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Perspectives: Healthy/Veg School Lunch advocacy
 This column is part of our "Perspectives on the Food Business" series. This comes from Barbara Gates, a concerned mom and the person behind the passage of the 2003 Healthy School Lunch Resolution (ACR 16) in California. Today, Gates runs the non-profit Project Lean and Green Schools to continue her effort at opening the door to nutritious and vegetarian lunches in public schools. In this article, she tells us about her experience with the legislative system and how ACR16 was passed.
My son had only begun kindergarten when I began to rock the boat. I was simply asking for healthy plant based lunches in the cafeteria and balanced nutrition education in the classroom. I was totally ignorant of school district bureaucracy and PTA politics. My Superintendent officially rejected my request as “inappropriate,” the PTA’s priority was parties, and the lunch ladies were downright mean to me. I remember calling the Vegetarian Resource Group for guidance. The voice on the other end of the phone forewarned me, “we’ll talk in 5 years and you’ll still be fighting this food fight.”
This “food fight” is not only about my child’s right to participate in the National School Lunch Program, it’s also about my child’s right to survive on this planet… and, it’s about the God given right animals have to live a natural life. It turned out there were other moms willing to fight for the future – okay, 2 others – but we appointed ourselves the PTA health committee and we had a radical idea: legislation. We were going to ask our legislators to pass a state resolution calling for schools to provide daily plant based vegetarian school lunches as a way to combat obesity and other diet related diseases, and as a way to make the National School Lunch Program accessible to all children, including those in the religious minority who abstain from eating animal foods.
The process of getting the Healthy Lunch Act / Assembly Concurrent Resolution (ACR) 16 passed was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I knew nothing of the political process, but I quickly learned that it really is accessible to the average person willing to advocate for a worthy cause, and willing to ask for help. I called my effort Project Healthy Beginnings (which has since morphed into Project Lean and Green Schools.) My first request for help was in the form of a group email I put out (which was forwarded many times over, I’m sure), calling for a “delegation” to meet me at the Capitol building in Sacramento so we could solicit a politician to “author” our resolution. Three fantastic women (and complete strangers to me) stepped up, including Johanna, founder of SoyHappy! We met at the Capitol building, enjoyed coffee and introductions, and that very same day became lobbyists for the first time in our lives. It was exhilarating.
We visited the offices of legislators who had a good track record for children’s health issues and/or environmental issues. We presented them with a packet that included a draft of our hopeful resolution, support articles, and letters of endorsement, including a petition from the Crest Elementary PTA. In one day, we had our bill’s “author,” Joe Nation of Marin County. His school age daughter was a vegetarian. He got it. And as it turns out, a lot of smart legislators “got” how beneficial plant based vegetarian meals could be for children’s health and the environment.
Word spread, and our PTA committee grew from 3 determined moms to a large coalition of support, which included major health organizations, major environmental organizations, and volumes of support letters from school kids and concerned citizens. ACR 16 passed with astounding bi-partisan support in 2003 …and then similar resolutions passed in New York, Florida, and Hawaii.
I founded Project Lean and Green Schools (PLGS) in 2008. Jack was 15. It began with a website and testimony at one of seven USDA “listening sessions,” held around the United States taking public comment regarding re-authorization of the Child Nutrition Act. I called an old college friend and passionate mom in Alabama and convinced her to testify too, at the listening session in her state. We were heard. When the official USDA summary of comments was released, the request for plant based vegetarian school lunches was included in the opening statement!
PLGS received 501c(3) non-profit status in December of 2009. PLGS outreach and programs continue to grow. The movement for shifting from animal to plant protein is no longer deemed “inappropriate.” It is an uphill battle, but our children are worth it. Change is possible, and it’s happening because individuals are simply finding the courage to speak up and take action. The PTA isn’t such a bad place to start – and its kinda fun, too. Visit Project Lean and Green Schools to learn more.
Any reprint of this article must be requested and approved from Soy Happy. Please contact us at info@soyhappy.org
Perspectives: Maggie Mudd CEO on Dairy Free Ice Cream
This column is part of our "Perspectives on the Food Business" series. This comes from Michael Juarez, CEO of MaggieMudd, an independent ice cream parlor based out of San Francisco. MaggieMudd is loved for its creamy and tasty "Mudslinger's FreeStyle" dairy-free frozen desserts with pints being sold at stores throughout California. In this article, Juarez explains why he chose to create and sell a vegan ice-cream.
People always ask me. Why did you start an ice cream business and why do you offer so many dairy-free options? Are you vegan, do you have allergies, are you lactose intolerant?
Well, the answer to the last three questions is no. What really happened is that there was a popular demand for these types of products, which we responded to. Ironically, it is these products that ended up defining us in the market place.
MaggieMudd started in 2002. We mostly carried dairy-products, but we also carried a few flavors of soy ice cream from a local manufacturer. It seemed like a good idea, as we knew a little bit about the alternative market, and that there was a demand for such products. We put out some ads in some local newspapers mentioning our offerings, and dairy-free ice cream was an important part of these. We started to notice non-regular customers coming in, people biking, busing, or hiking in who were not from our immediate neighborhood, and they always ordered the soy ice cream. It seemed like we were on to something.
However, one day we received notice that our local manufacturer was no longer offering soy ice cream in bulk form for foodservice. Now in panic, we sought out other vendors. National level suppliers did not have a good foodservice distribution channel at the time for bulk-type format, and they also didn't have very many flavors.
So, we decided we'd make our own. But where to start? Soy, on its own, is difficult for many people to take because of its beany flavor. It's hard to make it creamy and rich, since it has no butterfat. So, how do we make it taste like the real thing?
We never looked to other non-dairy products out there to be the standard for flavor and texture. Instead, we figured that the best way to make "fake" ice cream is to make it as close to the real thing as possible. And if we were clever enough, maybe we could make it even better. That is the philosophy that drove our development process.
As time passed, we got more and more loyal customers. People from all over town and even out of town, would stop by our Bernal Heights shop to try our dairy-free ice cream, get a dairy-free shake or sundae, or even a completely dairy-free ice cream cake. Soon, our customers were asking us to sell the product in grocery stores, so they could buy it where they shopped. And thus, we became a small manufacturer. Today, many of your favorite places carry alternative products. Most eateries are happy to offer vegan and vegetarian products because such products round out their menu offerings and provide for new sales opportunities. The problem is not in the willingness of restaurants to offer alternative products, it's in the distribution of those products to retailers. If an eatery is reluctant to carry your favorite fake-whatever, it guaranteed to be because the proprietor does not know where to get the product.
Dairy-free ice cream is particularly difficult for local eateries to get. Although health food markets carry a dazzling array of dairy-free pints, this format is not very suitable to foodservice usage. And there are as many different types of foodservice distributors as there are mock meats: they all carry different products, and they all have minimum purchase requirements. It might not be possible for a small cafe to buy $500 worth of alternative products from a distributor that it never would otherwise use.
It's up to us manufacturers and retailers to try to create and sell more alternative products, if we want to see a wider acceptance of them. And it's even more important to make these things taste good. So many times, we've had customers come into our shop, look at the soy ice cream, and say "yuck" without tasting it. Many products out there have a poor reputation on flavor, and this reputation follows the entire category wherever it goes. Our primary focus is on flavor and texture, and as long as we can somehow get our ice cream into the mouths of our customers, the bad rep that soy ice cream has traditionally had, suddenly starts to melt away. Now, we have non-vegan, non-vegetarian customers who are loyal to our dairy-free products, many times mixing dairy ice cream with non-dairy ice cream, just because they like the flavor combination.  As for customers, they should always ask eateries to carry alternative products. They're doing a lot of people a favor by doing so. You can also work your angle from both directions. If you know an eatery that wants to carry dairy-free ice cream, and you know us, just hook us up. We love doing business. It's what we live for.
But keep in mind that food manufacturing is also big business. Those Boca Burgers that you see in Denny's and Johnny Rockets come at a cost which only a large manufacturer can afford. When you have national, co-branded deals like those, it's expensive. So don't expect to see your favorite MaggieMudd shakes in McDonald's or Chili's soon. As they say, think globally, but act locally. Start small, and changes will definitely come.
As for MaggieMudd, we think our retail shop has the biggest impact, with grocery store products giving us excellent support. We currently sell pints and "ice cream" cakes in health and gourmet stores in Northern California. From our shop, we serve a large selection of dairy-free ice cream, and we're the only ones who offer completely vegan, made-to-order ice cream cakes. Choose a design, add writing, even a photo.
Our shop is located at 903 Cortland Ave., in San Francisco.
Any reprint of this article must be requested and approved from Soy Happy. Please contact us at info@soyhappy.org
Perspectives: Meat alternatives in foodservice
This column is part of our "Perspectives on the Food Business" series. It comes from a former foodservice director for a meat alternative manufacturer. This person chose to remain anonymous in an effort to express the common stumbling blocks of many alternative manufacturers trying to enter the foodservice sector. (Some of the capitalized words are used this way in the food industry, so we have kept them as written.)
Meat Alternatives have come a long way from their humble beginnings. Remember eating Meat Alternative products that tasted, “spongy, cardboard-like” and knowing that the only reason you were consuming these products was because you knew of their great nutritional value? We have come a long way indeed. Now, Meat Alternative products can be found almost anywhere; in the thousands of Natural stores that have popped up across the country. Even traditional grocery stores have realized the potential of these products and know that a high percentage of their consumers “demand” these items to be stocked on the shelves. Not to even speak of the many varieties and brands of Meat Alternatives.
You would think with the demand for these products being at an all time high, every venue would get on board the bandwagon and recognize the need to have these products available to their patrons. Then why don’t we see more Meat Alternative products at Ballparks, Restaurants or Convenience stores??? The answer can be summed up in two words; volume and profit. Yes, even foods that are good for you and would make for a happier and healthier world, are scrutinized by how many Veggie Dogs, Wings or Sausages can be sold.
Let’s take a look at only one of these venues I mentioned previously: Ballparks. In order for a Ballpark to purchase a Meat Alternative product, they have to first source it from one of their Food Service providers. Now, as with any industry whether it be food, automotive or housing, products are available based on their demand and Food Service companies operate under these same guidelines. We have all witnessed firsthand at our favorite grocery store not being able to find an item and being told that the item had been discontinued because it just didn’t move quickly enough. Now imagine how many Natural and Grocery stores there are, compared to Ballparks.
Generally speaking, Food Service companies have far less outlets in which to sell the products they carry so it becomes a necessary evil to use the space in their warehouses to have only products that meet defined volume hurdle rates. When you are at a Ballpark, look around, what are the items most being consumed; meat hamburgers, hot dogs, nacho’s. These items are the cash cows for Ballparks. They sell thousands of these items at every game and therefore are the items of choice stocked by Food Service companies. Now, take another look and find the one or two people you see or think you see eating a Veggie Dog or Burger. Businesses are in business to stay in business and that is just fundamental economics.
As the Food Service providers are subject to the rules of basic economics of supply and demand, so are the Meat Alternative manufacturers that provide these companies. Selling to a Whole Foods or even to a Traditional Grocery store like a Safeway or Kroger offers the Meat Alternative Manufacturer an immediate placement of an item at over 1,500 stores (depending on retailer). Assuming the store already has a Meat Alternative section “carved out” and the item you offer is well accepted by the Meat Alternative consumer, you now have instantaneous volume coming in for that item. Since most grocery stores today already offer the other items produced by the Meat Alternative company, inventory and production of this product can be “blended” into their costs. However, on the Food Service side of business, this is a completely different scenario. There is not a section or a shelf for consumers to see the product. Ballparks are not “open” 7 days a week.
The only similar piece that we can compare between a Natural, Traditional store and a Ballpark is they want the product packaged their way. All grocery stores sell “retail pack” products. What this means is the product is packaged to a certain criteria that is “familiar” to all the consumers that shop at their stores. Like the Grocery Stores, Ballparks also want to have the products they sell packaged to their specifications. As you would guess this variance from the norm is a costly piece for a manufacturer. Changing the set up of the production line, storage of different size cases to ship products all add up to higher costs. The “instantaneous volume” we spoke of for Grocery Stores is not there with Ballparks. Each concession manager at each Ballpark has to be presented the idea and concept of selling Meat Alternative products. On a best case scenario, they may order 2 or 3 cases just to “try” the product and test its profit and volume potential. The tedious labor intensive work of presenting to each Ballpark coupled with the slow volume build of 2 or 3 cases at a time makes the Food Service side of business a very scary endeavor for any Meat Alternative Manufacturer and one that comes with a very high price tag.
Are Veggie Dogs, Burgers and other great tasting Meat Alternative foods found at all these venues? They are, but not in the numbers one might like. As I said at the beginning, we have come a long way from the early days of Meat Alternative when the products didn’t taste so great and finding these nutritious products was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Although getting Meat Alternatives into these venues is and will continue to be a challenge, with your letters, websites like this one and word of mouth momentum, I see all of us being able to sit back, relax and enjoy watching our favorite Team play while consuming a great tasting Veggie Dog. For now, give thanks to the few Ballparks that have weathered the storm and have held tight to their beliefs of offering these products.
Any reprint of this article must be requested and approved from Soy Happy. Please contact us at info@soyhappy.org.
Venues Today article on Veg Menus
 This month's edition of Venues Today has a feature article on veggie menus entitled, "Living on the Vedge: Vegetarian menu items become more important in ballpark fare." First, a little bit about the publication: "Venues Today is a leading international trade publication that covers the business side of entertainment and sports, particularly as it relates to venues. Our readers include managers, owners, operators and bookers of arenas, amphitheaters, stadiums, performing arts centers, convention centers, fairgrounds and equestrian centers." Soy Happy was interviewed for this article and provided them with contact information for the concession managers that are referenced and quoted there.
Among the arenas mentioned are the Alameda-Oakland Coliseum; Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park and San Francisco's AT&T Park. Aramark, one of the largest concession companies in the country, is profiled as well. In the article, Aramark Corporate Chef Brian Stapleton explains, "The vegetarian and vegan items continue to have a stronger role in the marketplace. And what we're trying to do is ensure that we have representation in that marketplace that is on-trend and fan-based."
Soy Happy will post the full article on this web site if permission is provided by the publication. In the mean time, please thank Venues Todays' editors for bringing attention to this topic!
Column from NY School Lunch advocate
 In the months to come, Soy Happy's blog will be offering personal stories and insights from citizen activists, vegetarian manufacturers, large venue concession managers, retailers, restaurant owners and more.
This is the first of several articles focusing on advocacy efforts for vegetarian/vegan school lunches. It comes from Shemirah Bracha (aka Rosemary Benedict) of the New York State Coalition for Healthy School Food.
My involvement with advocating plant-based meals in the school lunch program began with my grandchildren, since they are growing up in a vegan household. Where we live in upstate NY, it’s very difficult for them to enjoy a plant-based meal at school, unless they bring it from home, because here, even the meat-free options may contain dairy and/or eggs.
In searching the internet for ideas, I discovered CHOICE (Citizens for Healthy Options In Children’s Education), which was started by FARM (Farm Animal Rights Movement) to encourage grassroots efforts at the state level. CHOICE was instrumental in developing successful legislative resolutions that have passed in Hawaii, California New York and Florida. I was fortunate to be part of the team that initiated the New York State Coalition for Healthy School Food, a statewide nonprofit that advocates for healthy plant-based foods, comprehensive nutrition policy, and education as well as the elimination of unhealthy competitive foods in all areas of the school. Both CHOICE and the NYS Coalition are excellent resources for anyone interested in helping to move this important work forward in their own communities.
I learned about the nutritional and health benefits of plant-based eating, and I scheduled appointments with local schools, meeting with teachers in an effort to spread the word and develop local support. I also made an appointment with the food services director to discuss how we might incorporate more plant-based foods into the cafeteria program.
The parent-teacher meetings were long and unfruitful, and school food service is a business that’s run on a tight budget within carefully defined parameters set by the government.
While they were respectful and listened to my presentation, not much has changed over the years, and my grandson still brings his lunch from home. Still, attending those meetings did give me an eye-opening perspective on just how entrenched local schools are, right down to promoting dairy products through ice cream socials and candy fundraisers.
When speaking with managers of school food service, I heard concerns over cost controls, citing the fact that the USDA subsidizes the meat and dairy industries through available commodities. I have to remind myself that change takes time, and schools are part of huge bureaucratic systems.
While it’s discouraging to note that locally, schools are continuing to do the same as always, I’m also encouraged to learn that some schools across the country are making positive changes, offering more fruits and vegetables, supporting local farmer’s markets and even introducing plant-based protein alternatives like soy.
My greatest successes have come about through interacting directly with students. I have been invited into schools to do presentations during their annual wellness day programs as well as being a guest speaker for an impromptu talk on vegetarianism in elementary and secondary schools as well as college campuses. There, I share information about diet, health and environmental considerations and provide literature, recipes and vegan samples such as smoothies, soups, salads and desserts. These presentations are always met with curiosity and enthusiasm. They are excellent opportunities to share information, answer questions and dispel myths. I highly recommend anyone interested in getting out the vegan message consider offering your time and talent to conduct such events. Because even if you can’t reach teachers, who are busy with curriculum, or food service staff, who may be overworked and underfunded, if you can reach children and encourage them in their decision to eat healthy, you have won the battle.
Soy Happy Day! Make a difference!
January 10th is Soy Happy Day; an annual occasion marked to rejoice in health, good eats and local activism! Whether you’re a parent concerned about your child getting a nutritious school lunch; a food vendor who would like to increase your vegetarian and vegan options to appeal to a wider customer base; a baseball fan wanting to find veggie dogs at your favorite ballpark; or a grocery shopper who would prefer to find all their healthy fixings in one market, instead of two or three.... this day is about you! Start the year by using your voice, your pen, or your computer to share your comments and suggestions with the establishments that call you a customer. Is something missing from the menu or the inventory that you wish were there? Do you go elsewhere to get it? Tell them! Customer feedback is valuable and sometimes, only one suggestion is all it takes. Not sure where to start? Check our page on taking action.This year, Soy Happy’s blog will start featuring articles and personal stories from individuals on all sides of the food business, including food manufacturers, sport venue concessionaires, school lunch and garden directors, innovative food formulators, foodservice distributors, restaurant owners, consumer activists, and grocers. Our direct email alerts are being reduced signficantly, so be sure to subscribe to our blog and you’ll receive an automatic alert whenever a new article or item is posted here! Click on the green icon (top right of this page) to subscribe. May this be the start of veggie great actualizations throughout the year! Keep us posted with your progress and success stories! Happy Soy Happy Day on January 10... and every day of the year!
Watch "The Witness" online!
 If you love kitties and other animals and haven't yet seen the award winning documentary, The Witness, then the time is now! The fabulous production team at Tribe of Heart has announced that the entire documentary is now available to view for free on Tribe of Heart's new online screening room. Here's an excerpt from their recent announcement:
One of the most common responses we receive from people who have just seen The Witness is, "I wish everyone could see this film."
Today, that wish is closer to a reality with the launch of Tribe of Heart's new online Screening Room, which currently offers The Witness for free online viewing in both English ( closed captions available) and Spanish (both subtitled and dubbed). Ten additional languages will be released in the coming months. In the award-winning documentary THE WITNESS, Eddie Lama explains how he feared and avoided animals for most of his life, until the love of a kitten opened his heart, inspiring him to rescue abandoned animals and bring his message of compassion to the streets of New York. With humor and sincerity, Eddie tells the story of his remarkable change in consciousness. If you haven’t seen The Witness before, or if it has been a while since you last viewed it, please visit Tribe of Heart's new Screening Room, watch the film and be inspired by this story of one man’s remarkable change of heart. Then explore the What You Can Do section of the web site, where viewers of the film can learn more and take immediate action with easy-to-use, state-of-the-art tools for inviting others to view the film and for spreading the word about the availability of this powerful new resource.
(Note: the docu is 45 minutes long. Save some time and then click on the screening room link to watch it.)
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