Impossible Foods Is Bringing Plant-Based Meat to Schools Across the Country
Impossible Foods is bringing plant-based meat to schools across the country! The company earned a Child Nutrition label from the USDA, so its products can now be served at K-12 schools. This exciting development will not only give children delicious new options but help expose them to meatless meals at an earlier age.
The new options will come to select school districts in California, Washington, and Oklahoma this month, with further expansion planned for fall. Impossible Foods and participating school districts hope to encourage children to try meatless meals by creating enticing food choices. Proposed options include Impossible street tacos, Impossible Frito pie, and spaghetti with Impossible meat sauce. Impossible Foods senior scientist in nutrition, health, and food safety Esther Park stated:
The Impossible Burger represents a logical next step for schools looking to incorporate more plant-based options that meet nutritional needs of school-aged children.
Besides introducing children to its delicious vegan products, Impossible Foods aims to educate them on how their food choices affect the environment. The company surveyed 1,200 children between the ages of five and 18 to better understand their grasp of climate change and its connection to food production. An impressive 80 percent of those surveyed knew about climate change, while nine out of 10 said that taking action to prevent it was important to them. In its report, Impossible Foods said:
Our research shows that kids care about climate change, and they want to do something about it. But they’re still far more likely to take actions like recycling or limiting food waste than they are to stop eating meat, even when they’re educated about climate change contributors. That’s why it’s so important to give them an easy solution that they resonate with.
Currently, the majority of meals served in school cafeterias include animal products. By offering its plant-based products in schools across the country, Impossible Foods will help children make a difference for the planet with their food choices.
Want more plant-based options in your child’s cafeteria? Sometimes the best tactic is simply to ask! Try teaming up with other parents hoping for healthier, more environment-friendly options and having a discussion with your school’s administration.
There are also countless tasty plant-based recipes you can introduce your child to at home. Check out these 15 vegan recipes for kids, and download our FREE Vegetarian Starter Guide for more tips on plant-based eating.