Soy protein in school feeding programs

Abstract

Textured vegetable protein has been a tremendous asset to the Memphis school feeding program. There are several reasons for this: (A.) it is a dry product, easy to handle and store; (B.) shelf life is long enough to permit quantity purchasing and warehousing; (C.) dry storage of textured vegetable protein is much cheaper than refrigerated storage of meats; (D.) our students have not objected to its use; (E.) the absorption qualities of the textured vegetable protein allowed us to purchase ground beef with a 30% fat content, rather than a 22% fat content; (F.) it allows a more innovative approach to school food services; and (G.) it saves money. The introduction of textured vegetable protein into our operations has saved the U.S. school lunch program millions of dollars.