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Sarah Palin's Worst Nightmare?: A Day Without Meat

Submitted by Ian Mikusko on Fri, 02/11/2011 - 12:37
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"Beef, it's what's for dinner." So says an old Beef Industry Council ad from the 1990s. 

Not on Monday, my friends!  And not for lunch or breakfast either.  At least not for the people at The Monday Campaigns, a non-profit organization that provides weekly prompts for people to make healthier life choices.  Meatless Mondays is a The Monday Campaigns initiative that encourages people to go at least one day of the week without meat.  (And that day is....Friday.  Just kidding, it's Monday.) 
 
In addition to its list of the health benefits of going meatless, Meatless Mondays lists the environmental benefits of this more sustainable dietary choice: reduce fossil fuel dependence, minimize water usage and reduce your carbon footprint. 
 
Recently Sodexo--a multi-national company that provides food service at hundreds of universities across the US--announced that it has "launched the Meatless Monday initiative nationwide, by promoting and adding the option of a plant-based entree to its menus each week."  
 
This is a nice development for public health and sustainability advocates.  A thought echoed by Chris Elam, the program director for Meatless Monday in a piece in the Huffington Post.   
 
For all those vegetarians, vegans, and flexitarians out there, we’d like to see Sodexo go a lot further. When the company adds one option, how many options does that create for people who are forgoing meat, whether completely or just a few days a week?  We  know there are places where Sodexo does well in providing vegan and vegetarian entrees: it would be great if that were the standard.
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Flexitarian??

Submitted by Kyle Schafer on Thu, 01/14/2010 - 13:12
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A few months ago, I was sitting in my office with coworkers joking about the term “flexitarian,” which apparently is a term for people who are vegetarian… part-time. In other words, it is for people who eat meat, just not at every single meal. As the resident vegan in the office, it seemed especially hard to take the concept seriously. I figured if any term was necessary, standards like “omnivore” or “healthy” might suffice.

 
But I guess the term caught on. Compass Group this week announced a new “Be a Flexitarian” initiative. The plan is to provide more meat-free options in its cafeterias (on campuses and elsewhere). Whatever you think of the term flexitarian, Compass’s program is not such a bad idea.
 
Compass worked with the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) on the program. The HSUS president said in a press release, “It doesn’t take an all-or-nothing approach to make a major impact, and giving customers more meat-free meal choices will improve health, reduce the impact of global warming and help animals.” 
 
It makes sense. Though I choose to take the step of removing all animal products from my diet, I know not everyone will do the same. If the program truly reduces the meat consumption in the cafeterias of one of the world’s largest food service providers, I’m all for it.
 
Of course, we have to see what it means on the ground.  If all it means are posters about “flexitarianism” plastered around dining halls, I suspect we won’t see a big drop in hamburger consumption on campus.  And as someone who has struggled to eat vegan meals in far too many college cafeterias across the country, even ones that claim to be friendly to restricted diets, I know that “expanded options” may not translate into satisfactory meals.  Compass has the right intentions, but they have their work cut out for them.
 
 

 

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