The population of the United States is 331.9 million, and there are currently 49.5 million students enrolled K through 12. What do these students currently eat? Often pretty unhealthy foods. Foods at school cafeterias have often been compared to the foods that inmates eat in prison. Both the children and the prisoners of our nation deserve healthier options. They should be able to have access to foods that are meat-free and dairy-free.
Children are our future leaders and the backbone of society, but currently they are not always being afforded the best of care. They are suffering from lack of sleep, stress from schoolwork and activities, and are often being fed unhealthy foods. The past three years of lockdowns, mask wearing, and toxic jabs have also taken a huge toll on the mental and physical wellbeing of our children. What’s the problem with our children’s diet? One visit to a school cafeteria explains it all.
Current food options contain way too much salt and fat. According to the CDC, “Obesity in the United States affects 100.1 million (41.9%) adults and 14.7 million (19.7%) children and accounts for approximately $147 billion in annual health care costs.” Obesity is a serious crisis for our nation and we need to make sure that our children do not end up in the same situation that adults are in now. The processed food and meat industries dictate too many of Americans’ food choices in our schools and they attempt to gain control at an early age. To counteract the powerful meat and dairy industries we must promote healthy vegan options in our schools. Fruits, vegetables, and of course vegan meats and milks to ease in the transition. Eating plant-based doesn’t have to mean eating only fruits and vegetables. There is now a wide variety of vegan food to choose from.
Children are constantly faced with more and more challenging courses. In the U.S., like in countries all over the world, there are many thousands of children excelling in math and the sciences. They’re participating in sports and multiple extracurricular activities, and filling up their schedules, doing the best they can to get into the top colleges. But nutrition and the truth of where our food comes from is often ignored. Students are currently distanced from the economical and environmental realities of foods. They need to know that eating meat is not sustainable. Factory farming takes up too much water, too much land, and destroys our air, soil and ground water. It’s only somewhat viable due to the billions of dollars in subsidies that it receives. But as members of the public we can guide our politicians as to where we want these subsidies to go. Why not to vegan foods in the school system? Imagine how inexpensive vegan foods would be if they had the same subsidies as the meat industry.
In the Los Angeles Unified School District, vegan food pilot programs were implemented in 2017 with very successful results. If you’re living in the Los Angeles area, we recommend that you write to the LAUSD school board to let them know that this program should be continued. We must make it known to them that we believe that the current food choices are failing children’s health. Our taxpayer money goes to funding the meat and dairy industries, enriching their executives while destroying the health of our children. We want our public funds to go towards promoting alternatives that are more ethical, better for the environment, and healthier.
Click on the link below to email the LAUSD board of education:secretariat@lausd.net
You may write your own letter or copy and paste the one that we have below:
Dear LAUSD School Board Members,
I would like to thank you for implementing the vegan food pilot program in 2017, bringing healthy vegan meals to hundreds of thousands of students. We are grateful that LAUSD has led the way as more school districts have started to embrace vegan options.
As a resident of Los Angeles, I am delighted that vegan options are being considered and that students are being given healthier and more ethical choices.
A plant-based diet is quickly becoming more popular worldwide, and I hope that in the coming years, you will continue to support vegan food initiatives and expand the options available in the cafeteria. Many parents and students alike admire the commitments that you have made, and they look forward to you taking the next steps in sustainability.
Thank you for your work thus far and please remain open to continuing to provide healthy vegan options to our students.
Sincerely,
<Your Name>
The University of Cambridge is planning to transition to 100% vegan meals in their catering service. The Queen Mary Student Union voted to go 100% plant-based by 2028-2029, University College London has made all of their milk dairy-free, the University of Swansea has committed to making one of their cafes meat-free, and the London Metropolitan University has asked its food provider to provide meals for meat-free Mondays. Lets make vegan food a reality for the American school system too! In 2017, the pilot program for vegan food at LAUSD was extremely successful.. https://www.livekindly.com/la-vegan-lunch-menu-demand/One cafeteria manager was quoted as saying, “I’ve needed two times what we had, they are asking for vegan now. Students are paying more attention to what they eat.” Students overwhelmingly want vegan food. Let the board members of our schools know this. Send in your emails and let your voices be heard, for the sake of our children’s future.