Vegetarian-Only for Brooklyn Elementary School

Veggies are hot right now. Not quite as hot as cow farts, but then again, cow farts are just one of the many reasons that meat eating is rapidly becoming less fashionable for people from all walks of life. This includes the young’uns at one elementary school in Brooklyn, NY.

Last week, Brooklyn’s P.S. 1, the Bergen Elementary School, announced that it would be removing meat from its lunchtime meals, making it the third school in New York City and the first in the borough to go vegetarian. The transition is backed by an initiative from the Coalition for Healthy School Food, which this year is helping 1,200 NYC public school cafeterias offer at least one vegetarian option to students (the option being humble hummus).

After seeing student interest in healthy eating, and perhaps after observing the success of NYC’s first two vegetarian-only public schools (P.S. 244 in Queens and P.S. 343 in Manhattan), principal Arlene Ramos attributed the change-making to the students.

“My students have expressed an interest in healthier eating, and the school gave them the option to choose this menu,” Ramos said in a statement, according to DNAinfo. “I am very proud of their decision.”

The options at these three schools evidently extend beyond plain old hummus. On the menu? Sloppy Joes made from lentils, black beans with plantains and even crunchy teriyaki tofu. Meat is not banned, and students may bring it from home if they decide they’d rather have that turkey sandwich.

These vegetarian meals will support New York farmers through the school system’s NY Thursdays program, which puts local foods on kids’ plates. And now, thanks to the city’s Free Lunch For All initiative, healthy lunches are now free for all NYC public school students.

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