Step aside, Salisbury steak - tofu may soon be king of the lunch line.
A recent study by the School Nutrition Association found that two-thirds of school cafeterias in the nation regularly offer a vegetarian option, a 40 percent increase since 2003.
Alachua County schools, no strangers to the trend, are making it a little easier for the vegetarian students who come through their lunch lines.
Students were offered macaroni and cheese with ham on their first day of school, but a large vegetarian portion was set aside at each school for vegetarian students, according to Maria Eunice, director of food and nutrition services for Alachua County schools.
"We always have made vegetarian options available for students who request them," Eunice said. "Recently, we've started a vegetarian menu in some of our schools."
Eunice said one Alachua County high school will offer veggie burgers in the lunch line beginning in late September or early October.
If the veggie burger is well-received, the faux-beef entrée will become a frequent lunch item throughout Alachua County, Eunice said, adding that they will only be offered a la carte because the veggie burgers cost more than their beef counterparts.
"I think it's a good system to see whether or not they need vegetarian options," said Alyssa Cohen, a vegan and president of Animal Activists of Alachua. "I hope they keep [the veggie burger]."
"Our kitchen managers know they always have to have something available for vegetarians," she said.
That "something available" may be a tad lackluster, however.
According to the Alachua County secondary schools' lunch menu for September, there are only two days in which a vegetarian lunch option is the main entrée.
Vegetarian students can order from the new vegetarian menu, which includes peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, grilled cheese sandwiches, bean burritos, cheese pizza or a vegetarian derivative of the main entrée.
"I think they're doing all they can," Cohen said. "It's not feasible to make everything vegetarian."
Although it may not be possible to make a batch of beefaroni vegetarian, the Professional Academies Magnet at Loften High School goes a little further than most schools when it comes to offering healthy lunch-line options for its students.
Eric Stubbs teaches Agriscience Foundations, a class at Loften that allows students to grow their own organic vegetables on a one-third acre garden on school property.
Stubbs said the students eat their vegetables and share them with the school cafeteria - especially lettuce, which is used in the school's salads.
"Most nutritional deficiencies comes from a lack of fresh vegetables," said Stubbs, who is also a vegan.
Stubbs points to the success of his vegetable garden as a way schools can improve on offering more vegetables.
"We have served some of the produce we grow in our cafeteria," Stubbs said. "I think cafeterias still have a long way to go, though."
Chris Cano, publicity coordinator for UF's environmental vegetarian group, enVeg, praised the new vegetarian menu in Alachua County schools and the study's findings but said schools should be doing more to educate students on the benefits of a plant-based diet.
"It would be great to see schools offer meals rich in vegetables instead of the standard mac and cheese and grilled cheese," Cano said.
The new trend in lunch-line vegetarianism doesn't stop in primary and secondary schools.
UF was ranked as the seventh most vegetarian-friendly university in the nation in 2008, according to a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals poll.
UF, which placed 10th in 2007, offers vegan stations at both on-campus dining halls.
Eunice, a former vegetarian for more than 15 years, said she is working on making the menus more nutritious and even more organic.
"I'm happy they're trying to do more for vegetarians," Cohen said. "They could be doing a lot more, but they could also be doing a lot, lot less. But at least it's progress."
