Source:Tom Johnston, MEATINGPLACE, 6/5/17


The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), the second-largest public school district in the country, has launched a pilot program to test plant-based vegan options for its school lunches during the 2017-2018 school year.

LAUSD board members last month approved a resolution developed by freshman Lila Copeland, who is youth director of the nonprofit group Earth Peace, according to a news release issued by Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, which helped her develop the proposal.

Dr. Neal Barnard, PCRM board president, helped make the case to LAUSD leaders and, along with Dr. Jay Gordon, has made recommendations to the district for modeling healthful eating templates for its 650,000 students spanning kindergarten through 12th grade.

“Children who grow up with exposure to fresh fruits and vegetables naturally prefer those foods,” Dr. Barnard said. “A bean burrito and garden salad or a tofu veggie wrap with fresh mango slices won’t be new at age 25 if it’s served every day, today, in school lunch lines.”

The pilot program will include entrée selection, taste tests and promotion during the 2017-2018 school year. Meanwhile, young Copeland plans to take her daily vegan entrée proposal to the California Department of Education. Her goal is to provide every student in California with vegan lunch and nondairy beverage options by the time she graduates in 2020.

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