MANY MINDEDNYC Schools Scale Soy Milk Pilot
New York City government expanded a soy milk pilot program from five to twelve schools by fall 2026. The initiative reduced emissions per 100 milk servings by 30.4% during the pilot period and increased average milk selections by 18.6%—equivalent to 126 additional servings per day across three pilot schools. At 35.6% of milk selections in the initial five schools, soy milk (Pearl brand from Kikkoman) provided 8g protein per 240ml serving with equivalent calcium to cow’s milk. This follows federal legislation signed by former President Trump that allows schools to serve non-dairy milk without medical authorization.
The program demonstrates how plant-based milk adoption directly cuts school food emissions while increasing milk availability. By reducing emissions per serving and boosting selections, it lowers the carbon cost of school meals without sacrificing nutritional quality. For students, this means more affordable protein and calcium options without increasing school meal costs.
What matters next: Whether the expansion to twelve schools maintains the 17% emissions reduction and 126 additional servings per day. Current caveats note the emissions figures apply only to pilot schools’ milk, the 126 servings figure covers three schools, and city-wide emission reductions (59% for school meals, 36% for food overall) span 2019–2025. The federal legislation’s role in enabling this shift remains a key factor for scalability.
Source: Green Queen