsack to ensure plant-based school food is part of USDA's newly announced Healthy Food Incentive Fund by July 19.

July xx, 2022

Secretary Tom Vilsack
U.S. Department of Agriculture
219A Whitten Building
1400 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20250

Dear Secretary Vilsack,

On behalf of the undersigned school districts and organizations, we are writing to thank you for committing to create a new Healthy Food Incentive Fund (HFIF) and to urge you to ensure this new funding will support school districts in increasing healthy, plant-based and plant-forward  meal options. There is a strong case for focusing this new program on expanding plant-based entrée options to meet student demand, better align school meals with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA), reduce student hunger, and help meet the administration’s climate goals.

Whether for health, religious, cultural, or ethical reasons, demand for plant-based and plant-forward options is growing rapidly among students and their families. Unfortunately, despite commendable efforts from foodservice operators, plant-based options are lacking in most school cafeterias; a 2021 study found that only 4% of entrée options in California schools were plant-based, with half of those being nut butter and jelly.  School foodservice operators face technical, financial, and regulatory barriers to expanding plant-based and plant-forward options, the first two of which could be addressed by the HFIF.

Beyond falling short of meeting student demand, this lack of plant-based options indicates a misalignment with the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA). The DGA recommends diversifying protein intake (especially by replacing processed meats with plant-based proteins) and significantly increasing fiber intake (given that only 3 percent of Americans are meeting the recommended fiber intake). These findings are echoed in USDA’s 2021 School Nutrition and Meal Cost Study, which found both NSLP participants and non-participants were getting less than half of the daily recommended amount of fiber and that National School Lunch Program participants were not getting more fiber than non-participants.  Legumes (beans, peas, and lentils) are excellent sources of fiber. Since USDA does not have a fiber standard for school meals, focusing on increasing dietary fiber through voluntary incentives for fiber-rich protein options in this new program should be a priority.  

We commend USDA’s efforts to expand access to school meals during the pandemic and ensure that every student has access to food at school. This goal, however, will not be possible unless and until plant-based options are widely available. For students who follow a plant-based diet for religious, ethical, health, or other reasons, insufficient plant-based options mean that they may be left with nothing to eat at school. Students who rely on free and reduced-price lunches have reported eating nut butter and jelly nearly every day, only being able to eat fruits and vegetables at school, or having to skip lunch altogether.  

Plant-based diets are growing fastest among African Americans, with 8% of African Americans identifying as vegan according to a Pew Research poll, and among young people.  Plant-based and plant-forward diets would also better accommodate many students from cultural background for which these foods are traditionally consumed. Providing adequate plant-based meal options at school is crucial to ensure that every student has healthy, culturally appropriate meals at school and is ready to learn in class.

Finally, incentivizing more plant-based and plant-forward meals through the HFIF will meaningfully reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with school meals, contributing to President Biden’s commitment to reduce emissions associated with all federal procurement, including food procurement, by 65% by 2030.  Shifting to plant-rich diets has been identified as a high impact climate strategy by Project Drawdown, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the EAT-Lancet Commission, and a growing body of scientific literature.  

A straightforward and effective approach to supporting the expansion of fiber-rich, plant-based meal options in the HFIF would be to incorporate the $10 million pilot program envisioned by the Healthy Future Students and Earth Pilot Program Act (H.R.4108) into the new program. USDA could also provide additional reimbursements or lump sum payments tied to increasing offerings or sales of fiber-rich entrée offerings and soy milk (to accommodate students with dairy allergies or who are unable to process lactose, who are disproportionately students of color). Plus, FNS could use this new funding to provide dedicated technical assistance to school food operators to expand plant-based and plant-forward entrées.

In conclusion, ensuring that the new Healthy Food Incentive Fund is targeted toward expanding the availability of healthy, plant-based and plant-forward meal offerings in schools is a crucial strategy to support districts in meeting the growing demand for these foods, better align school meals with the DGA, address student hunger, and mitigate climate change. Thank you for your consideration.

A Well-Fed World
Animal Legal Defense Fund
Balanced
Black VegFest
Brighter Green