Greetings!
Big news hit the press last night.
As of tomorrow, the food on all 1700 school lunch menus in New York City will be vegan on Fridays! Every Friday, there will be a hot entrée such as Vegan Tacos, Mediterranean Chickpeas with Rice or Pasta, Black Bean & Plantain Rice Bowl, and cold options of Hummus and Pretzels or PB&J (these cold options were already in place).
There will be a temporary "grace" period where cheese sandwiches will also be available, however, this is a move to "Vegan Fridays." Cow's milk will still be offered, as per federal law, but it is not required to be taken.
We applaud the New York City Office of Food and Nutrition Services (OFNS) for this forward-thinking decision. We have been by their side as formal partners since 2005 supporting them in this direction, helping them to implement their long-standing Wellness Policy goal to “Offer and Promote the Inclusion of Plant-Based Entrees.”
Over the last six years, we also partnered with then-Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, now NYC Mayor, during his tenure in Brooklyn, on school food issues. We are delighted that in his new role he is continuing to work with OFNS to create awareness and further the positive change for school meals that OFNS has long advocated. We look forward to continued collaboration with Mayor Adams and his staff.
How did we help lay the groundwork for Vegan Fridays? Working together with OFNS since 2005, some major accomplishments have been: annual training for OFNS staff by plant-based medical doctors; numerous Family Dinner Nights at several schools featuring completely vegan menus; development of vegan recipes; cooks' trainings for vegan recipes; the addition of hummus as a daily option in all schools; and encouraging the introduction Meatless Mondays (with a vegan focus).
One of our biggest accomplishments was to introduce and offer a vegetarian menu (completely meat-free, with vegan options) as an option to schools, and to help four schools transition to this menu.
Other important accomplishments include providing the Center for Nutrition Studies Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate Program developed by T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D. to 20 OFNS top administrators in 2010, working together with the Candle Restaurants to come into school kitchens and develop recipes, bringing in Michael Greger, MD in to speak to over 500 OFNS managers and supervisors, and arranging for the donation of 500 Great Life Cookbooks for managers and supervisors.
Our mutual goal with OFNS has always been to move toward a more plant-based menu for reasons of health, social justice, and to mitigate climate change. We will continue to do that in our valued partnership.
There are numerous ways that we will be supporting this effort, including bringing a chef in to develop more recipes, working on marketing, doing taste-testing in schools, and working with our partner schools to provide education. These are all things we have been doing and will continue to do, with passionate dedication.
NOW, there is an unprecedented and urgent opportunity to make sure that Vegan Fridays is a success. NYC is the largest school district in the country, and what they do, others follow. Time is of the essence for us to hire additional staff to support the effort! Please donate generously now.
