Citizens rally to improve the federal school lunch program

A national petition to provide dairy alternatives in public schools is quickly reaching it's halfway mark with the input of concerned Americans. Care2 petition site is collecting signatures nationwide to support a request that the Child Nutrition Act of 2010 include non-dairy alternatives for children that suffering from milk allergies or lactose intolerance.
The petition notes that since school lunches are a significant source of nutrition for our nation's children, they should be offered options that are easily digestible. Care2 states that, "Cows' milk is the largest source of artery-clogging saturated fats in children's diets, causes over half the cases of juvenile iron deficiency anemia and is the #1 allergic food in the country. In the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004, Congress ordered the USDA to update meal guidelines. However, in 2008, schools still regularly served high-fat, high-cholesterol foods. Healthy, low-fat, calcium-rich alternatives to cows' milk include non-dairy milks, like fortified soymilk, dark leafy green vegetables and beans."
Many families also have concerns the school lunch program's current lack of non-dairy options. Americans often choose dairy-free lifestyles due to religious or moral reasons. Offering vegan alternatives is just one way to honor the freedoms guaranteed in the Constitution. At the time of this writing, the petition was just over 5,000 signatures away from completion. The next step will be to turn the request over to congress in time to include non-dairy alternative for America's schoolchildren.