Meatless Monday continues to grow in Metro Vancouver, with 17 secondary and post-secondary schools now offering veg or vegan specials on their Monday menus.
Meanwhile, Amaga Food, a food service provider for several North Vancouver secondary schools, has decided to go a step further after successfully offering Meatless Monday in a number of schools for some time now. Amaga is looking to incorporate more plant-based options into its daily menu and is planning to transition 20 per cent of menu offerings to plant-based. In support of Amaga’s goal, VHS organized a plant-based culinary workshop for Amaga staff to help equip them with new recipes, cooking skills and techniques. Culinary Nutrition Instructor Andrea Potter, founder of Rooted Nutrition, led attendees in a hands-on training featuring a variety of dishes, including a smoky black bean burger, thai coconut curry, spaghetti with sundried tomato chickpea balls and pad thai.
“We’re thrilled to support Amaga in increasing their offering of humane, healthy and sustainable menu items in North Vancouver secondary schools,” said Emily Pickett, VHS Program Coordinator. “This helps extend the classroom into the cafeteria, giving students the opportunity to learn about the impact of our food choices while also improving student access to plant-based dishes.”
Secondary school students have been at the forefront of this effort to bring plant-based foods to more North Vancouver school menus. In fact, Sutherland Secondary’s Meatless Monday Club recently received a Civic Youth Award, where the City of North Vancouver acknowledged the Club’s achievements and significant contribution to the community.
The Club also recently made a presentation to the North Vancouver School Board about their Meatless Monday efforts and their food service provider’s goal of achieving a 20 per cent plant-based menu. The Trustees were thoroughly impressed and very supportive of the students’ efforts, acknowledging the importance of initiatives like Meatless Monday in helping address animal welfare, environmental and public health issues.
Learn more about Meatless Monday.