A recent study has found that updating school meal guidelines to include more plant-based options could reduce the environmental impact of school meals by up to 50%. The study, based on changes made to dietary guidelines in Catalonia, Spain, compared the environmental impacts of school menus from 2005 to those in 2012, 2017, and 2020. The research found that including more plant-based proteins and reducing meat and fish consumption significantly decreased environmental impacts across 16 indicators, with reductions ranging from 5% to 52%.

The study highlights the importance of making plant-based foods appealing to children in order to promote healthier and more sustainable eating habits. The researchers emphasize the role of school canteens as places of learning where children can adopt lifelong healthy eating practices. The results of this study could be applicable to recommendations for school meals in Spain as a whole, following the approval of a law in April that promotes healthy and sustainable school cafeterias with plant-based menus.