We have been asked more and more frequently about the requirement for vegan menus in school. Are schools expected to accommodate the ethical choices as they would religious diets? The Government School Food Plan provides a breakdown of the legal requirement to promote healthy eating.

Legally, schools are not required to provide individual pupils with special diet menus. However the Government does advise that schools should listen to pupils and community when considering if they should make reasonable adjustments for pupils with particular requirements, for example to reflect medical, dietary and cultural needs.

Depending on the local community, it is usually wise to accomodate the medial, dietary and cultural needs around the locality, to encourage use of the service and uptake of meals provided on site. This not only promotes healthy eating, awareness and exposure to a variety of foods, but it is essential to maintaining the engagement of the pupil population and ensuring the catering services remain finaicially viable as in any commercial setting. Pupils and families will vote with their feet if the services do not reflect their choices.
According to the Soil Association, 'People want to see more sustainable options on menus - we’re increasingly becoming food ‘citizens’, making mindful decisions about what and where we eat based on what impact the food will have on us, our local economies and the planet'.

The Vegan Society states that, 'Veganism has been found to come within the scope of international human rights provisions and vegans in the UK are protected under human rights and equality law. This means that schools have an obligation to ense that they do not interfere with a vegan’s right to freedom of conscience, and a responsibility under the Equality Act 2010 to avoid any discrimination on the grounds of veganism'. Note, if a child is eligible for a free school meal the duty is not to discriminate and the Vegan Society believe this means that a vegan option should be provided.

Whilst there is no legislation that requires the provision of vegan options, schools do have a duty under law to make reasonable changes. Therefore schools are faced with a choice- listen to a minority in the hope it may benefit the majority, or wait for veganism to become popularised (a little like vegetarian requirements have in recent decades) and then react to this within the population. The question is around the culture and ethos the school wishes to promote and how forward thinking and globally responsible the school wish to appear?

There is also the catering team to consider. Do they have the manpower to implement a full vegan menu? Could they accomodate a vegan selection within the current menu with simple tweaks? This is where a contracted caterer may benefit a school community, as they have large resources and expertise to draw down on.

Challenges will be voiced by stakeholders who percieve that providing a vegan menu diminishes the healthy eating of pupils taking that option on a daily basis. How will they meet their protein intakes as stipulated by the Government guidelines? Requirements stated in the guidelines for schools, demands only what must be offered to the whole school. If a pupil is able to select from a variety of menu options on a daily basis, a healthy selection across the week will only be met where pupils are encouraged to take a nutritionally balanced diet.  It requires balanced meal structure and healthy eating promotion within the service and wider curriculum. There is nothing to stop a pupil selecting a white bread cheese sandwich everyday if this is available every day, even though a balanced and varied menu is provided in line with the standards. This is why some primary school settings opt to provide younger pupils with only a hot main meal and a vegetarian alternative on a daily basis, to ensure the healthy balanced menu is actualised. The problem with this is that some pupils will then opt to bring their own lunch from home to accomodate personal taste.

The main outlook should be to provide a good food experience that meets the requirements of the majority of pupils and encourages varied and appropriate choices. Excellent catering services in schools will now push this outlook to aspire further and provide a great food experience for ALL pupils, whether it is their legal duty or not.

Resources to support vegan menu planning

In Schools | The Vegan Society

Vegan Eatwell guidelines

School_Food_Standards_140911-V2e-tea-towel.pdf (schoolfoodplan.com)