The future of school lunch has arrived. Don Lee Farms announced its new Chickenless Nuggets and Breaded Chickenless Patties, replacing the need for chickens to make kid-favorite nuggets with replantable proteins. The new chickenless nuggets and patties are formulated to meet and exceed school lunch nutrition requirements.
“We have years of experience turning proteins from plants into breakthrough items. We also know how to create the experience meat eaters expect from plant-based alternatives. We combined those core competencies with our leading position in meat proteins in the School Lunch Program,” said Donald Goodman, president of Don Lee Farms.
“Since I started making proteins for schools in the early 1980s, we have had a firm understanding of how hard it is for schools to meet the demands of ever-changing nutrition requirements, kids’ expectations and restricted budgets," said Goodman. "To meet those challenges, we came up with a solution to each one. The biggest hurdle was price. Instead of waiting for pricing to come down, we used our market position, buying power and our leadership in innovation to make chickenless items a better value than traditional nuggets. In most cases, our price for these items are at or below what chicken nuggets cost schools today.”
The company said the price of plant-based foods are projected to continue to drop as more districts choose plant-based proteins over meat proteins for environmental, health and cost reasons.
Danny Goodman, who handles development for Don Lee Farms, said, “Putting aside the environmental and health benefits, which are incredible, these products are just as delicious as their meat-based equivalents. The idea that we are winning over kids who regularly eat and love traditional chicken nuggets with our new plant-based chickenless items, is really the breakthrough. We foresee a near future where plant-based nuggets will replace the need for schools to source chicken to make nuggets. For the first time, the option is now a reality starting in the 2019 school year.”
The new items will be launching just in time for the 2019 school year and are available for schools to purchase beginning in the summer.
