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Resources for Schools

Information for parents, students, and school food and nutrition service professionals.

Vegetarian Options for School Lunch Programs (PDF)

Learn about advantages for children’s health, meeting USDA requirements, menu makeovers, introducing new options, advice for parents, vegetarian product vendors, vegetarian commodities, and additional resources. Download Vegetarian Options for School Lunch Programs (PDF).

Promotional Materials

• Five Reasons to Veg Out Poster (PDF)
• Veggie Burger Poster (PDF)
• Word Search and Coloring Page for Students (PDF)

Sample Menus and Quantity Recipes

• Vegetarian Options for School Lunch Programs (PDF)
• Vegan Quantity Recipes for School Lunch Programs (PDF)
• USDA Quantity Recipes: Vegan or Easily Made Vegan
• Vegan Institutional Recipes
  • Sloppy Joes
  • Baja Bean Tacos
  • Black Bean Vegetable Wrap
  • Garden Pasta Salad
  • Falafel Sandwiches
  • Stuffed Green Peppers
  • Stir-Fry Vegetables
  • “Chicken” Fried Rice
  • Very Primo Pasta
  • Orange Couscous Salad
  • Pueblo Pie
  • Vegetarian Chili
• Vegan In Volume offers quantity recipes for every occasion. The book, written by Chef Nancy Berkoff, R.D., is available through the Vegetarian Resource Group.
• PCRM’s Healthy Plant-Based Cycle Menu
• Quantity recipes from PCRM’s Gold Plan

Schools Making a Difference

• PCRM awards school food service authorities for serving healthy school meals and encouraging good nutrition with its Golden Carrot Awards.
• Past Golden Carrot Award winners
• Innovative school lunch programs: informedeating.org's article on lunch programs offered in several states.
• Broward County Public Schools in the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., area offer daily salad bar and hot potato bar with veggie toppings.
• Both California's Healthy School Lunch Resolution asks schools to offer a plant-based lunch option on the daily menu and New York State’s Resolution for Healthy Plant-Based Food asks schools to offer a plant-based lunch option on the daily menu.

Nutrition Curricula

• Food is Elementary by Antonia Demas, 2001. Food is Elementary contains 28 age-appropriate lesson plans for pre-K through second grade and third grade through eighth grade. Dr. Demas’ innovative approach centers around experiential learning and interdisciplinary studies. The participatory one-hour lessons integrate art, geography, history, language arts, writing, mathematics, and science and encourage students to engage all their senses while they study whole foods, nutrition and cooking.
• The Produce for Better Health Foundation offers some lesson plans to encourage students to learn about and eat more fruits and vegetables.
• Citizens for Healthy Options In Children’s Education CHOICE offers curricula and grant resources for educators
• Center for Ecoliteracy’s Rethinking School Lunch Program provides a guide with tools and curricula to help schools improve school lunch and integrate nutrition education into the classroom.
• Dole offers lesson plans, resources, and activities that teach students the importance of fruits and vegetables.
• The Cancer Project offers Food for Life Kids Nutrition and Cooking Classes that include a nutrition topic and activity followed by a cooking demonstration and sampling of the food prepared. Classes are open to children ages 9 to 11 years old. Parents and guardians are welcome to attend.

Background Information

Hot Lunch: A History of the School Lunch by Antonia Demas, Ph.D., 2000, explores the origins of school meals programs in Europe and the United States, and it may be ordered from the Food Studies Institute.

Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health by Marion Nestle, Ph.D., 2002, offers an in-depth look at how economics and politics have shaped nutrition policy, including that which affects the National School Lunch Program. Look for it at your local bookstore.

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