A recent move to expand access to non-dairy milk in school lunch programs is a long-overdue step toward healthier, more inclusive nutrition.

Millions of students are lactose intolerant, allergic to dairy, or come from families that avoid animal products for ethical or cultural reasons.

Offering plant-based milk isn’t radical, it’s practical. These options provide essential nutrients without the saturated fat and cholesterol found in dairy, and they come with a much smaller environmental footprint.

School meals shape lifelong habits. When we normalize plant-based choices early, we teach children that compassion, health and sustainability can coexist on the same tray.

In a time when childhood health concerns and climate anxiety are rising, modernizing school nutrition just makes sense.

Giving students plant-based options empowers families, respects differences and quietly models a kinder way forward; one lunch at a time.

Lex Nakahara
Lahaina