4 ways to easily meet child nutrition regulations

Students are more adventurous eaters than ever, but that doesn’t mean that the kids don’t occasionally want their favorites to appear on the menu—and that might just mean burgers and chicken nuggets. However, with more vegetarians and vegans coming through the lunch line, K-12 foodservice operators need to find favorites that cater to those students, too.

Finding plant-based items that meet child nutrition (CN) labeling requirement isn’t easy, but it’s certainly not impossible, particularly as industry partners step up to make products that fit the bill. Here are four ways K-12 operators can use plant-based dishes to more easily satisfy regulations.

Take the guesswork out of the mix

Healthy, tasty plant-based items that work appropriately as meat/meat-based alternates aren’t as easy to find as a program operator might hope. However, intrepid industry members who are known for quality plant-based items have entered the school foodservice market, and their products take the guesswork out menuing. For example, Dr. Praeger’s offers a black bean veggie burger, a vegan burger and chickenless nuggets that are all CN-labeled.

Remember the regulations

School nutrition standards are confusing, but don’t forget that a key part of using alternate proteins such as plant-based burgers and nuggets is portion size. First, government regulations dictate that the minimum quantity for grades K-3 is one-and-a-half ounces, and two ounces for grades 4 to 12. For grades 7 to 12, the recommended quantities of alternate proteins is three ounces. Additionally, these items must be used in combination with other vegetarian protein sources, such as beans, peas, peanuts/tree nuts and peanut/nut butters, and cannot be used to meet more than 50% of the meat/meat alternate requirement.

Keep it colorful

Round out the meal and make the plant-based item more appealing to students by plating it with a variety of colorful ingredients. For example, use a CN-labeled black bean burger patty with bright yellow bell pepper, crisp shredded lettuce and vivid red tomatoes to create a tropical burger that students will first devour with their eyes before enjoying eating it.

Don’t forget traditional condiments

One of the biggest issues a K-12 program operator has is making sure that students actually eat the items on the line. Traditional condiments can be one way to entice diners, so set up a condiment bar that allows students to fix up their veggie burgers and nuggets with all their favorites, including ranch dressing, barbecue sauce, ketchup and mustard, relish and pickles.

Ensuring K-12 foodservice offers great plant-based options for kids in schools takes more planning than offering plant-based foods to adults in restaurants does. But, that doesn’t mean it’s not a project worth taking on. By offering familiar favorites with colorful toppings and customizable condiments, kids are likely to eat and enjoy these vegetarian offerings.