Update: Federal facilities struggle to routinely offer plant-based or vegetarian options

Many federal facilities still don’t follow voluntary federal guidelines on providing adequate plant-based or vegetarian meal options a year after EWG last highlighted the problem.

An update to EWG’s 2022 survey of federal facilities reveals that out of almost 600 federal domestic dining facilities, 30 never offered plant-based choices and 69 provided them less than three times a week.

The guidelines, published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suggest these facilities provide plant-based dining options at least three times weekly. But choosing plant-based foods helps the climate and could be healthier for people.

The lack of adequate plant-based or vegetarian meal options limits federal workers’ access to plant-based food options and limits choices for those employees trying to eat less meat. Federal employees and visitors to the facilities where they work deserve regular access to these options – and the federal government should encourage this healthier choice.

Variation in facilities’ options

EWG’s latest survey reviewed the meal options at 597 federal dining facilities, including federal prisons, parks, hospitals, museums and government buildings. It found:

30 locations never offered a plant-based or vegetarian entrée option.
69 provided a plant-based or vegetarian option less than three days a week.
292 offered a plant-based or vegetarian option three days a week.
236 provided a plant-based or vegetarian option more than three days a week.

Many federal buildings with cafeterias offer plant-based or vegetarian options, including the White House and the Members’ Dining Room, which serves members of Congress.

Some federal buildings offer a plant-based or vegetarian option only three times a week, including 37 out of 46 Veterans Affairs hospitals surveyed.

President Joe Biden at the 2022 White House Conference on Hunger, Health and Nutrition pledged to increase the availability of plant-based and vegetarian options at such facilities.

But federal facilities continue to struggle to satisfy the voluntary CDC guidelines for offering a plant-based or vegetarian meal at least three times a week a year after our last analysis. In 2022, our survey of 521 federal domestic dining facilities revealed:

22 never offered a plant-based or vegetarian entrée option.
41 provided a plant-based or vegetarian option less than three days a week.
213 offered a plant-based or vegetarian option three days a week.
245 provided a plant-based or vegetarian option more than three days a week.

^{Source: EWG analysis of federal dining facilities menus}

Our update also finds significant variation in facilities’ meals:

All 122 federal prisons offer inmates a plant-based or vegetarian option at every meal.
79 of 217 Defense Department facilities surveyed provide a plant-based or vegetarian option three times a week, down from 120 in 2022; and 48 offer the option more than three times a week, down from 54 in 2022.
37 of 46 VA hospitals surveyed provide a plant-based or vegetarian option at least three days a week, up from 34 in 2022.
11 of 90 National Parks dining facilities surveyed failed to offer visitors plant-based or vegetarian options at least three times a week. Only one such facility did so in 2022.
At least 19 federal museums and other tourist attractions provide a plant-based or vegetarian option more than three times a week.

Benefits of consuming less meat

Demand for plant-based and vegetarian options is growing, studies show. Almost 30 percent of consumers say they are trying to eat less meat, and almost 80 percent of Gen Z and Millennials say they are incorporating plant-based options into their diet.

When plant-based options are available in federal dining facilities, they may not provide sufficient nutrition, EWG found in its latest update.

The only available options often included a bean- or plant-based patty option or salad and lacked variety that would make the meal appealing to all consumers and encourage them to try new foods. For example, in some cases, the only options offered by the DOD include cheese pizza or vegetable soup.

Prisons could provide important insights for other federal agencies. Although much needs to be done to improve the nutritional quality of food served in federal prisons, they have consistently offered a plant-based or vegetarian option since 2013, and the cost per meal has not increased when adjusted for inflation.

The federal government spends billions of dollars providing nearly half a million meals annually to visitors, workers, inmates and patients, so modest changes in meal patterns could produce major health benefits. Research shows that increasing healthy options can lead to healthier choices by consumers and that healthier choices can help lower risks posed by high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity and certain cancers.

The president could direct all federal facilities to offer a plant-based or vegetarian option. For example, the Biden administration could amend federal acquisition regulations or make current voluntary guidelines mandatory.

For example, the administration last year issued an executive order to address the effects of federal purchases on climate change. Plant-based foods typically have a lower climate impact than meat-based dishes, which can be responsible for significant emissions.