by Reed Mangels, PhD, RD
On October 28, 2025 Representatives Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY) and Alma Adams (D-NC) introduced the Plant Powered School Meals Pilot Act, H.R. 5867. The bill was referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
This bill, if approved, would create a voluntary grant program for school districts to support schools providing 100% plant-based food and milk options. According to the text of the bill, a 100% plant-based food or milk option would not contain “any animal products or byproducts, such as meat, poultry, honey, fish, dairy, or eggs.”
The funds that would be made available through the grant program could be used for:
- Training school foodservice staff,
- Purchasing plant-based sources of protein and milk from “socially disadvantaged producers, local producers, and women, veterans, and beginning farmers,”
- Promoting the plant-based foods to students and providing nutrition education,
- Additional labor costs related to preparing and serving plant-based foods,
The bill would also require schools to offer a non-dairy milk substitute to any student with a written request from the student’s parent or guardian. The bill also allows schools to provide non-dairy milk alternatives, consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, to any student as part of a reimbursable meal, with no requirement for a doctor’s note.