Law & Policy Dormant Updated Jul 28, 2026
California's plant-based school food funding
Where it stands, Jul 28, 2026 Friends of the Earth's Chloe Waterman said California's new school-food funding continues the state's lead on healthier, more inclusive meals; ProVeg International reported 158 school districts expanded plant-based options under the prior pilot.
California earmarked $500 million in its 2026-27 budget for the Kitchen Infrastructure and Training program, letting public schools buy plant-based meals and milk. The move builds on an earlier School Food Best Practices Fund pilot, where participating districts nearly doubled their vegan entree share from 13.5% to 26.1%. The storyline tracks how many districts draw on the new funding and whether statewide vegan entree share follows the pilot districts' gains.
The story so far
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Jul 28, 2026 Latest
Friends of the Earth's Chloe Waterman said California's new school-food funding continues the state's lead on healthier, more inclusive meals; ProVeg International reported 158 school districts expanded plant-based options under the prior pilot. The budget separately funds $25 million for the Farm to School Incubator Grant and $14 million for the Healthy School Food Pathway program.
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Jul 16, 2026
California earmarked $500 million in its 2026-27 budget for the Kitchen Infrastructure and Training program, letting schools buy plant-based meals and milk. Assemblymember Robert Garcia and Plant Based Foods Association executive director Marjorie Mulhall both called it a win for student nutrition. In an earlier pilot, School Food Best Practices Fund districts that used the money nearly doubled their vegan entree share, from 13.5% to 26.1%.
This fight, in numbers
Every sourced figure the brief has published on this storyline, newest first.
- $500 million in one-time Kitchen Infrastructure and Training funding schools can now use for plant-based and dairy-free options
- 158 school districts expanded plant-based options under the prior pilot, nearly doubling their vegan entree share, per ProVeg International
- $25M and **$14M** separately funded for the state's Farm to School Incubator Grant and Healthy School Food Pathway programs
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