By Gabriella Walker, VRG Volunteer

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Summer Food Service Program (SFSP), also known as the Summer Meals Program, allows kids and teens who come from low-income areas to get access to food in the summer. This means free meals or snacks. Program participants need to be at least 18 or younger (1).

Those 18-years-old or younger should have access to food regardless of their diet or lifestyle. According to polls, veganism has been increasing over time, especially within this age range (2). More and more schools are serving vegan-friendly options to fit their demographics (3). Today we will be talking about how to get your hands on vegan-friendly food from the SFSP.

The USDA acknowledges that not all foods available at SFSP sites are appropriate for all diets and lifestyles. Site supervisors have the option to accommodate special dietary preferences whether these are religious, moral, or personal preference, but these accommodations are not required; therefore, the possibility of getting vegan food can be low, especially if veganism is not commonly practiced in your community. Accommodations are only required for disabilities and requests must be accompanied by a medical statement. It also comes down to your own state’s rules and regulations for how they go about modifications for vegans. This means there can be some liberalization to the food choices if your state and site participate in making these accommodations available. For example, nuts, seeds, nut/seed butters, and beans/peas (legumes) can replace the meat (M) component as a meat alternative (MA) component of a meal or snack. For milk to be substituted with a non-dairy option there is a list of requirements including the amount of protein, calcium, and other nutrients that a product must fulfill which is made available to sites. From a practical standpoint, only certain brands of soymilk and pea protein-based milk fit the requirements. Fruits and vegetables are usually vegan, but grains and breads may not be depending on the product (4).

Different meals have different food requirements. For example, breakfast must include one food item from each of the milk, fruit/vegetable, and grains/bread components. Lunch/Supper must contain one food item from each of the milk, grains/bread, and M/MA components and two food items from the fruit/vegetable component. Snacks must contain one food item from two of the four components (milk, fruit/vegetable, grains/bread, and M/MA). This can present different challenges based on what food components are required. For example, if nuts and seeds are served, they must be combined with another M/MA to fulfill the minimum serving size requirement. An example of this is that if sunflower seeds are served at lunch, they need to be paired with hummus, or another meat alternative option. Another issue is if certain food products are vegan. For instance, pastries like biscuits, rolls, or muffins are served frequently for breakfast. Sometimes these products are not vegan, and another grain alternative is needed (4).

It comes down to researching your state and sites rules and regulations and communicating your diet preferences with the SFSP site person in charge. This usually includes a dietary accommodation request form that needs to be approved. Sometimes sites are not able to accommodate, so they allow kids to get the regular meal as served and pick out the foods that do appear to be vegan. If this is the case, I suggest that kids bring additional food to the site to supplement for missing components.

There are many different routes sites take around the country. Overall, the potential barriers of getting vegan food from SFSP include the program supervisor not being willing to accommodate, the cost of getting vegan options sent to the site may be too costly compared to the non-vegan options, and a lack of support by the state government with SFSP accommodations. While these are challenges, there may still be a variety of foods to choose from.

What can be requested? Here is a list of options (not complete) for each component:

Milk: dairy-free milk

Vegetable/Fruit: raw, cooked, or canned fruits/vegetables liked bananas and carrots, or applesauce and canned peaches

Grain/Bread: bread, cereal, pastry, pasta, noodles, crackers, pretzels, granola, oatmeal, cereal, tortilla chips

Meat/Meat alternative: beans like hummus, baked or refried beans, peanuts/soy/nuts/seeds, or their butters (4)

So where can you sign up for this program? Use the USDA’s SFSP website tool “Summer Meals Site Finder” (https://usda-fns.maps.arcgis.com/). From here, you will type in your location and be able to view the sites closest to you. Once you have a site picked out, you will be able to find the contact information for the site lead and let them know you or your child’s dietary preferences. If they are able to accommodate, the site supervisor will have the vegan meal prepared separately and given to the correct child. From there, you or your child will be able to get free vegan food in the summer.

Supporting those who are vegan unfortunately is not a top priority for the SFSP program right now. To make vegan meals more assessible, groups like the Coalition for Healthy School Food are taking a step. They have been advocating for more plant-based meals in schools. On a local level, you can take a step too. Visit https://healthyschoolfood.org/wp/create-change/in-my-school/ make an impact (5).

References:

1. How to Participate in Summer Meals Fact Sheet.https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/resource-files/SFSP-Fact-Sheet.pdf
2. How Many People Are Vegan? How Many Eat Vegan When Eating Out? Asks The Vegetarian Resource Group. https://www.vrg.org/nutshell/Polls/2019_adults_veg.htm
3. Vegan Fridays for All? More Schools Offer Plant-Based Meals. https://civileats.com/2022/03/21/vegan-fridays-for-all-more-schools-offer-plant-based-meals/
4. Meal Pattern Requirements. https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/resource-files/smt-meal_pattern_requirements.pdf
5. Create Change in My School.https://healthyschoolfood.org/wp/create-change/in-my-school/

Gabriella volunteered to write this article while completing a dietetic internship rotation with the Indian Health Services in Arizona. She is working towards becoming a registered dietitian.

The contents of this posting, our website, and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal and Vegan Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.