Julie Knopp
More and more cafeterias are going meatless on Mondays. Here's why the initiative may be a great choice for your community, too.
Nearly 50 million children will attend U.S. public schools this fall. At lunchtime, many students will sit down to a tray of foods linked to disease and premature death. As more parents and community members raise concerns about what cafeterias are feeding children, thousands of schools across the nation are opting for Meatless Monday as a strategy to improve health outcomes for students. By serving more plant-based meals, schools can have a positive impact on community health, animals, and the environment.
What is Meatless Monday?
Meatless Monday is a global movement to increase plant-based dining options at schools, hospitals, and other institutions. Eating more fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes in place of animal products like meat and dairy offers a variety of benefits for us as individuals, and for our food system as a whole. Serving plant-based meals in cafeterias can affect change on a large scale, while introducing communities to how creative, diverse, and delicious healthy meals can be.
Why are schools participating in Meatless Monday?
Many schools introduce Meatless Mondays so that their students can benefit from more plant-based foods that enhance their health and wellbeing. But the benefits don't stop there— plant-based foods prove beneficial for the environment, social equity, and animals as well.
Healthier choices
Nutrition can make or break health outcomes for school-age children. A lack of healthy, nutrient-rich foods doesn't just stunt a child's growth and development in the short-term, but also predisposes them to long-term health problems like cardiovascular disease and osteoperosis. Plant-based eating can play a pivotal role in reducing the risk of disease in children. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, people who eat a plant-based diet are less likely to develop heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure, than those who eat animal products. Even those who simply reduce their consumption of animal products can see improved health outcomes. Going meatless just one day a week can help support healthier lifestyles for kids.
Better for the planet
Consuming more plant-based meals benefits more than student health—it can also protect children from a changing climate and contribute to a more sustainable future. Using animals for food is a leading contributor to climate change, pollution, deforestation, and other environmental concerns. Producing plant-based foods requires fewer resources, like land, water, and fuel, which means less strain on our planet. According to a recent study, if everyone in the US participated in Meatless Monday, greenhouse gas emissions would decrease by 22 percent. More Meatless Mondays would slow the threat of climate change and reduce other threats to the environment.
Towards a better future for all
To meet the current demand for animal products, animals raised for food suffer crowded, dirty, and miserable living conditions. These very conditions notoriously breed disease, and have led to global disease outbreaks, including H1N1 and H5N1. Plant-based eating can reduce animal suffering and limit the conditions that cause pandemics.
Former New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio, who introduced Meatless Mondays in the city's public schools, summarized the benefits well: "Cutting back a little on meat will help make our city healthier and our planet stronger for generations to come."
What school districts have tried Meatless Monday?
Baltimore
The Baltimore School District was the first district in the country to implement Meatless Mondays in 2009. The district adopted meat-free meals after learning that healthcare leaders and animal welfare advocates around the world were beginning to tout the benefits of plant-based eating. Today, the district continues to offer Meatless Mondays to 80,000 students each week.
Los Angeles
In 2012, the Los Angeles City Council issued a resolution encouraging all residents to eat more plant-based foods for the planet, their health and animals. During the same year, the LA School District—the second largest in the nation—implemented Meatless Mondays. Today, the district continues to serve meat-free meals to 650,000 students each week.
New York City
In 2019, New York City—the largest school district in the country—committed to Meatless Mondays in all of its 1,800 schools. More than one million students who attend New York City Public Schools are now enjoying free vegetarian meals—from stuffed shells to peanut butter and jelly—one day per week.
Other Plant-Based Commitments
Meatless Monday is just one strategy for increasing plant-based foods in cafeterias. The Philadelphia School District has adopted "Lean and Green" Days to promote plant-based eating. At Richfield School District in Minnesota, food service leadership has committed to 20% plant-based foods by 2024. These alternatives may not signify a particular meatless day each week, but their commitments offer the same benefits to students, to animals, and to our environment.
How can I bring Meatless Mondays to my school?
Introducing Meatless Mondays for thousands of students can be as simple as having a conversation with the food service management at your school. For the best chances of success, follow these steps:
- Team up. Find other people in your network who value plant-based options.
- Research your food service. Learn more about how your cafeteria operates, what’s going well, and where there might be opportunity to add plant-based options.
- Arrange a meeting. Set up a time to meet with your food service leadership to share your suggestion.
- Prepare your talking points. Be ready to share why you believe more plant-based options will benefit the school community and consider making a specific request (ex: Meatless Mondays).
- Meet with leadership. Share your most compelling arguments and provide print resources to guide next steps. Check out these helpful recipes and case studies from Meatless Monday.
- Follow up. Send a thank you note and recap the next steps you discussed at the meeting. A few weeks later, circle back to check-in on progress and see if there’s any additional support you can provide.
To learn more about how you can take action, check out the School Lunch Toolkit for Change, which includes resources from several leading environmental and public health advocacy organizations.
If you're successful, your request could generate countless plant-based entrées to benefit students and the community. If you're met with resistance or if your school board refuses to listen, don't be discouraged—you've planted a seed that could lead to change in the future.
Why Your Voice Matters
Calling on public institutions to change their practices is one of the most powerful things we can do to create healthier communities, a more compassionate world for animals, and a sustainable future. Parents, students, and community members are all critical stakeholders in public schools. By bringing the benefits of Meatless Monday to the attention of your school leadership, your suggestion has the potential to transform thousands—or even millions—of meals to benefit the community.
