By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

The USDA administers programs related to children’s nutrition including  the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Child and Adult Care Food Program, Summer Food Service Program and the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program. The Vegetarian Resource Group has been advocating for changes to the nutrition standards for child nutrition programs for many years. For example, in 2023 we submitted extensive comments on the revisions to Child Nutrition Programs being proposed by USDA. Recently, USDA announced updates to school nutrition standards, some of which may increase vegan and vegetarian options in school lunch and breakfast programs.

Updates include:

• Removal of the limit for nut and seed crediting at breakfast, lunch, and supper in child nutrition programs. In the past, in some programs, nuts and seeds could only count toward half of a meal’s meat/meat alternatives component. The revision allows nuts and seeds to count toward all of a meal’s meat/meat alternatives component. According to USDA, this change is expected to “expand options for vegetarian and vegan meals that include nuts, seeds, and nut and seed butters.”
• Elimination of the requirement that cooked dry beans, peas, and lentils may be counted as either a vegetable or as a protein source but not as both in the same meal. The new requirement permits beans, peas, and lentils that are offered as a meat alternative to also count towards the weekly requirement that beans, peas, and lentils are offered as a vegetable subgroup. If the beans, peas, and lentils are used as a meat alternative, they do not count towards overall vegetable requirements for the meal. As the new rules explain, if a wrap is served with chickpeas, fresh tomatoes, and lettuce, the chickpeas could count as a meats/meat alternative component and could also count toward meeting the weekly requirement to offer at least a half cup of beans, peas, and lentils as a vegetable subgroup each week. This meal would need to include another vegetable like the lettuce and tomato to meet the requirement for a vegetable component at lunch. According to the USDA, “this new option is intended to support schools that wish to offer more plant-based and vegetarian options.”
• Add bean dips to the list of foods exempt from the total fat standard in the competitive food, or Smart Snack, regulations. This allows hummus and other bean dips to be included as a Smart Snack provided they meet standards for sodium, saturated fat, total sugars, and calories. Bean dips must include ground beans, peas, and/or lentils and can include nut/seed butters, vegetable oil, seasonings, vegetables and juice for flavor, and preservatives. This change could allow more a la carte options for vegans.

The updates did not include changes to the requirements for providing a substitute for cow’s milk for non-disability reasons (such as a vegan diet). USDA does not have the authority to change the statutory requirements that a fluid milk substitute meets specified nutrition standards, that it is requested in writing by a medical authority or the child’s parent or legal guardian, and that the school must cover any expenses that exceed program reimbursements. USDA suggests that school food authorities could provide a simple form that parents and guardians could use to request a substitute for cow’s milk.

You can read the entire text of the revisions here.

To read more about school meals see:

Getting Vegan Food into Schools

Vegan Options in a California School

Vegan Options in Portland, ME School Lunch

New York City School Lunch Program Features “Vegan Fridays”

School Food Lunch

Tempeh in School Meals