K-12 plant-based product guide

There are so many benefits to adding plant-based products to your menus. Here are some tips for how to incorporate them more often.

How to incorporate plant-based products on your menus

• Menu meals that include plant-based products in addition to whole-food plant-based meals that use plant-based protein sources like beans, legumes and hummus.
• Consider using a combination of legumes and plant-based meat in a recipe to keep protein high and costs low.
• Serve veggie burgers daily or weekly.
• Offer plant-based ‘chicken’ nuggets (like Rebellyous) alongside conventional chicken nuggets.
• Incorporate our K-12 recipes onto your menus regularly.
• Use plant-based ground ‘beef’ crumbles (like Deeply Rooted, GroundPro, Impossible Foods or Morningstar Farms) to replace the meat in your existing recipes for things like spaghetti, tacos, burritos, chili, etc.
• Test out recipes that utilize high-protein and approved meat alternatives like tofu and tempeh.
• Set up a sampling table for new plant-based menu items and give students the opportunity to give their feedback.
• Offer CN-labeled plant-based milk options like Ripple for students who can’t consume dairy.
• Market your plant-based offerings with helpful, educational and fun signage to get students excited.
• Focus on naming your plant-based entrée in a way that highlights the flavor and texture of the dish and avoid including words like “vegan,” “meatless,” “vegetarian” and “meat-free” in the name.