"We're demanding justice. Plant-based milk should be an option, and now it finally is." – Activist Speaker
"Kids can now choose oat, soy, almond, or other plant-based milks in schools, and that's a huge step toward equity, health, and sustainability." – Youth Advocate
🎧 Podcast Highlights
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FDA Confirms Victory: Plant-based milks like oat, almond, and soy can officially use the term "milk" on labels.
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Dairy Industry Defeated: Lobbyists failed in their attempt to monopolize the word "milk" for dairy-only products.
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Truth in Labeling: This ruling is a huge step forward in food transparency and consumer choice.
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Empowering the Plant-Based Movement: Jane celebrates a turning point in the plant-based vs. dairy industry battle.
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"They lost. We won." — Jane Velez-Mitchell delivers the powerful message behind this regulatory win.
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Consumer Awareness: Discussion on how labeling impacts public perception and market trends.
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No More Censorship: Why this decision matters for the future of marketing plant-based foods.
Join the Adventure
Celebrate this powerful moment as we spotlight the plant-based movement's big win in the battle for food justice. After tireless efforts from advocates, schools are now required to offer plant-based milk options — a move that recognizes diverse dietary needs and honors the values of sustainability and compassion.
💥 Hear from students, parents, health experts, and justice leaders who helped make this victory possible. This episode dives into the significance of choice, the role of activism, and what this change means for the future of school lunches.
📣 Don't miss this inspiring update — a major leap for children's rights, vegan options, and food justice.
👤 Jane Velez-Mitchell is an award-winning journalist, TV producer and NY Times bestselling author who founded UnchainedTV, the world's premier plant-based streaming network. UnchainedTV offers 2,000 free documentaries, cooking shows, lifestyle and news programs. Download UnchainedTV free on mobile or TV streaming devices like Amazon Fire, Roku, and Apple TV. Watch online: https://watch.unchainedtv.com/browse
🎥 WATCH for FREE: https://unchained.tv ✅ LEARN MORE / https://unchainedtv.com 📘 Facebook / janevelezmitchell 📬 SubStack / https://unchainedtv.substack.com 📸 Instagram / unchained_tv 🐦 Twitter / jvm
Hashtags: #VeganMilkVictory #PlantBasedSchools #FoodJustice
TRANSCRIPT:
plant-based milk's justice tour! (360p) (0:00) Did you know that nearly half a billion dollars is literally thrown in the trash every single year(0:07) because of a corporate welfare scheme in the national school lunch program? And according (0:11) to USDA data, about one-third of these cartons are thrown away untouched because the kids just (0:18) don't want them. How's that for government waste? That's hardly surprising considering (0:21) one-third of Americans are lactose intolerant just like me. We've got breaking news to bring you (0:27) and it's excellent news for plant-based milks and the people who love them. A huge win for (0:37) plant-based milks. Specifically, parents can now demand that their kids get vegan milk in school. (0:45) This was a huge battle that went on for years and we are talking to the leader in this epic saga to (0:54) get this very basic right that should have been available to all kids from the get-go. Let's go (1:00) straight out to Dotsie Bausch. Give us a backstory, like how did this come about? Oh my gosh, as I was (1:06) going down the route of starting Switch for Good and kind of coming to terms with that we were (1:14) going to focus on one animal food group, it was going to be milk, it was going to be cow's milk, (1:20) and that was from a history of as an athlete having so much cow's milk pushed on myself and (1:25) my teammates and it's made them sick. Once I took my blinders off and realized what was behind (1:31) that cow's milk machine and what happened to the animals, I said no more. I'm not a mother, (1:38) but I have a special hatred for stealing mother's milks to give to other species in any way, (1:44) shape, or form. This idea came to me, we're going to change some of it. We should try to (1:49) change all of it and that really includes ending the cow's milk monopoly that is in schools that (1:56) started in 1945 with the Richard B. Russell Act when schools were segregated. It was only (2:03) white children that were being fed cow's milk and I imagine in the very beginning it was good (2:08) intentions, but 80 years later it's not okay. I called the only person that I know that is a (2:17) powerhouse in Washington and can actually get federal legislation passed and that was Wayne (2:20) Pacelli. It took me like six months to talk him into it because he was like, oh god, no, that'll (2:27) take forever if ever. No, no, no. We had a long series of conversations and we started the journey (2:35) and we started with Representative Troy Carter out of Louisiana. He was as passionate as we were (2:41) about getting this changed. His entire family is lactose intolerant. He hated that this was (2:46) forced on them. That's our man right there and he was just ground floor day one, got other (2:53) representatives on board, senators, and it's been quite the journey. I still can hardly believe it (3:00) to really tell you the truth because you know when anybody that's listening that's working on (3:04) something that's longstanding and takes this amount of time, actually Wayne told me it takes (3:10) an average of seven years to pass federal legislation, so we did it in about four. So (3:16) it's like wow, we're fast. What's next? But anyway, it's really rewarding to see this at the end and (3:24) the thing that excites me the most is yes, we got rid of the doctor's note and yes, children have (3:30) access. It's a free choice just with a parent's note, but what really is exciting that changed (3:36) that really to me ended the cow's milk monopoly in schools is that schools now, per this bill, (3:42) per this legislation, they have the ability, they have the right, and they can choose if they don't (3:51) have to, but they can choose to put plant milk out in the lunch line and it doesn't require any (3:57) child to request it. They just have that right. They can put plant milk out. As you know, the (4:03) fiscal language was embedded into the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act and actually it's the same (4:09) with whole milk. Schools don't have to put whole milk out. They may put whole milk out alongside (4:15) plant milk. So that's, yeah, because I was talking to a friend who's a parent and would like to do (4:23) this and he was confused and was like, well, what if I want oat milk? Can I ask specifically for (4:29) oat milk or can I just ask for plant milk and how would I go about that because I don't think my (4:35) school even knows about that. So I want to break it down for parents who want to take advantage of (4:43) this. They've got a plant-based kid. They've got a kid who's lactose intolerant, which is, (4:48) you know, according to the National Institutes of Health itself, 68% of humans are lactose (4:54) intolerant or experience lactose malabsorption, but of course the devil's in the details. So (5:00) how do we go about it and how can we make sure that this law is enforced? (5:06) Yeah, that's a great question, Jane. I know we're going to kind of go into what we're doing about (5:12) educating the schools so that it can be enforced because (5:16) I learned pretty quickly right after the bill passed, it was like, oh, wait a minute. (5:22) It's not like the government passes a bill in both chambers and then the president signs it and then (5:27) they run around and do a marketing campaign to tell all the schools what their new rights are (5:31) or when any bill passes of any legislation, right? That's not how it works. It then again (5:38) falls on the people who work to pass the bill to educate about what the bill now offers to (5:44) the American people. So we're going to take that into our own hands. But if a parent says, (5:51) okay, I want Johnny to have plant milk, we are still in a situation where it does need to be (5:58) nutritionally equivalent. And I hate that for, you know, words really, you know, because that makes (6:03) the bar cow's milk, but it has to have the same amount of protein. So it has to have that eight (6:07) grams of protein per half pint. So right now that is only soy milk and pea milk. But as you know, (6:16) a lot of the plant milk companies that maybe are doing oat or almond are innovating and they're (6:21) putting more protein into their, like I said, oat milk or almond milk or even cashew milk (6:28) to meet the standards of the national school lunch program. So they're very detailed about (6:34) what needs to be, what nutrients need to be in these milks for the kiddos. So right now it's still (6:40) soy and pea. But if a kid wants that, the parents can ask the school, hey, you have the right. (6:50) They can print out the language to the bill. I know it's not easy to find bills, but you can (6:54) certainly come to Switch for Good and we'll get you all set up. But they can go to the school, (6:59) the principal, the teacher, whoever they want to speak to and say, I really want (7:03) Johnny and his friends to have access. And you now have the right to offer that. But the school has (7:09) to want to offer it, right? It has to put it out on the lunch line. So if it's not out on the lunch (7:14) line, then the school is required by law now to give Johnny the plant milk he wants with just a (7:22) note from parents, not from, doesn't need a note from doctor. I think there should be some kind of (7:27) packet that kids can walk in, parents can walk in or kids and go to the principal and say, (7:33) this is the law here. It is right here. I'm showing it to you and you need to follow the law. (7:39) The reason I mentioned that is in California, it is the law that hospitals provide plant-based (7:46) meals to people who are there. And I've said this many times on the show, (7:51) people will call me all the time. I'm in the hospital. They refuse to provide me a plant-based (7:55) meal. The nurses don't know about it. The people who are delivering the food. So if there's a law (8:02) that is in paper that like maybe a packet, here's the law, you need to follow it. Then I think it's (8:10) going to have more weight because some of these patients have said that the people delivering the (8:14) food are arguing with them saying, no, it's not the law. I don't have to do that. Or, you know, (8:19) you can have a piece of toast with no nothing on it and that's going to satisfy. So it has to be a (8:25) substantial meal. I think it's a very similar situation here in the schools, because just (8:32) looking at it from an administrator standpoint, if somebody comes in and demands this, the first (8:37) thing I would have to do is, well, now I have to go out and buy that. And yeah, I have to buy that. (8:42) Am I going to buy one container or am I going to buy it on a regular subscription basis? So I(8:48) think that there's got to be a way for us to make it easier for schools to get this done (8:55) and maybe have them proactively providing this. Right. I know they have to figure out the demand. (9:02) I mean, you said it perfectly, right? It's like how many people are going to want this if we put(9:07) it out in the lunch line and nobody takes it because nobody knows about it. So I couldn't(9:11) agree more. It's not going to be, you know, done overnight. But I really do feel like we have this (9:16) kind of it's almost like a once in a generation opportunity to kind of reshape the school lunch (9:21) experience by educating them. And we're going on tour because I don't think you can educate (9:28) digitally in this lane as much as you can in person. So we are doing a 10 city tour to schools. (9:40) It's going to be a team of Olympic and professional athletes, and they're going to be leading these. (9:45) We're going to show up in a van. We're going to lead one hour kind of interactive assemblies (9:49) that get kids excited, packed with games and stories and science back lessons about plant (9:54) based nutrition. And we're going to teach the students about the plant milks, what their new (9:58) rights are and the teachers and the principals and the parents, what their new rights are, (10:04) how to build these meals, how to read labels, just getting them to really understand and embrace (10:11) what is now their their new freedom. And we're starting we're going to do the Midwest because (10:17) we we are we are fairly certain that there are a fair amount of California schools and even New (10:22) York schools like coastal schools that have been waiting for this for a while. And so our know(10:28) that it is happening and know their new rights. I mean, I wish we could just do every school in (10:32) the whole country, you know, but that's going to be a little expensive chain. So we're doing (10:37) Kansas City, St. Louis, Mount Vernon, Illinois, Louisville, Bowling Green, Nashville, Memphis. (10:43) Wow. And then come back up Little Rock, Bentonville. Do you literally have this this van (10:48) here? Yes. It's an electric. Yes, we I should I should say yes. Yes, because we are trying to get (11:00) it sponsored. So yay, VW Kansas City. We love you so much. Please say yes. But we do have someone (11:08) that is a donor who I actually live with my husband who has agreed to buy it from us. (11:15) After we know which can't afford to buy to buy electric vehicles. (11:20) Heather Dominic saying come to Indiana. Love, love, love this. (11:25) Yes, yes. And I very much so hope that this is the first of many, right? We're going to do it(11:31) the following fall and the following spring and the fall after that. I mean, it's just (11:36) no one's going to know unless we do it this way. But but we are also looking at doing exactly what (11:43) you suggested, which which I think is really important, like a packet for schools to get (11:48) so that they really because just just with the law alone written, this is exactly what your what (11:53) your new rights are and what you can and can't do what this exactly allows you or doesn't allow you. (11:58) Important because I was trying to explain it to my friend who's a parent and I was like, (12:02) you know what, I can't really explain for you how to do this. So I think that would be incredible. (12:07) And I think it's fantastic that you're going on this justice tour. Now, let me ask you. (12:14) One of the biggest arguments is that the NIH itself on its own website says 68% (12:22) of humans experience lactose malabsorption, and it is higher in communities of color. (12:28) Dr. Milton Mills talks about this. Let's listen and discuss how that might play into it on the other (12:35) side. 70 to 75% of African Americans are lactose intolerant. And I was having African, African (12:46) American patients coming in, telling me, Doc, my irritable bowel is acting up or I've got a spastic (12:52) colon. And I talked to them about their symptoms. And it was fairly clear to me that probably what (12:59) was going on with them wasn't that they actually had spastic colon or irritable bowels. It was that (13:05) they were continuing to include dairy foods in their diet. So I have them go home, do two weeks, (13:11) no dairy, come back and see me. And eight to nine out of 10 times, the problems had cleared up. And (13:18) so what is the reason that these foods are recommended? It's marketing, plain and simple. (13:26) Marketing, plain and simple. We know, for example, that when it comes to the new food pyramid, (13:33) there was huge industry influence on this pyramid, which elevated meats, cheese, and dairy (13:40) to the top left. And it sparked outrage. Is this something when you're working, for example, (13:48) with this congressman, the dietary racism aspect of it that has come into play here? And can that (13:56) be part of the argument as you do your tour? Yeah. Oh, my gosh. Yeah. I mean, it's so cool (14:03) to see Milton. That was 2018 at the launch of Switch for Good, actually, when he was talking (14:08) about that. And he was really the one that got me, I think, just not only excited, but really amped (14:15) up about fighting the dietary racism aspect of cow's milk. I mean, he's the one that taught me (14:21) everything and the science and showed me how to fight when he started getting me involved in(14:29) fighting for a new dietary guidelines in 2020. I think that it makes me crazy that (14:39) it's not openly talked about and known. I've talked to, at this point, probably thousands, (14:47) almost a thousand people, young, old, middle-aged, wherever they are. And if they're lactose (14:54) intolerant, it's almost as if they've had this secret that they've kept. Or they say, (15:01) I think I am. I mean, I'm really sick, or I'm on the toilet right after, but I love ice cream. Or (15:08) that's what they gave me in school. Or it's almost the same that serves like this hidden hush-hush (15:14) thing that people have that they shouldn't have when you and I both know, and all of your listeners(15:19) know, that it is totally and completely normal. I'm the weird one. I can digest cow's milk if I (15:25) had some right now. I did as an athlete in my early days. I'm lactase persistent. I'm a weird, (15:32) white, Northern European that was drinking cow's milk for probably the longest, my ancestors. (15:39) And I'm genetically mutated. That's weird, right? The people that can't digest milk from any species (15:46) after infancy are totally and completely normal. And this, in the United States, and I'll say (15:53) mostly probably our government is the one that twisted this and made it seem weird or sound weird (16:00) and people feel weird or guilty even if they have lactose intolerance. So it's just been a (16:07) whole education journey, right? Because no one really knew. We're getting a lot of questions. (16:13) Naja Roy Brown says, are these organizations promoting the bill focusing on Black and Brown (16:17) communities? I don't see it. Come to these communities and collaborate with the Black (16:21) Veg Society. You've already got another collaborator. Yes, definitely. No, we had (16:27) early adoption from the Black Veg Society on this bill. We have about 200 organizations that (16:33) signed on to this bill in NAACP. And I'm pretty sure you guys signed on to it early on and were (16:42) behind it. So thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. I couldn't agree more. And yes, there'll (16:47) be many, many, many, many Black students and Black parents that we will be able to reach and be in (16:54) front of on this tour. And we're beyond excited about that. Yes. One of the amazing things that (16:59) you've done with Switch for Good is show how many athletes have rejected dairy. You're an Olympic (17:05) cyclist, but there are others. Let's go to another one of your incredible videos, which are streaming (17:12) on Shade TV as well, and discuss on the other side. When I gave up dairy, it was the single (17:19) biggest change that I had felt in my body. Unless you're a baby cow, you shouldn't be drinking cow's (17:24) milk. The biggest way that I saw my performance change when I dropped dairy was in my recovery. (17:29) I don't think dairy is a part of an Olympic diet. I was recovering better, and it was a hugely(17:34) transformational shift for me. I started just feeling like a machine. There are so many reasons (17:41) to remove dairy products from your diet. Ditch the dairy. So by the way, I urge everybody, (17:52) go to Switch for Good. I've been poking around all day and yesterday researching this. There's (17:57) such a wealth of information, but it seems like the industry drumbeat, we know, we know that (18:05) industry had a huge impact. Something like seven of the people who were influential in creating (18:14) these upside down pyramid had industry ties. It's outrageous, but I just want to say that (18:26) it seems like the outrage is not sufficient. It's not sufficient. People are sort of accepting (18:36) this new food pyramid and not really focusing on the fact that there was all this meat and dairy (18:43) and big pharma influence. Yeah, right. Well, I know. I can only speak through the lens of someone (18:52) who's so experienced in this, and that's Dr. Christopher Gardner, because we just recorded (18:57) him on the Switch for Good podcast like a few days ago. It'll come out in the next, I think, (19:00) week or two, because he was on the scientific advisory board that spent almost two years (19:09) working on all the science and all the data that would discern the new dietary guidelines. They (19:15) have this every five years, right? They put this scientific advisory board together and they work (19:19) for free a Zoom a week, right? There's almost a hundred Zooms or over a hundred Zooms. (19:26) And then the scientific advisory council hands their materials over to HHS and USDA to then (19:38) complete and release the final guidelines. So what happened this time was they turned it over (19:45) and they basically just tore up, ignored what the scientific advisory board suggested to happen. (19:52) It almost looks completely different. They ripped it all up and then you know what we have, (19:58) really a 10 page website that doesn't really work. But I will tell you that Christopher Gardner did (20:04) say, and I agree with you, James, this is super obvious, six out of nine have direct ties to big (20:10) meats and big dairy and big cheese and all of it. But Christopher did say, all of us suit food (20:18) scientists. He said, at some point in our career, we helped to guide a food group or a food company (20:26) or however you want to say it. And we took money. He said, the only person that is alive today that (20:31) has never taken a dime is Marion Nestle. And I didn't realize that. I'm not saying that that's (20:39) good or bad or any judgment, but just that that is typical. Let me go to a New York Times article (20:44) from yesterday and my comment. So it was an article about the food and cancer dangers. And it actually (20:54) was very good when it comes to the dangers of meat. Processed meat is officially cancer causing. (21:01) Red meat is a likely carcinogen. This is according to the World Health Organization and all sorts of (21:05) organizations. But then it goes on to say, and we invite the author of the New York Times on anytime, (21:10) dairy and the calcium in it appears to lower colorectal cancer risk as part of a broader (21:15) healthy diet. Full fat dairy, which was recently endorsed in new federal dietary guidelines, (21:21) was also associated with reduced inflammation and insulin resistance in some studies. Now, (21:27) my response, which they did publish, great article that says what everyone should know, (21:31) processed meat causes cancer. Red meat probably causes cancer. However, promoting dairy was a (21:36) big flaw in an otherwise sensible article. The NIH itself says most people, 68% at least, (21:42) experienced lactose malabsorption. That's another way of saying most people are allergic to dairy. (21:48) We should stay away from it and take advantage of zero cholesterol plant-based milk alternatives. (21:53) We are not cows, do not need to consume the breast milk of cows. But what I should have added is, (21:59) why are you referring to the new dietary guidelines without talking about how controversial (22:05) they are and how dairy and meat and big pharma had a big influence in creating them? That's the New (22:12) York Times. Right. I know. And we have a solid amount of data, I'll say, on dairy causing (22:20) prostate cancer and ovarian cancer, hormonal-based cancers. We have plenty of data. You and I have (22:26) been over it multiple times on both of our shows. So not mentioning that is criminal, in my opinion. (22:32) Well, reach out to the New York Times because you, as somebody who's leading this, would have (22:38) much more sway than me. But I was shocked that, please, everybody's talking about how controversial (22:48) these food guidelines are. And then to cite them without talking about the controversy, to me, (22:54) was like, hello, this is not some blog somewhere. This is the New York Times. And again, I invite (23:00) you and the author of that article on any time. But just to give you an idea of some of the (23:06) controversy surrounding it, let's play one of my favorite social media influencers. Danny is sharing. (23:12) All right. So many of you sent me the bizarre vegan section in RFK's new dietary guidelines. (23:16) So let's cover a few things. It is genuinely mind-blowing how magnesium, riboflavin, and vitamin (23:22) B6 were categorized under broader shortfalls in vegan diets. When it comes to nutrients of concern (23:28) or high intake between meat eaters and vegans, it's meat eaters who are at a risk of low magnesium(23:33) intake while vegans are the opposite. And I have no clue how this administration thinks that vegan (23:38) diets show shortfalls with riboflavin. There are just so many vegan sources of riboflavin. Lastly, (23:45) they included vitamin B6, which, like magnesium, is a nutrient of favorably high intake for vegans. (23:51) And on top of that, the highest source of B6 is chickpeas. (23:56) So look, we don't get into politics here, but I mean, come on, this is a direct attack on veganism. (24:05) Yeah, it sure feels like it. I know with the B vitamins, especially B12, I'm always just (24:11) amazed at the reaction that I get when I explain what it is, B12, because I guess, (24:16) you know, I didn't know before I came down this rabbit hole deep, but it's a microorganism. (24:21) It's a living microorganism, and we get it from our streams and our rivers and our soil.(24:26) And so because we are bleaching our streams and rivers and soil with our detergents and all of (24:33) the chemicals and processes that we put into them, actually, meat eaters really need to be taking B12 (24:41) too, because how did they get it before? How did they get it, I guess I should say, by eating animal (24:46) flesh, right? But it's not from the animal flesh, it's because the cow ate it from, you know, (24:52) drinking from the stream. And now we're hardly almost, it's almost non-existent. So all of us (24:59) need to be making a supplement, which is sad, but it's not looking at where the source is. (25:05) They just assume that the source is the cow itself. And it's not, the cow's eating the B12. (25:12) So that's just a good example of one nutrient that I think we misunderstand and meters like, (25:19) well, those vegans, they don't get B12. It's like, no, no, no. (25:22) Well, what I like to point out is that vitamins and supplements are a multi-billion dollar industry (25:27) and 99.999% of the people taking those supplements are not vegans, right? So (25:34) right there, it's just like, you know, you go into a hospital and you've got a sprained wrist (25:40) and sometimes a doctor will try to make that about you being vegan. Well, what about all the (25:44) people lined up in gurneys out here and they're not vegan? Does that connect to their eating meat? (25:50) Or for example, when God forbid, a vegan commits a crime, suddenly it's the vegan committing the (25:56) crime. Well, what about all the meat eaters committing the crime? They never mentioned (25:59) that those people eat meat. You know, there's a society. (26:03) It's so true. A meat eating criminal. (26:05) Right. Exactly. And we're so much, such a large part of the population now that yes, (26:11) occasionally we're going to get some bad apples as it were, right? But getting back to your good (26:16) news, I really want to just, if I were a parent, which I'm not, I'm a parent of two rescue dogs (26:25) and a rescue cat. But if I was a parent of a human child and I wanted to make sure that my (26:31) child, my son or daughter got that plant-based milk, what would you say to do? (26:39) You're going to march into the school and you're going to tell them that a new law just passed and (26:45) was signed in the beginning of January by the president. And it is now federal legislation. (26:50) They can print it out if they want to, that you can do that on the government website. But (26:54) if you come to Switch for Good, we'll have just a little one pager for you, (26:58) because this has inspired me to make sure that we do that now, not tomorrow, Jane, because it is a (27:05) little bit confusing because the news is all over the place and you're not quite sure, but you're (27:09) going to walk into your school and you're going to say, Johnny, I don't know why I always use (27:13) Johnny. Johnny and or Sarah want to have soy milk. They need to have soy milk. And I would appreciate(27:24) it if you would offer it in the lunch line so that they don't have to feel weird and niche. (27:31) They can feel like they're with all the kids because you now have the right as a U.S. public(27:37) school to put soy milk and pea milk out in the lunch line for children to choose from. It's(27:42) healthier. It's better for you. A parent can certainly go that really kind of knows their (27:47) stuff about nutrition, how much more nutrition is available in plant milk and how it's not going to (27:53) make almost anyone sick that we know of. Right. Compared to lactose intolerant in cow's milk, (28:00) intolerance in cow's milk. And they have that right to put it out. In addition, if the parent (28:07) doesn't want to go that far, because I realize that's kind of really pushing the school to do (28:10) something. And, you know, you're going to it's more if you just want to make sure that your kid (28:14) has it, you can go to the school and say every single lunch, I want him to have soy milk. Here's (28:20) my note. Goodbye. And they have to provide it every single meal. I have two questions. One is (28:27) the government required to send out a notification to all the schools. And obviously this is public (28:32) schools, government or government schools that get government funding because private schools may not (28:40) have to apply. Follow this. Correct. Okay. So is the government required to send out a notice to (28:48) the principals and the food directors of all public schools? Is this K through 12? And when would that (28:57) notice go out if so? It's K through 12. And I don't know why this just isn't readily available (29:05) information, but we've been asking. And as far as the answers that we've gotten, no, not at all. (29:13) They are not at all required to send out a note on a law that's passed federally, (29:18) anybody, schools or companies, you know, there's a laws passed every day. I think we think where(29:23) they get nothing done, but there is a law passed almost every day. And they are not required to (29:28) then go shout from the rooftops. Now, second question, how long do the schools have to comply? (29:34) Because I could see, and this happens all the time. Tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow creeps us (29:40) petty pace from day to day, right? To quote Shakespeare, they'll say, yeah, we'll work on it. (29:46) And then two weeks later, where's the soy milk? So how does the law address the timeframe that (29:54) these schools have to comply? No, it's right now. It was signed into law. It is the current law (30:01) as it stands that they have to give it to a kid with just a parent's note. And if they so choose, (30:07) they may put it out in the lunch line today. Okay. And so is there a recourse if a school (30:13) fails to do it after a certain point where a parent, aside from filing a lawsuit could (30:20) say you're, you're in violation of the law? No, there is, there is no language in the bill that (30:26) has a period of time that if the school doesn't do it as a parent can, I'm sure they can complain, (30:32) but they can't sue them or they won't win if they sue them because now there is no language like (30:37) that. Well, I think your tour at your, and somebody asked, why is it called the justice (30:43) tour? Well, for, for justice, for kids, not to be forced or encouraged to drink milk, that's going (30:49) to make them sick. But I think your tour is more important than ever because I hate to sound (30:54) cynical, but, uh, I think a lot of these schools are going to possibly say, let's hope nobody (31:02) notices and continue business as usual until somebody makes it very clear that they are (31:09) required to do this and they should do it proactively, not wait for a parent, a parent's (31:16) note that they should proactively provide a certain percentage of this milk. Now there, (31:23) the complexity, of course, government contractors, right? These schools aren't going to be running (31:27) down to the local health food store to grab some soy milk. Um, is there any information about how (31:34) they would work with contractors? Obviously when you contract at a large scale, you achieve (31:40) economies of scale. And so I would think that just like the USDA pushes dairy like crazy, (31:49) that if they want to be fair, um, that they would provide a distributor and a distribution (31:59) system for this soy, that it could get into every school system. Yeah. Well, they, (32:07) currently the schools work with, um, Silk and Ripple because, so, so, cause you know, as you (32:13) know, you could get it, but with the doctor's note before, um, that was it, right? There was no other (32:17) way. It couldn't be put on the lunch line. No way. It's, it had to be this special, very niche, (32:21) you know, they had to go to the doctor and get a note. Um, and if you presented that, then you (32:25) could get, uh, so they, they, they currently have, um, some of the, uh, big distributors that they (32:30) work with, meaning the NSLP, the National School Lunch Program. So I am assuming they're going to (32:35) continue to work with those distributors. It does open up doors for other distributors to, um, (32:43) compete for the business. And I certainly hope that that happens. We're in the midst of, um, (32:50) speaking with different plant milk companies to come on the tour with us, because to me, that is (32:54) a, it's a, it's a huge aspect of the tour for the kiddos to be able to taste, right. They've got it. (32:58) They have, they have to have a single, um, like we're hoping for just like less than half a pint, (33:04) just so that the kids can taste, um, uh, single, uh, you know, cartons of, of the different milks (33:11) and we want to do all of it because it, you know, we don't, it doesn't just have to be (33:16) soy and pee. Like families have the ability to, to, to go by at the grocery store. They, (33:21) they taste it and they love it. And they make, it makes their stomach feel great. They have energy (33:25) afterwards and they're going to talk about it. They're going to tell their parents and their (33:27) friends and their parents, friends. And that's, that's how it all works. So we're working with (33:32) the, the plant milk companies to, to, to, to support us. I mean, we're like a roving marketing (33:36) vehicle for that, right? Like it's hard for me to imagine that any of them were going to say no, (33:40) but, um, I just sent out all of the requests yesterday. So I'll ask you guys what you're (33:48) doing is so important. So important. The followup, it's all about the followup and getting in this (33:55) vehicle right here and taking off and going from state to state and letting people know. (34:02) And, you know, I would say have a news conference at every, every city you go to have a, have a (34:08) conference and get the local news out there. You're an Olympic athlete. You're a celebrity. (34:14) Um, you know, you are really, um, letting everybody know, because as you just said, (34:21) the U S government, while it passed, this law is not sending any message to the school, (34:25) letting them know that this law exists. And unless they're psychic, how would they know? (34:29) I looked, uh, mainstream media to try to find this story. And it was usually a tiny line (34:37) buried under the whole food, healthy milks act. Uh, and Oh, by the way, they can also offer soy (34:43) milk. Let's change the subject right away because we all know that mainstream media has been co-opted (34:48) by the meat dairy and big pharma industry. Look at the advertisers. I often joke. I can't even (34:54) have dinner watching the news because every single commercial is about somebody with terrible (35:00) intestinal problems and the side effects of taking whatever drug they're going to take. (35:06) And it's gross. And I'm like, Oh my God, can't people do the camp that people connect the dots (35:12) and see the reason why this isn't being discussed is because those commercials are keeping the lights(35:18) on. Yeah, no doubt. I know. And it's, it's bipartisan. Nobody talks about it. Nobody. (35:25) Yeah. I know we did so much PR when this passed and you know, the incredible vegan media picks (35:31) it up. But I mean, it's just like, yeah, they just, it's like, they just like hot potato. (35:34) They, they, they won't touch it. And, um, it's, I think it, the Kendrick Ferris is coming with(35:41) us on tour. Um, who is that saw in the video, the three times on the right. Yes. So he came (35:50) and lobbied like our second to last time we were in Washington. I mean, I think I was there maybe (35:54) nine times over, you know, three and a half years of lobbying. And, uh, his story, I mean, he has (36:00) a personal, uh, incredibly difficult to hear story about this when he was a little kid and how sick (36:08) it was making him and, and, and the milk, the cow's milk, and no one knew what was wrong. (36:13) And no, I, you know, it's just, it's such a personal story and he has a family now and he's (36:17) able to, to educate. So he's, he's pretty excited to go with us and he is living proof that you can (36:22) be strong. He's three time Olympic weightlifter for the United States. Like the guy is not small, (36:30) but I will say brainstorming live. We've come up with some really great ideas, just discussing it (36:39) and having people comment. And we are getting comments from folks saying, you know, we have to (36:45) do this, uh, et cetera. Uh, here we go. Uh, Jane, we must work in promoting this soy milk availability. (36:53) Nobody else is going to do it. I agree. Uh, having been in the news media myself, (37:00) stunts always, especially in smaller towns, stunts, uh, can sometimes bring the media. (37:07) Like if he were to do some kind of athletic demonstration outside the school, uh, you know,(37:14) something that is a visual because the way these news media organizations work is the(37:19) Simon editor is just some guy or gal sitting there. Uh, the only reason she might send a(37:25) crew is, am I going to get in trouble if I don't send the crew and my competition sends the crew? (37:31) And then my news director says, why didn't you have this? That's the mentality. It's totally (37:36) 100% value three. It has nothing to do with, is this really important to our world? No, (37:44) they value neutral. So if there's something that you would say, Hmm, if somebody didn't cover this, (37:51) they might get in trouble. Then that might be something that would, you know, and it has to (37:56) happen dramatically at the top of 12 noon. So that maybe it could be live, you know, he's going to do (38:03) some kind of physical demonstration. It's sad, but that's the kind of thing, um, you know, that works. (38:09) Uh, and sometimes not always, but it can in smaller markets, especially where if you did (38:16) something like that in LA, well, we're, we've got, so we're tripping over celebrities, but they're (38:21) not in certain areas. Uh, so, you know, uh, I think throw everything at the wall and see what sticks (38:29) because I think this is one of the most important developments. Uh, and you know, uh, the dairy (38:37) industry also props up the meat industry, as you well know. So the dairy cows become the cheap(38:44) hamburger and the dairy industry only exists because of government support. And a lot of that (38:51) government support is shoving it down the throats of school kids, or as you've often said, giving it (38:58) to school kids who throw it in the garbage. But if that were to crumble, I see it. I see the entire (39:06) big meat, big dairy, big pharma complex as a house of cards that could crumble. So I honestly think (39:13) Dotsie, that this is possibly the most important thing, anything Unchained TV can do to help in (39:20) this regard. Um, we're there because I can't think of anything. I can't think of anything (39:25) more important than what you're doing right now. Yeah, no, that, that was kind of my thinking in (39:30) starting switch and focusing on dairy is knowing how many people dairy maize makes sick, whether (39:36) they know it or not yet, um, that it's an end to the whole entire house of cards crumbling. Like (39:43) you just said, that was, that was, that was, that's always been the intent, right? Like we're (39:47) the fire starter. Cause it, you know, it's, it's, you know, some of the other animal foods don't (39:52) make people immediately sick and right. People care about immediate, right? Like down the row, (39:56) they have prostate cancer, but right now you have a glass of milk. You have 70% of the entire (40:01) population of the world who is going to have the shifts. I mean, it's just, it's so it's such a (40:06) large percentage. I do want to clarify something because I think that people are misinformed. Um, (40:12) and thank you Ruta for being here. I think she's incorrect when she says this, can you clarify (40:19) what she has said versus what is the law? She is saying, it's not a requirement. They are given (40:28) the right. That's a hundred percent. What I said a hundred percent. Yes, she's correct. Yes. But (40:34) it's a, it's a requirement if it's requested. Yes. For this one kid, that's right. Schools have (40:43) the rights, the kids, it is required if they say that they need it, right? Schools are required (40:52) to put out plant milk or whole milk. They are required to put out low fat milk, but they have (40:59) the right to decide to put out whole milk and plant milk in the lunch line. Well, let's give (41:05) Ruta a shout out. She got it right. So we basically, that makes it even more important for (41:12) every school to have one parent and child to go in there and say, I want soy milk. (41:17) Because if you look at the purchasing mechanism, they have to buy more than one, one, uh, carton (41:25) of soy milk, you know? So that, that means that they have to institute the purchase of a batch (41:33) of soy milk and therefore it would only be right for them to put it all out. If they purchased a (41:40) whole bunch of soy milk and then they kept it hidden and only gave that one to the kid and let (41:45) the other, other rest of the soy milk go bad, uh, even though we know it takes a long time for (41:50) soy milk to go bad, but that would be, um, a proactive waste of US government taxpayer money (41:58) and a sabotage of the spirit of the law. So I feel like it's very important to have (42:05) one individual in every single school, go up there and demand it and then track it because (42:11) once they track it, they can, they can report back. Yeah. It took them three weeks or it took (42:17) them three hours. Right. Yeah. Yeah. You're right about your show. Um, encouraging ideas. (42:24) I like that. I think that that should be part of our tour. It's, you know, maybe we can, (42:29) it's almost like a, a, a, a, a mini campaign on the tour where we're inspiring every single (42:34) parent that, that wants it to, to, to go in and say something. Right. Because it's, it's not (42:39) going to work if that doesn't happen. And I also like your idea about Kendrick. I don't know if (42:43) he's going to like our idea, but I mean, it's pretty cool to see him lift that much weight. (42:49) I mean, he's not going to do what he did. The Olympics, right. That would have to start training (42:52) again. But the other one we're trying, the other vegan athlete that we're trying to get is Diana (42:57) Tracy, who I'm sure you know, who that is six time Olympic gold basketball, because I just keep(43:02) envisioning are pulling up in the, in the van. There's a big assembly. We go into what is always (43:08) the basketball court, right at the assembly and the bleachers around that and her playing with (43:14) the kiddos and getting them excited about plant milk. So, okay. Well, I'll just shout out to (43:19) anybody that knows her. We're trying to get her. I would say also when I'm thinking about what (43:25) would make an impression, Nimae Delgado taking his shirt off and doing those pushups or those- (43:33) This is middle school, Jane. This is middle school. This is not high school. (43:38) He's very sexy when he takes off his shirt. Yeah, but a good body is a good body. (43:43) You know, I mean, she has living proof that, and there's others, Tori Washington, you know, (43:50) you could have a rotating cast of characters. (43:53) We're having a naked justice tour and we're coming to a school near you. (43:58) Yeah. I could even see- (44:01) So shirtless, I should say. (44:03) We've been having discussions about songs because there's a push to create vegan anthems. (44:12) And I've written a few songs myself. Texas is going vegan with Renee King sewn in and Be Kind (44:19) Already. But what about a song celebrating this? A rap song celebrating the fact that you can ask (44:29) for soy milk. You can ask for plant-based milks. I think a kid, you could have a competition. (44:38) Who could come up with the soy milk or the plant milk school anthem? (44:46) Anthem.(44:47) You know, you're probably- (44:49) I love that. You're going to have to write it though, because you do not want me writing songs. (44:53) That is not going to be good. (44:55) I want to sign off. This is getting crazy. But, you know, it's a good idea. (45:01) Somebody's listening who is a great songwriter. I feel certain about that. (45:04) Yeah, because I just went to an event. Unchained TV was one of the sponsors of an event with the (45:10) plant-based treaty rap song. So it's not that crazy in the sense that the plant-based treaty (45:17) just came out with a rap song. So, yeah, I think we've covered so much ground. I just want to say, (45:25) Dotsie, you are my hero. You are on the ground and in the van. We've got to show the van one (45:34) more time. There she is. She's about to get into that van and head cross country. And people want (45:40) you to stop in their city. So, yes, already, Karen LaCava, we need big time celebrity vegans to (45:47) write and sing some vegan anthems. Yes. Yes. Yes. So keep us posted. Feel free to let us know that (45:54) you want to jump on from the road. And again, we are here in Los Angeles. That's our headquarters. (46:02) Anything we can do here, because this is the second largest city in the United States.(46:07) And they say what happens in L.A. spreads to the rest of the country and then the world.(46:14) So maybe we can take part in a Los Angeles event and videotape it and make it a template,(46:23) because the L.A. school system, I mean, my gosh, primarily children of color in the L.A. public (46:29) school system. And so basically all these kids, well, every kid should be drinking plant milk. (46:35) So keep us posted. I mean, you're doing amazing. Okay. Thanks for the idea. Somebody out there, (46:42) write the song and get that over to a stat, because that's the song that we'll play when (46:47) these athletes, when Diana comes in with her basketball and Kendrick does a weightlifting (46:51) competition. I mean, I think we can really, you know, because it does, it has to be high energy (46:55) and exciting. These are middle schoolers, right? Like we, this cannot be dry and boring. (47:00) Yeah, exactly. It's got to be a party when we arrive. Yeah. And a lot of these kids are (47:04) rappers and they know all sorts of the break dancing and everything else. So, all right. (47:10) Thank you so much, Doxie Bausch. You are amazing. Rock on. You're more amazing. Thanks, Jane. (47:18) So it's a vegan Netflix. Okay. That's the craziest thing I've ever heard. I love Unchained TV. (47:24) Unchained. Unchained TV. Your life will change. It's just that easy. (47:28) Unchained TV has all sorts of content for everybody. Unchained TV (47:32) changed my life. Unchained TV is crushing it. I love Unchained TV. Unchained TV is my go-to. (47:41) Unchained TV. Who knew? Unchained, baby, yo!
