SLA Management sets groundbreaking goal to make 33% of menu offerings for the nearly 18 million school meals it serves annually across 13 states plant-based by 2027.
ORLANDO — In a major step toward climate-conscious and equitable school food, SLA Management, a leading K–12 foodservice provider, has pledged to make 33% of its school meal offerings plant-based by the end of 2027. This milestone follows two years of sustained advocacy from Mercy For Animals and will reshape the daily dining experience of over 100,000 students in 13 states.
This is SLA’s first formal, quantified plant-based commitment and represents one of the most ambitious efforts to date in the K–12 institutional food sector. The policy could shift many of the 18 million meals the company serves annually away from animal-based ingredients, cutting emissions, improving student access to inclusive meal options and setting a precedent for the industry.
The move comes amid growing pressure on large foodservice companies to align with sustainability and health goals. It follows SLA’s recent integration with Southwest Foodservice Excellence (SFE) and industry momentum fueled by groups like Humane World for Animals, which tracks foodservice companies’ animal welfare and sustainability practices.
“SLA Management’s commitment to increasing plant-based meal options across hundreds of schools is a milestone for student health, climate leadership and food equity,” said Jennifer Behr, director of corporate engagement at Mercy For Animals. “This shift will impact millions of meals annually, giving students better options while sending a strong message that compassionate, sustainable food policies belong in our schools. Mercy For Animals is proud to support SLA and its partners in shaping the future of foodservice.”
Why This Commitment Matters:
- Improves food accessibility:
- An estimated 68% of the global population experiences lactose malabsorption.
- In the U.S., lactose intolerance is most prevalent among African American, Asian American and Indigenous communities.
- Offering more plant-based options helps ensure equitable dining access for all students, particularly those with certain cultural dietary preferences.
- Reduces environmental impact:
- Animal agriculture accounts for 14.5% of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions — more than the direct emissions of all the world’s vehicles combined.
- SLA’s commitment will help shift tens of thousands of meals per day away from animal products, supporting a lower-carbon, more compassionate food system.
- This represents a powerful step toward decreasing the carbon footprints of institutional food operations serving America’s youth.
- Sets industry precedent:
- SLA’s plant-based pledge signals a shift in institutional foodservice practices and adds pressure on competitors to follow suit.
- With SFE and aligned partners, SLA is positioned to drive broader systemic change in school food nationwide.
Mercy For Animals will continue to work closely with SLA Management as the company develops a rollout strategy for this policy and encourages other school foodservice providers to follow SLA’s lead in adopting plant-based food policies that protect animals, the environment and public health.
For more information about Mercy For Animals’ corporate engagement work, visit MercyForAnimals.org, or contact Melanie Greene at [email protected].
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Mercy For Animals is a leading international nonprofit working to end industrial animal agriculture by constructing a just and sustainable food system. Active in Brazil, Canada, India, Mexico, Southeast Asia and the United States, the organization has conducted over 100 investigations of factory farms and slaughterhouses, influenced over 500 corporate policies and helped pass historic legislation to ban cages for farmed animals. Learn more at MercyForAnimals.org.
