International School Meals Day (ISMD) is an annual global event, held on the second Thursday of March. It promotes awareness about the importance of good nutrition, healthy eating habits, and the impact of school meals on education and overall well-being.
This year, ISMD falls on Thursday 12th March, and ProVeg UK’s School Plates and Canteen to Classroom are joining forces with ProVeg International’s Global Plant-Based School Food Network to educate UK primary students about the importance of serving more plant-rich dishes in schools. ISMD is an opportunity to celebrate popular dishes eaten by schoolchildren across the globe and encourage primary students in the UK to try something new, learn about different cultures, and consider the impact of different food choices.
ProVeg’s Global Plant-Based School Food Network (GPBSFN) is dedicated to advancing plant-rich school meals as a powerful tool for improving children’s health and the health of our planet. The network comprises over 150 members from 79 organisations across 46 countries.
We’re excited that three members of the GPBSFN, Balanced (USA), Humane World for Animals – Brazil, and Uganda Vegan Society, have kindly shared their most-loved plant-based school meal recipes with us to celebrate International School Meals Day.
Here’s a chance to show off some of our global members and tell you more about them:
Balanced is a public health nonprofit dedicated to improving nutrition and promoting healthy menu change in US schools.
“Our pinto bean taco recipe is a student-approved favourite that’s both delicious and fully creditable under USDA meal pattern requirements. Packed with hearty pinto beans, an excellent source of fibre and plant-based protein, these tacos help keep students full, focused, and energised throughout the day.” (Michelle Saletan, Institutional Support Manager at Balanced)
In the United States, the National School Lunch Program serves over 22 million children daily. A typical school meal includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, proteins, and milk, but the menu still relies heavily on processed foods and falls short on fibre-rich options.
Balanced partners with schools to increase the proportion of plant-rich, nutrient-dense foods on menus, helping districts introduce more beans, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and centre-of-the-plate plant-based proteins.
Humane World for Animals Brazil – Brazilian Black Bean Stew with a Yellow Pepper and Red Tomato Salad (ve) (plant-based feijoada)
Humane World for Animals works globally to advance animal welfare.
“Feijoada (pronounced fay-jwah-da) is a traditional dish enjoyed throughout Brazil, typically as a meat-heavy meal. Our plant-based version offers a lighter alternative – a savoury black bean and vegetable stew served with rice, fried kale, farofa (fried manioc flour), and orange slices. The plant-based feijoada includes many of Brazil’s beloved ingredients and is nutritionally balanced, providing a complete protein, while the vitamin C in the orange helps the body absorb the iron from the beans.” (Raissa Pose, Plant-Based Food Policy Programme Manager at HWA Brazil)
Brazil’s National School Feeding Program (PNAE) is one of the biggest school feeding programmes in the world, serving 50 million meals daily. A Brazilian school lunch typically offers rice and beans with a small portion of meat or egg, a vegetable side dish, and a portion of fruit. Meals follow national nutritional recommendations and procurement regulations that mandate sourcing 30% of food from family farms while capping ultra-processed ingredients at 15%. Humane World for Animals incentivises municipalities in Brazil to increase plant-based ingredients in their meal offerings by providing recipe consultation and culinary training and education about the health benefits of a plant-rich diet.
Uganda Vegan Society – Red bean and coconut stew
Uganda Vegan Society uses education, advocacy, and community outreach to bring plant-based eating into public conversations and practical programmes.
“The Ugandan red bean and coconut stew is a creamy, flavourful plant-based dish that is both nourishing and affordable. The combination of nutritious red beans with fresh vegetables and coconut milk creates a balanced dish rich in plant protein and natural goodness. The stew showcases how simple, local ingredients can make healthy plant-based meals satiating and enjoyable for children.” (Nabaasa Innocent, Founder of the Uganda Vegan Society)
Without a national school meals programme in place, Ugandan school meals vary hugely, with some schools offering no school meal provision at all. To improve the quality and availability of school meals in Uganda, the Uganda Vegan Society provides free plant-based lunches to children in rural schools. The team also partners with other schools to replace animal-based meals with healthy, plant-rich alternatives, offering chef training and taste testing.
This International School Meals Day (Thursday 12th March 2026), we would love to see school caterers serve a new international plant-based dish. The recipes we have selected have been refined to align with the UK School Food Standards, and are available online: ‘Recipes we love’. For more globally inspired and lower-carbon, plant-based dishes, take a look at our School Plates Recipe Books.
How to get involved:
If you are a school caterer interested in serving these dishes on International School Meals Day, or if you are planning your own special plant-based menu, then we’d love to hear from you! Please drop our Programme Coordinator, Polly Higginson, an email ([email protected]).
If you are a teacher looking for ideas to bring ISMD and plant-rich school meals into the classroom, our Education Manager, Martin Skingley ([email protected]), has developed a special set of resources dedicated to the theme as part of Canteen to Classroom. Download and use the free teaching materials, or get in touch for an in-person education session!
Last but not least, please share photos, videos, or other forms of feedback from children about their global plant-based dishes on the ISMD on social media with the hashtag #ISMD2026. Be sure to tag ProVeg UK (Facebook / Instagram / X) and ProVeg International (Instagram), so that we can share and create a bigger momentum.
