August 18, 2025
This past spring, Minnesota lawmakers introduced bipartisan legislation (HF 2764/SF 2970) to ensure that students enjoy access to a daily plant-based meal option through their school lunch programs. The effort, led by Rep. Huldah Momanyi-Hiltsley of Brooklyn Park and Sen. Steve Cwodzinski of Eden Prairie, was made possible by the dedicated work of staff and volunteers at Compassionate Action for Animals (CAA) and its Wholesome Minnesota program, our community partner MN Plant-Based Kids, and other grassroots advocacy organizations.
Why Plant-Based School Meals?
In 2023, Minnesota became the first state in the Midwest to implement universal free meals for public school students. However, many families were left out of the program because school districts aren’t required to offer a meal option that accommodates students whose diets exclude some or all animal products. This includes students who follow certain ethical and religious practices, those with food allergies and special medical needs, and those concerned about the environmental and health impact of their food choices.
In February, the Minnesota Senate Education Finance Committee received testimony from plant-based parents and religious community leaders about their barriers to accessing appropriate meals. Genevieve Vavreck, founder of MN Plant-Based Kids, shared that her family was excluded from the meal program because she was unable to obtain a doctor’s note verifying that her child needed a plant-based meal option including dairy-free milk.
Photo Source: Minnesota House
Photo Source: Minnesota Senate.
The proposed legislation would ensure that Minnesota’s school meal program respects families’ freedom of choice by requiring that school districts offer at least one plant-based meal option daily to students who request one ahead of time. When legislation like this was enacted in Illinois, over 1,000 students signed up for a plant-based option.
When reached for comment, Rep. Momanyi-Hiltsley said: “As the House author on this important legislation, I’m glad to see the momentum and awareness building around plant-based meal options in schools. Expanding options for children who may have food allergies and special medical needs deserve a meal that nourishes them and fuels them for a day of learning, growing, and thriving.”
Sen. Cwodzinski added, “We passed universal breakfast and lunch in Minnesota, because all students deserve full stomachs so that they can be focused and ready to learn. This bill would expand options for our students, to make sure everyone can be accommodated in the lunch room.”
How We Built Momentum
At Twin Cities Veg Fest in September 2024, MN Plant-Based Kids collected more than 1,200 handwritten postcards supporting plant-based school meals from constituents in more than 75% of Minnesota’s legislative districts.
After the Minnesota legislative session began in January, Vavreck, Wholesome Minnesota’s Jodi Gruhn and CAA’s Kelso Anderson delivered constituent messages to legislators at the Capitol and participated in nearly 40 meetings with Senators and Representatives to share why so many Minnesotans care about plant-based options.
The Results of Our Efforts
As a result of our work, bills addressing these issues, HF 2764 and SF 2970, were filed in March with support from 34 authors in the House and five authors in the Senate, including members of both political parties. While the legislature has adjourned for the year, the bills remain alive for consideration during the next session between January and May 2026.
How You Can Help
We still need your support to keep plant-based meals on legislators’ minds and make sure we get a spot on the agenda for the 2026 session! Here are three quick actions you can take to help.
1. Sign the Support Letter
Take three minutes to join more than 350 Minnesota K-12 educators, health professionals, religious community leaders, parents, and concerned citizens who have signed the letter we’ll be sharing with legislators to let them know why plant-based school meals matter to you. If you represent an organization, you can sign on behalf of your organization as well.
2. Contact Your Legislators
This is the most important action you can take! Find your legislators and get their contact information using this online tool.
- If your legislators have signed on as an author to HF 2764 and SF 2970 (you can see the bill authors by following the links): Call or email to thank them for their support. This lets them know they’re spending their time on an issue that matters to constituents.
- If they haven’t signed on yet: Call and email as often as once a week to encourage them to support the bill and advocate for its inclusion in the 2026 legislative agenda.
Sample script: “Hi, my name is [your name] and I live at [address]. As your constituent, I’m asking you to please support [HF 2764 / SF 2970] for a plant-based school meal option in Minnesota, and to prioritize its inclusion in the 2026 legislative agenda. All students deserve access to meals that respect their dietary needs and freedom of choice. Thank you.”
3. Stay Connected
Follow MN Plant-Based Kids and CAA on social media and sign up for weekly updates to receive more quick actions you can take to support plant-based school meals. You can encourage your friends and family who live in Minnesota to get involved as well!
Your Support Matters
We don’t have a professional lobbyist and so we rely entirely on passionate community members like you to make change! Your voice matters in making sure that all Minnesota students have access to nutritious meals that align with their beliefs, values, and health needs. No student should have to skip lunch or bring separate meals from home just to get the nutrition they need to learn and thrive.
Thank you for helping to make Minnesota a better place for students!
