Legislators and civil society groups in Taiwan are calling on the government to reform its school lunch programme, which they say stigmatises plant-based meat as processed food.
Taiwan’s school meal programme must be reformed to address “long-standing issues” inhibiting the adoption of plant-based meals, including the unfair treatment of processed meat alternatives, according to a coalition of legislators and non-profit groups.
Politicians Chen Gau-tzu and Liu Shu-pin are leading the call for School Veggie Day 2.0, an effort to diversify low-carbon plant protein options for schoolchildren.
They outlined the need for systemic reforms to the Rules for School Lunch Contents and Nutrients, urging the Ministry of Education to address issues like poorly designed menus, unappealing taste, and excessive food waste.
The group also called out the “double standards” around the classification of processed meat and plant-based analogues. While both categories are internationally considered UPFs, Taiwan’s school lunch standards allow ham, hot dogs and bacon to be served once a week, but discourage the availability of vegan alternatives, labelling them “overly processed”.
Schoolchildren unhappy with existing plant-based meals
Chen said low-carbon dietary education must be a cornerstone of Taiwan’s net-zero transition, but the current approach has backfired because poorly prepared meals have deterred students from trying plant-based meals.
At a news conference, Tseng Yu-ting, the mother of a junior-high student, said: “I found that leftovers at the school surged [on Meatless Monday] because the food tasted awful, and that the weekly Meatless Monday gradually became a monthly practice.”
She added that most campus meals are lacto-ovo vegetarian, with few to no vegan options, forcing children like hers to rely on daily meal deliveries from home. These students not only face dietary restrictions, but often unfriendly treatment from teachers or peers.
This reflects neglect from both schools and caterers, denying students the basic right to eat comfortably at school, argued Tseng. She pointed out that when her child brought homemade vegan meals, their classmates often found them appealing, showcasing the appeal of well-prepared plant-based food.
She urged the education ministry to set up a feedback system for parents, students, and teachers to ensure that school meals are not only healthy and tasty, but also foster a welcoming, sustainable food culture.
Chen, a member of the Legislative Yuan, concurred that the government must improve the taste and nutritional value of plant-based meals.
Government Watch Alliance convener Chen Jiau-hua, meanwhile, cited IPCC data on the potential of plant-based diets to mitigate climate change and boost food security and public health. She said school lunches should include more plant-based protein options, including meat alternatives.
Further, she recommended that the education ministry and local governments create recipe improvement and food waste reduction programmes, pointing to successful models in Taichung and Tainan, where a meat-free day per week has been incorporated into local school lunch regulations.
Plant-based meats need a level playing field
Liu, from the People’s Party, noted how the 2010 policy to encourage schools to introduce a policy for one meat-free day a week was only implemented by 55% of institutions by 2020.
He asked the government to diversify plant protein options in schools, including nuts, soy products, beans and meat alternatives, while also integrating food education with environmental awareness. Nutritionists and chefs should also collaborate to design innovative, student-friendly vegan meals.
The call for more plant protein options is directly in response to the classification of meat alternatives as too processed. These products have been hit with this tag globally, which has led to a perception that they’re unhealthy, despite nutrition experts warning that some UPFs are good for you, and plant-based meats low in salt, saturated fat and sodium are among them.
The World Health Organization has classed processed meats as carcinogenic, but they still appear on lunch trays in Taiwan’s schools. Chang You-chuan, who leads the Sustainable Healthy Diets Research Institute, urged the government to revise its guidelines, ensure fair standards, and train school chefs in enhanced plant-based catering.
He also advocated for the inclusion of non-dairy milks to diversify school meals and amplify their appeal, with the aim of raising participation in School Veggie Days from 50% to 90%.
Meat Free Monday Taiwan secretary-general Chang Chia-pei suggested young people in the country consume excessive amounts of red meat, owing to a misperception that “meat equals health”. A Harvard University study last year linked red meat intake to heart disease, noting that eating higher amounts of plant proteins can lower the chances of cardiovascular and coronary heart disease by up to 28% and 36%, respectively.
This is why she urged the education ministry to follow international trends and incorporate plant proteins into school lunches. A host of countries have advocated for plant-forward diets in their national dietary guidelines, and following a recent meeting between government and civil society officials, Taiwan may soon adopt a national plant-based strategy inspired by Denmark.
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