Plant Based Options... For Kids!

By now, the term “plant-based” is imbedded in the current food trend dictionary. We have been seeing this coming from a mile away with the vegan and plant-based trends at the forefront for the last decade. Now we are comfortable with the term and restaurants are embracing plants and vegetables. It makes sense the menu items are being expanded to other areas rather than just entrees. Plant based options are coming for kids as dining habits are starting at a young age.

One of the first big hints into this was with Burger King. The mega fast food chain announced they are taking their Impossible burger and incorporating it into kids’ meals. Almost all major chains are adding more plant options to their menus. Burger King is the first one to announce it is launching it on the kid’s menu.

Kids menus are notorious for being simple and virtually the same everywhere you go- chicken nuggets, pizza, pasta with red sauce, etc. More and more adults are taking an interest in where their food comes from and implementing healthy options into their diets. It was only a matter of time until the attention turned to the kid’s options.

Habits form at home

Children eating plant-based alternatives are really starting this diet at home. Adult diners today that are more aware of their dining choices, and are in turn putting the environment, sustainability, and health and wellness at the forefront of those decisions. These adults are shopping accordingly and feeding their kids at home with the same ideas in mind. Nowadays when they dine out, it makes sense parents are asking for more kid friendly plant-based alternatives.

There seems to be a ton of attention in making plant-based options not only readily available, but also delicious. This helps attract diners of all ages, even tiny ones! With kids cooking shows and an overall population of aware diners, it just makes sense that kids are getting more involved in their food choices. The chicken nugget might always be a staple, but food service providers are pushing the envelope and exploring what other options might be great for kids!

Trends have been predicting this for years

Trends have been pushing towards health, wellness, and international flavors for the past few years. Restaurants that are embracing these trends are adding them to more sections of their menus. Kids meals are going to be swept up in the change. This will lead to a future of young adults who are more aware and experimental than any generation before.

This trend isn’t going away any time soon. As more and more become educated on food sustainability, the likeliness of more plant-based options being sought after is extremely high. With these trends, kids are eating more like their parents and forming dining habits at a young age. This helps food service providers prep for future generations and have menus in place in advance! As more plant-based options become available for kids, we will see more dining habits form at a young age.