By Vienna Dschung
Photos from the Butternut Squash Pasta taste test, which was also served in the lunch line.
Advocating for plant-based school food has been a whirlwind of ups and downs that I never would’ve expected. From being mistaken for Korean during a USDA meeting to breaking down in tears at my school’s food service office (several times), my campaign has been an incredibly enriching experience that I would not trade for anything in the world. Despite not facing overwhelming success or approval, and at times feeling like the biggest failure in my cohort, the life lessons I’ve garnered throughout this journey are something no amount of accomplishments could’ve taught me. I hope that by sharing what I’ve learned from my difficult and imperfect three years, more students looking to embark on their own campaigns will be able to save themselves a lot of time, energy, and tears.
It all started in my sophomore year, when a close friend and I pitched plant-based school food items as an angle to increase our school’s environmental sustainability and reduce our carbon footprint. We met with our district’s food service director, nonprofit leaders from Farm to School, and even food service directors from other districts where plant-based menu items were already being successfully offered. Excited to launch the campaign, I reached out to my school’s food service director on the first day of school during my junior year to get started. Unfortunately, despite multiple attempts to connect, I was met with an entire school year of silence. Thankfully, my junior year was also when I joined the 2025 cohort of the Plant-Based School Meals Coalition, and where I better equipped myself with the advocacy tools needed to further my campaign…