Friday lunch menus in New York Public schools are now Vegan.
Last week, the school district announced on social media a new weekly meal change.
“NEW: @NYCschools cafeterias are going vegan on Fridays! Plant-based options in schools mean healthy eating and healthy living, and improving the quality of life for thousands of NYC students,” the district wrote on Twitter.
According to the Associated Press, public schools in the city already serve vegan food daily, but the district‘s main Friday meal will also be vegan.
Students will also be given non-vegan options as well. Additionally, milk, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, hummus, and pretzels will always be available.
As part of the district‘s first vegan Friday, students were served vegan veggie tacos with tortillas and salsa, along with broccoli and a carrot and lemon salad.
According to the Associated Press, other vegan Friday dishes this month include a Mediterranean chickpea dish with rice or pasta and a black bean and plantain rice bowl. Small groups of students are said to have tested and approved the vegan dishes.
In NYC, the largest school district in the country, Meatless Mondays and Meatless Fridays have been offered since 2019. The city has about 938,000 students.
According to a 2018 poll by the School Nutrition Association, 14 % of the districts across the US served vegan lunches and 56 % offered vegetarian meals in at least one of their schools.
