Could the future of school meals be plant-based? Don Lee Farms, one of the largest suppliers of proteins to the School Lunch Program, is introducing plant-based chickenless nuggets and breaded chickenless patties to school districts from California to New York.
Today, Don Lee Farms announces the introduction of new Chickenless Nuggets and Breaded Chickenless Patties, replacing the the use of chickens in the making of kid-favorite nuggets with replantable proteins. The new chickenless nuggets and patties are formulated to meet and exceed school lunch nutrition requirements.
President of Don Lee Farms, Donald Goodman, says, “Since I started making proteins for schools in the early 1980s, we have had a firm understanding of how hard it is for schools to meet the demands of ever-changing nutrition requirements, kids’ expectations and restricted budgets. To meet those challenges, we came up with a solution to each one. The biggest hurdle was price. Instead of waiting for pricing to come down, we used our market position, buying power and our leadership in innovation to make chickenless items a better value than traditional nuggets. In most cases, our price for these items are at or below what chicken nuggets cost schools today.”
The company says the price of plant-based foods are projected to continue to drop as more districts choose plant-based proteins over meat proteins for environmental, health and cost reasons. Danny Goodman, Development, Don Lee Farms, said, “We foresee a near future where plant-based nuggets will replace the need for schools to source chicken to make nuggets. For the first time, the option is now a reality starting in the 2019 school year.”
The new items will be launching just in time for the 2019 school year and are available for schools to purchase beginning in the Summer.
