In 1933, there was the New Deal. Nearly a century later, in 2019, came the Green New Deal. Now, in 2025, Massachusetts has the Bean New Deal. Yes, you read that correctly. Filed earlier this year by Senator Cynthia Stone Creem of Newton, MA, Bill S.922, nicknamed the Bean New Deal, shares one key goal with its predecessors: to make people’s lives better.
If passed, the bill would require all state-run dining halls, cafeterias, and canteens in Massachusetts to offer at least one healthy, sustainable, plant-based protein option with every meal.
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The proposal, which is currently moving through committee hearings, also includes a range of other measures aimed at expanding education and access to plant-based foods.
For example, it would require culinary arts programs to teach about plant-based proteins, direct the Massachusetts Food Trust Program and the Department of Elder Affairs to make them more widely available, and instruct the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to promote them in school meal programs through training, resources, and grant priorities.
Massachusetts joins a growing plant-based movement
According to the bill summary, the goal is to help “more people understand the climate, health, and environmental benefits of diets that involve plant-based protein sources.”
Research backs that up. Studies show that choosing whole-food, plant-based proteins over animal sources like red and processed meat can lower emissions and reduce the risk of chronic diseases, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer.
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There’s also a cost angle. Plant-based whole foods tend to be more affordable, while meat is becoming increasingly expensive. Earlier this year, data from the Pew Research Center confirmed that meat, poultry, fish, and eggs have seen the highest inflation of any food category since January 2020.
“Research shows plant-based meals can be up to 30 percent cheaper to produce than meat-based ones, generating meaningful savings for schools, senior nutrition programs and state-run facilities,” Preyel Patel, Massachusetts state director for the Humane World for Animals, told Telegram & Gazette.
Massachusetts isn’t alone in this push. Earlier this month, the New York City Health Department unveiled updated food standards that expand access to plant-based whole foods and eliminate processed meats from 11 city agencies, affecting schools, hospitals, senior centers, and shelters.
“If we are to bend the curve on heart disease, diabetes, and diet-related chronic conditions, we need to harness the power of government food policy to put healthy food within reach for everyone,” Anupama Joshi, Vice President of Programs with the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said about the new standards.
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Charlotte is a VegNews editor and writer based in sunny Southsea on England's southern coast.
