NY Elementary School Cafeteria Goes 100% Vegetarian

Public School 244 is the first elementary school in New York to adopt an all-vegetarian menu, with animal-welfare group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals saying it might be the first veggie-only public elementary school in the nation.

Of course, the transition didn’t happen overnight. When the school opened in 2008, the cafeteria began serving vegetarian meals three days a week.

“We then started to try out recipes with small groups of students, see what they liked, see what they didn’t like,” the school’s Principal and Co-Founder Bob Groff told ABC News. The recipes turned out to be a hit, according to Groff, and the feedback from students encouraged the staff to expand meat-free meals to four days a week. Eventually, the school adopted an all-vegetarian menu in January.

So what’s for lunch? The kids get an array of creative and healthy options from tofu vegetable wraps to black bean and cheddar quesadillas with a side of salsa and roasted red potatoes. No questionable mystery meat or cardboard Cheez Whiz pizza here.

Of course, if the students don’t dig the new grub, they’re still welcome to bring their own lunches containing meat. Phew.

 H/T + Photo Courtesy of Animal