Vegetarian meals, which tend to be higher in fiber and lower in total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol than non-vegetarian meals, can be a useful tool for helping schools bring menus into compliance with the Departments of Health and Human Services and Agriculture's Dietary Guidelines for Americans. However, little practical information is available to assist schools in incorporating more vegetarian options into existing menus.

In an effort to collect this information, The Vegetarian Resource Group initiated a survey of schools. From July to September 2004, we conducted interviews with representatives of 25 school food service departments throughout the nation. The interview questions focused on vegetarian foods already being served in those schools. The purpose of this project was to obtain practical information about how to successfully introduce and integrate vegetarian options into school menus. The ultimate goal was to share this information with school food service directors and other professionals who may want to increase the number of vegetarian meals served at their schools. Most interviews were conducted via telephone with school food service directors or dietitians.

Challenges of Schools

Schools face many challenges in trying to serve healthy meals that are acceptable to students. The costs of food and labor were repeatedly cited as major hurdles. Many food service departments are financially self-supporting and receive no funding from outside their departments. Typically schools budget 25-60 cents per entrée. As a result, the variety of pre-prepared food items they can buy is limited to those that fit within a tight budget. Labor is also a high cost. As one respondent noted, most food service workers are unionized and paid a higher hourly wage than many other types of laborers. Therefore, schools have to strike a balance between cost and convenience, an ongoing challenge in determining the extent to which they can use ready-made, relatively costly food items, such as vegetarian burger patties and other specialty products.

The individuals surveyed said that school personnel also face demanding customers. Parents of vegetarian students may not understand the cost limitations imposed on schools or appreciate the difficulty of meeting the needs of special diets. It can be difficult to communicate to parents that it is not always possible to get what they demand.

Most schools use commodities (food purchased by the United States Department of Agriculture) to lower costs. However, there have been occasional problems with product quality. For example, oil can be rancid. Also, not all commodities are always available. One interviewee reported that commodities such as cheese and nonfat dry milk were always accessible, but ‘unusual' items like brown rice were not. In other words, some foods are consistently available, while others are not. Occasionally, schools get a surplus of a particular commodity (black beans, for example), which can be a challenge due to storage limitations.

Foods that are acceptable in meeting the nutrition requirements of the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) varied widely according to which menu system is used. Most schools reported using the traditional food-based menu system. There seemed to be confusion about the use of peanut butter. Some schools reported using peanut butter, while other schools said they could not use it anymore because of food allergy risks. One interviewee stated that the USDA was not clear as to what is an acceptable vegetarian entrée.

Student acceptance of new foods can be another challenge. Most prefer familiar items. Staff often perceive that students are not accepting of new foods. Nutrition education is seldom integrated into the classroom curricula, so healthy foods and their benefits are rarely discussed. Respondents speculated that this lack of nutrition education undermines the students' acceptance of unfamiliar options.

Other issues mentioned include competitive foods, such as those in vending machines; balancing healthy food choices with those that contribute more profit; limited amounts of time for preparation and serving; government paperwork; and unskilled staff.

What Are Schools Doing?

Vegetarian foods were offered in all schools surveyed. Pizza, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, macaroni and cheese, and other meatless pastas were the most common vegetarian items served. Many respondents reported that it is difficult to identify the vegetarian foods non-vegetarians were likely to eat, but the most popular non-meat entrée was pizza. Other popular entrées included pasta, soup, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and bean burritos. One interviewee stated the most acceptable vegetarian entrées at her school were familiar non-vegetarian foods that have been modified to be vegetarian.

Of the 25 schools surveyed, 14 served both products from scratch as well as commercially prepared products. Many of the items made from scratch were made with commodities. The most frequently used commodities were cheese, beans, peanut butter, and tomato products, such as sauce or paste. When cooking from scratch and using commodities, interviewees stressed creativity:

• Doctor up commodities by adding spices to tomato sauce, or combine a veggie burger with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese for a pizza burger.
• Process commodity items into a food that students enjoy.
• Take the meat or animal fat out of a popular recipe and replace it with beans.

Recipes that call for commodities include vegetarian chili, vegetable lasagna, soft tacos, burritos, and vegetarian wraps. Many schools reported using USDA recipes when cooking with commodities. Other sources for recipes included magazines, professional journals, cookbooks, and websites.

Those who used commercially prepared products cited many favorite name brands: Smucker's peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, East Side Entrées, Chef America Hot Pockets, and Tony's Pizza. Many schools noted that they order their vegetarian items from the same vendors that provide their non-vegetarian items. Two vendors, Global Foods and Mon Cuisine, carried a large variety of vegetarian foods or ingredients. One person commented that, in the past five years, Sam's Club has increased the quality and quantity of wholesale vegetarian ingredients stocked as well.

To decrease costs, interviewees recommended using commodities creatively. Balancing the budget over the week was another strategy recommended. For example, if a high cost item is used one day, use a low cost item the next day. One respondent noted that not buying meat automatically decreases cost, and items such as black beans for a Mexican salad are inexpensive. Many reported that cheesy stuffed baked potatoes are inexpensive, and one respondent stated that this dish costs half the price of a meat item. Another said that Mexican foods, such as quesadillas, burritos, and bean tostadas, are popular and cheap. Pasta, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and pizza were also cited as cost effective.

Those who used a nutrient-based menu system recommended it for increased flexibility. For example, under a nutrient-based menu system, protein is not subject to ‘approval.' As one interviewee put it, “It is an easier system to use, and you don't have to serve 2 ounces of meat.”

Almost all schools surveyed stated that no special equipment, no special ingredients, and no special staff training were needed to incorporate more vegetarian meals into school menus.

All schools surveyed reported serving some vegetarian entrées. The demand for and ease of serving vegetarian menu options varied by geographic location. Nevertheless, as national attention to childhood obesity increases, it will likely become easier for schools to add a greater number and range of healthy options for students and school personnel who eat in school cafeterias.

Twenty-five food service and nutrition departments in schools throughout the U.S. were interviewed. For the following questions, multiple parties who gave the same response are indicated by the number after the x. Otherwise, assume one school said they served that particular item. If you are in charge of food service at a school, you may want to assess which of these items may be appropriate to add to your school's menu.