School lunch bill expands plant-based options for low-income students
S. 3669 — Plant-Powered School Meals Pilot Act · Filed by Adam Schiff (D-CA) · 3 cosponsors · Introduced Jan 15, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill establishes two pilot programs: one awarding $10 million in grants (2026–2030) to school districts serving low-income students to develop and serve plant-based meal options, including staff training and local farmer partnerships; and a second awarding $2 million (2026–2029) to reimburse schools for providing nondairy milk substitutes to students with lactose intolerance or dietary needs. The bill also clarifies that schools must accommodate students' medical, dietary, religious, and moral dietary needs.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core mechanism is establishing two time-limited, federally funded pilot programs to expand plant-based and allergen-free meal options in schools serving low-income students, with secondary support for underserved agricultural producers.
What the text implies
- The nondairy milk pilot (Section 9(d)) reimburses the FULL cost of nondairy beverages, potentially creating a permanent expectation that schools will absorb dairy milk costs but not plant-based alternatives—a subsidy structure that may persist after the 3-year pilot ends.
- Priority weighting toward schools serving high proportions of free/reduced-price lunch students concentrates benefits in lower-income districts, which may widen disparities if wealthier districts do not adopt plant-based options independently.
The full analysis lists 4 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
school food authorities (eligible districts); beginning farmers and ranchers; socially disadvantaged farmers