Soyfoods in School Cafeterias
Parents can request their children receive soymilk and soy meat alternatives in school cafeterias.
More and more students practice a vegetarian lifestyle, have food allergies to dairy, or have religious beliefs that dictate avoidance of meat. Nearly one in 200 American youths recently reported practicing a vegetarian diet, according to a National Health Statistics Report (1). To accommodate these food preferences, schools offer diverse menu options. Over half of school districts have schools that serve vegetarian meals, about one-fifth offer vegan meals, and over one-tenth provide soy or rice milk, according to the School Nutrition Association’s 2007 School Nutrition Operations Report (2).
A change in USDA rules permits schools participating in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs to offer soymilk as a substitute to cow’s milk and receive meal reimbursement. Parents or legal guardians must notify the school in writing that their child needs soymilk, as a non-dairy fluid milk substitute. This letter must state the child’s medical or special need (i.e., cultural or ethnic) for the soymilk. If you are interested in having your child receive soymilk as part of school breakfast and lunch, please use this sample letter for a soymilk choice and provide it to your school administration. Help SANA work to remove the need for parental documentation for children to receive soymilk as part of school lunch and breakfast by taking action here.
Studies confirm high student acceptance of a wide variety of soyfoods. Fortified soymilk has been shown to provide readily bio-available calcium and accepted by students (3). A plate waste study, funded by the United Soybean Board, compared popular menu items, including macaroni & cheese, burgers, chicken nuggets, and chicken Caesar salad, to soy-based alternatives for each item. Soy pasta was used in the macaroni and cheese, soy-based patties and spicy black bean patties replaced meat burgers. Veggie chik’n nuggets substituted for chicken nuggets, and veggie chik’n was used in the Caesar salad. For most items, kids ate just as much of the soyfoods as they did of traditional menu items—indicating a high acceptability of soyfoods. The study was such a success, that the Montgomery County School Food Service has replaced a couple of its menu items with soyfoods, despite slightly higher costs.
Soyfoods supply key nutrients to children without contributing to excess calories, saturated fat, or cholesterol. Fortified soymilk is a high source of calcium and vitamin D, a good source of vitamin A, and also provides protein, iron, potassium, and dietary fiber. Whole soybeans, or edamame, are high sources of fiber, magnesium, potassium, and calcium. In addition, soyfoods contain high quality soy protein, a complete source of lean protein that contains adequate amounts of all nine essential amino acids to support normal growth and development.
Reference:
1. Barns, Patricia, et al. Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use Among Adults and Children:
2. School Nutrition Association. School Nutrition Operations Report: The State of
3. Reilly JK, Lanou AJ, Barnard ND, Seidl K, Green AA, Acceptability of soymilk as a calcium-rich beverage in elementary school children, J. Am. Diet. Assoc. 2006; 106:590-593.
