Press Release: PBS Open Letter Hand-In, 14/10/2026
Title: Calling on the UK Govt to take further action following plant-based progress in School Food, 14/10/2026
Thousands join notable figures Chris Packham, Dame Joanna Lumley, Dale Vince OBE and George Monbiot in the submission of Plant-Based Schools Open Letter to the Department for Education on 14/10/2026.
Today, Plant-Based Schools handed in their Open Letter to the UK Government, signed by notable figures Dame Joanna Lumley, Dale Vince OBE, George Monbiot, Chris Packham, Alexis Gauthier, organisations such as ProVeg and Lets Go Zero, and thousands of concerned people from across the country. The open letter asks the Secretary of State for Education, and leader of the Department for Education (DfE), Lucy Powell MP, to ensure that there is a daily plant-based option available everyday for every child in every school.
It marks one month on from the DfE’s publishing of their response to the School Food Standards consultation where 2,273 people, nearly half of all respondents, replied to the consultation through the Plant-Based Schools’ campaign, calling for more plant-based food in schools.
This led to the official government citation of the Plant-Based Schools campaign to have provided significant input in the updated standards in their consultation response released on the 14th September 2026.
However, without further guidance, meat and fish will still be the default protein in schools.
UK School Lunch Meal under the current School Food Standards, 2026 (see below for figure)
Animal agriculture is one of the leading causes of climate breakdown. It accounts for over a quarter of all total greenhouse gas emissions, and also uses the largest amount of land of any sector, approximately 26% of non-iced land which is the leading cause of biodiversity loss. It requires an astronomical amount of clean drinking water which, as water becomes more scarce, will pose even more negative effects to our weak system. These effects, coupled with the billions of tonnes of animal waste released into our water ways every year, are turbocharging our collective journey to ecosystem collapse.
Source: BBC, Peak District, 8 May 2026 (see below for figure)
We thank the government for their progress in allowing more plant-based food to be served in schools, but we ask them to take this mandate from the people and go further.
At the time of writing, 4,047 people have signed the open letter to ask the UK Government to ensure that there is at least one plant-based meal on the menu in every school and available to every child. The PBS team handed in the Open Letter in person, via post and digitally.
Zouletta Byam, 43, parent and spokesperson for Plant-Based Schools said,
“There are thousands of parents, school staff and notable figures who are asking the government to put the health and well being of our kids and their futures first. Us parents and our kids have suffered for so long with inadequate meals and all pupils deserve healthy, delicious plant-based meals as the norm. We are grateful that the meat mandate has been lifted with the new School Food Standards guidance from the Department for Education, but we would like the UK government to go further in requiring schools to provide this inclusive and healthy plant-based meal for all.”
PBS team standing outside Parliament after handing in the Open Letter, 14/10/2026 (see below for figure)
If you would like to receive a copy of the Open Letter, or ask any further questions, please contact the PBS Press lead with the following details:
Flora Clemett
flora.clemett@plantbasedschools.uk
+44 (0) 7365961279
For questions on 15th October, please reach out to the PBS Digital Comms Lead, Rosie Jackson:
rosemary.jackson@plantbasedschools.uk
School Food Standards: Plant-Based Schools’ response, 18/09/26
On the week of the 14th September 2026, the UK Government released their response to the School Food Standards consultation. They confirmed the end to the mandatory meat requirements in school food by diversifying the protein definition to include pulses and legumes.
Nearly half of the respondents to the consultation were Plant-Based Schools supporters, 2,273 of the total 5,216 responses. Our supporters used their responses to the consultation to make the case for plant-based food to be prioritised in schools.
This led to the official government citation of the Plant-Based Schools campaign to have provided significant input in the updated standards in their consultation response released on the 14th September 2026.
However, without further guidance, meat and fish will still be the default protein in schools.
Animal agriculture is one of the leading causes of climate breakdown. It accounts for over a quarter of all total greenhouse gas emissions, and also uses the largest amount of land of any sector, approximately 26% of non-iced land which is the leading cause of biodiversity loss. It requires an astronomical amount of clean drinking water which, as water becomes more scarce, will pose even more negative effects to our weak system. These effects, coupled with the billions of tonnes of animal waste released into our water ways every year, are turbocharging our collective journey to ecosystem collapse.
But there is another way.
Plant-Based Schools is a national campaign that brings parents and young people together to advocate for more plant-based food in their schools, with the aim of ensuring every child has access to at least one whole food, healthy and sustainable plant-based meal every day. With more than 70 campaigns across the country, Plant-Based Schools was able to reach a wide network of parents and young people and galvanise support for plant-based food in response to the consultation.
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Flora, 26, Campaign Manager and Spokesperson for the Plant-Based Schools campaign, stated that:
“We welcome the UK Government’s response to our many supporters calling for plant-based food to be prioritised in schools, however, we feel this is only an appeasement of our collective ask. Schools will still be serving unhealthy and unsustainable meat as the default, which shows that they have not gone far enough.
Continuing to have animal products as a central part of what we feed our children means continuing to support a food system that is driving climate breakdown, destroying habitats and placing growing pressure on the ecosystems we all depend on to live. If we are serious about protecting children’s health and preserving a livable planet, whole plant-based food must become the norm in our schools, not the alternative.”
Plant-Based Schools is advocating for everyone to sign their Open Letter to the UK Government demanding that they prioritise plant-based food in schools and requiring that at least one plant-based meal be available to every child, everyday in every school.
Sign the open letter: PBS Open Letter - Plant-Based Schools