Friends of the Earth Applauds Improvements to USDA’s School Meal Nutrition Standards

New child nutrition meal patterns will better facilitate healthy, plant-forward K-12 menus

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture published a Final Rule updating nutrition standards for child nutrition programs, including school lunch and breakfast.  

Friends of the Earth – along with dozens of other organizations and thousands of students, parents, school foodservice professionals, and other stakeholders – advocated for changes to the child nutrition meal patterns that would better facilitate healthy, plant-forward menus and increased availability of plant-based, culturally appropriate meal options. Plant-based foods, which contain no animal products, and plant-forward menus, which feature plant-based proteins alongside some animal products, are critical to aligning school meal programs’ intent to serve all children and offer a variety of healthy, fiber-rich options.