Forager Project®, creator of organic, dairy-free, vegan foods, has teamed up with Veganuary, the nonprofit organization that encourages people to try vegan for the month of January each year, to launch the Vegan School Lunch Challenge. The challenge aims to inspire more families to eat plant-based lunches at least once a week that are healthy, nutritious, and fun for kids.
The Vegan School Lunch Challenge kicks off on August 16 and provides parents with free tools, education, and resources to make it easy to teach their kids healthy habits for life. Any interested parents can access this information from registered dietitians and nutrition professionals who believe in the power of plant-based eating via a downloadable booklet available online here. The booklet includes information such as:
- The “lunchbox formula” – a visual outline of key foods/categories to include in a child’s lunch.
- Lunchbox themes to make plant-based eating fun – like a Veggie Sushi Bento box, PB&J Bento box, Quesadilla Bento box, and more!
- Tips for picky eaters, how to save time, making vegan lunches nutritious and healthy, and more.
- A grocery checklist that parents can easily download.
“Forager Project® has always been passionate about the foods we eat and where they come from,” said John-Charles Hanley, Forager Project® Co-Founder and President. “Since becoming a father I have an even deeper understanding of the impact that food has on the health of our body and the planet, and coming together with a like-minded organization like Veganuary to help spread this message is important. We’re excited to help provide the tips and tricks we’ve learned over the years to families heading back to school and hope that they see the health benefits of plant-based eating (and how easy, fun, and delicious it can be!).”
Nutrition experts like Carolina Schneider, MS, RD agree that building healthy habits at a young age places children at an advantage when it comes to healthy aging. Eating a well-balanced plant-based diet can help prevent many diseases including childhood obesity, something almost 40 million children between the ages of zero and five suffer from (source: WHO). Reducing the risk of childhood obesity also reduces the risk of other diseases that can appear later in life as a result like type 2 diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, and more (source: CDC). According to Angela Houlie, MS, RDN, CDN, a plant-based diet gives kids the energy to power through their day and stay focused at school. Forager Project® and Veganuary created the Vegan School Lunch Challenge to make it easy for parents to put healthy habits into action in a way that kids are excited about.
“Choosing a plant-based diet is one positive step each of us can take to protect the planet and our health,” said Wendy Matthews, US Director of Veganuary. “It’s great to see companies like Forager Project® stepping up to support a growing number of climate-conscious parents by providing tasty, sustainable, kid-friendly food options in addition to resources that parents can rely on.”
Those interested in taking the Vegan School Lunch Challenge can find more information on Forager Project®’s website at foragerproject.com/vegan-school-lunch-challenge. To learn more about Forager Project®, visit foragerproject.com. To learn more about Veganuary, please visit veganuary.com.
