Meatless Monday: a Win-Win Proposition

Home , Meatless Monday, Morningstar Farms, Tofurky

Meatless Monday: A Win-Win Proposition

Implementing Meatless Monday at your school can help meet the demand for healthier meals, demonstrate the school’s commitment to sustainability, and spare animals from factory farms. In this toolkit you’ll learn why Meatless Monday is sweeping the nation, what to serve, and how to implement and market the program.

The Business Case for Meatless Mondays

Meet Student Demand for More Meat-Free Options and Save Money Consumers, particularly young people, are looking for more meat-free options than ever before.

“According to recent USDA projections, the country will see a sharp drop in meat consumption this year. Americans are expected to eat 12 percent less meat and poultry than they ate five years ago. More people, especially those over 65 and those under 30, are eating less and less meat and searching for high protein items to replace meat.” –USA Today, March 2012

Save Money Meat prices are expected to continue rising. Reducing meat purchases by increasing meat-free fare can help save your dining operation money. Affordable favorites like three-bean chili and black bean burritos make hearty, protein-rich replacements for meat-based dishes.

“[Meatless Monday] not only helps reduce cost, it helps raise awareness to what it does globally for our planet by not consuming meat, even if it is only for one day [a week].” —Sadie Roy, Food Service Director of Simpson University in Redding, Calif.

For Student Health, Sustainability, and Animal Welfare

Student Health Diets rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, and nuts are consistently linked to lower obesity rates, blood cholesterol levels, and blood pressure. As a recent Harvard study concluded, “red meat consumption is associated with an increased risk of total, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality” due to meat’s often high fat and cholesterol content. Researchers found that those who replaced meat with plant-based proteins decreased their chance of mortality up to 11 percent.

“In recent decades our meat consumption has increased dramatically— and along with it, our waistlines, blood pressure, and cholesterol. Going meat-free one day each week may reduce saturated fat intake and thus lower the risk of these chronic diseases. Schools should be a part of the solution and not the problem.” —Miguel Villarreal, director of child nutrition services for Novato Unified School District Sustainability Animal agriculture has been implicated by the United Nations as one of the top contributors to global environmental problems, due to its vast use of water, land, and fossil fuels and high carbon dioxide and methane emissions. Prominent environmental organizations like the Sierra Club, Environmental Defense Fund, and Natural Resources Defense Council advocate for reduced meat consumption. According to Environmental Defense Fund, “If every American skipped one meal of chicken per week and substituted vegetables and grains…the carbon dioxide savings would be the same as taking more than half a million cars off of U.S. roads.”

“If Americans reduced meat consumption by just 20 percent, it would be as though we all switched from a sedan to a hybrid.” —The Sierra Club

Animal Welfare The majority of the meat, milk, and eggs produced in the U.S. come from animals intensively confined in in factory farms, their lives bearing no resemblance to the way most of us envision farm life. By increasing and highlighting meat-free options even just one day a week, your schools can help spare animals from factory farms. How to Implement Meatless Monday

Create Delicious Meat-Free Fare • Make meat-free versions of classic, popular dishes, like three bean chili, veggie burgers, tofu stir-fry, black bean burritos, and vegetable lasagna. o Email us your address and we’ll send you a free copy of Vegan in Volume, which contains over 125 bulk quantity vegan recipes, made for cafeterias and created by a registered dietitian. o Download VegAdvantage’s 106 Recipes for Vegan Dining Options. • Go international: Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Mexican, Thai, and Italian foods are often meat- free, or can easily be made meat-free. • Mix up the menu with meat-free alternatives to popular meat entrees, including veggie hot dogs and meat-free chicken nuggets, patties, and meatballs. Some of the most popular are Tofurky, Gardein, and Beyond Meat.

Get the recipe for this twenty-minute chili at humanesociety.org/recipes. Implementation: Do What Works for You

Meatless Monday isn’t a one-size-fits-all program: Because every school is unique, with its own demographic, cafeteria, geography, and traditions, it’s important to implement a Meatless Monday program that will work for your district and students.

Many schools participate in Meatless Monday by making all their options meat-free on Mondays, but the program is flexible, and it’s important to start in a way that will work best for your school. Try simply highlighting the vegetarian options at your retail and àla carte stations (more information about this is in the “Promotion” section of this toolkit), or adding new meat-free options on Mondays, for example.

Vegetarian or Vegan?

While “meat-free” and “meatless” suggest vegetarian, we recommend entirely plant-based dishes for several reasons:

1. Everyone can eat vegan food! If food is vegetarian but contains dairy or eggs, students with allergies, religious adherences, or other dietary restrictions won’t be able to participate in the program.

2. Eggs and milk products are often high in fat and cholesterol, and removing them can make your meat-free options even healthier.

The "Meatless Monday" lunch menu at the Academy of Global Citizenship in Chicago includes minestrone soup, veggie wrap, garden salad, steamed barley, and fresh fruit. | Photo by J. Geil Marketing Meatless Monday

A student at the Academy of Global Citizenship in Chicago enjoys a Meatless Monday lunch. | Photo by J. Geil

There are endless options for promoting Meatless Monday. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Send a news release, like this one, to the local newspaper. We can work with your team to develop and distribute one. • Use the Meatless Monday posters and logos to raise awareness in cafeterias. Put up point-of- sale signs promoting Meatless Monday, add logos to the menus, and display posters in the cafeteria. • Social media: Use your school’s social networks (Twitter, Facebook) to post weekly or regular reminders about Meatless Monday. Check out these examples for ideas. • Put information about Meatless Monday on the child nutrition services website, using our sample web text. • Send a memo to parents and faculty about the program to help explain the reasons you’re • Participating, using our samples. • Promote the program to faculty and staff as an effort to enhance adult health and nutrition and to encourage them to model healthier habits to students. Contact us for copies of the Guide to Meat Free Meals to place in the teacher’s lounge and other common areas for school staff. • Host a Meatless Monday kickoff event. Check out these ideas, and this sample invitation. Sample letter to parents

[School Logo] [Date]

Dear Parents:

It’s with great excitement that I announce that [name of school] will be taking part in a new program to improve student health and environmental sustainability. This important campaign, called Meatless Monday, will begin on [when]. I want to take this opportunity to tell you more about Meatless Monday, so you can talk to your child about it and hopefully embrace this important concept at home. You will also find an attached guide with links to multiple resources you might find helpful, as well as an invitation to a launch event.

The mission of our Meatless Monday program is to promote healthier, more sustainable, and compassionate choices by eating meat-free foods just one day a week. It’s one of the easiest and more effective ways of getting people, especially children, interested in the numerous benefits associated with eating healthy meat-free meals. It’s our goal that our students and larger community understand the great impact they can have by making one small change, one day a week.

Meatless Monday was started by the U.S. government as a resource-saving measure during World Wars I and II. In 2003, it was revived by The Monday Campaigns in association with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to reduce meat consumption by 15 percent for our personal health and the health of the planet. Schools, universities, hospitals, and restaurants across the country are getting on board. We are proud to become part of this growing list.

It will come as no surprise to most of you that our nation is facing a rash of public health issues— many of them largely preventable through lifestyle changes. One of the most pressing is the childhood obesity epidemic. According to the American Heart Association, one in three children, ages 2-19, are overweight or obese, and one in six children, ages 2-19, are obese. One of the leading causes of obesity is an unhealthy diet high in cholesterol and saturated fats. Obesity leads to other serious health problems including heart disease and diabetes, and obese children typically become obese adults. Scientific studies show that reducing meat (which can be high in both cholesterol and saturated fats) in your diet and eating more fruits and vegetables is better for your health and a key way of fighting obesity and preventing heart disease and cancer.

By choosing to serve meat-free meals on Monday, we can play a role in putting students at a lower risk of various nutrition-related health problems, while also helping our planet and animals.

Eating is something we do every day—three times a day if we’re fortunate. We take our responsibility to teach our children about the healthy food options available seriously, in order to help them make more informed decisions. We’re grateful for your support of this program.

Sincerely,

[Name]

Sample letter to faculty

[School Logo] [Date]

Dear Faculty:

It’s with great excitement I announce a new initiative [name of school] will be implementing, aimed at improving student health and environmental sustainability. This important campaign, called Meatless Monday, will begin on [when]. I want to take this opportunity to tell you more about Meatless Monday so you can consider embracing this important concept in the classroom and at home.

The mission of our Meatless Monday program is to promote healthier, more sustainable, and compassionate choices by going meat-free one day a week (the equivalent of about twenty percent). It’s one of the easiest and more effective ways of getting people, especially children, interested in the numerous benefits associated with eating healthier plant-based meals. It’s our goal that our students and community at large (that includes all faculty and parents) understand the great impact they can have by making one small change, one day a week.

It will come as no surprise to most of you that our nation is facing a rash of public health issues— many of them largely preventable through simple lifestyle changes. One of the most pressing is the childhood obesity epidemic. According to the American Heart Association, one in three children between the ages of 2-19 is overweight or obese, and one in six children between the ages of 2-19 is obese. A leading cause of obesity is an unhealthy diet high in cholesterol and saturated fats. Obesity leads to other serious health problems, including heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, and obese children typically become obese adults. Scientific studies show that reducing meat in your diet and eating more fruits and vegetables is a key way of fighting obesity and preventing heart disease and cancer.

By choosing to eat meat-free meals one day a week, you’re putting yourself and your children at a lower risk of various nutrition-related health problems, and you’re also helping to protect our planet and the animals used in our food system.

Eating is something we do every day—three times a day if we’re fortunate. It’s our responsibility as teachers and parents to teach our children about the healthy food options available to them in order to help them make more informed decisions.

Sincerely,

[Name] Sample text for web site

Starting on [date], the [name of school district] is joining the international Meatless Monday public health initiative. We hope the information below will answer any questions you might have, and we invite you to join us by engaging in Meatless Monday at home.

What is Meatless Monday?

The mission of our Meatless Monday program is to promote healthier, more sustainable, and compassionate choices by going meat-free one day a week. It’s one of the easiest and more effective ways of getting people, especially children, interested in the numerous benefits associated with eating healthier plant-based meals. The benefits will improve our community and the planet and animals as well. It’s our goal that our students and community at large (including faculty and parents) understand the great impact they can have by making one small change, one day a week.

Meatless Monday was started by the U.S. government as a resource-saving measure during World Wars I and II. In 2003, it was revived by The Monday Campaigns in association with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to reduce meat consumption by 15 percent for our personal health and the health of the planet. Celebrities from Oprah Winfrey to Paul McCartney are participating. K-12 schools, universities, hospitals, and restaurants across the country are getting on board. We are proud to become part of this growing list.

Why Meatless Monday?

For our Health Diets rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, and nuts are consistently linked to lower obesity rates, blood cholesterol levels, and blood pressure. As a recent H arvard study concluded, “red meat consumption is associated with an increased risk of total, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality” due to meat’s high fat and cholesterol content. Researchers found that those who replaced meat with plant- based proteins decreased their chance of mortality up to 11 percent.

Meat is often heavy in cholesterol and saturated fats, unlike most meat-free foods. Compare the protein content on a package of veggie dogs and a package of hot dogs, and you’ll see that plant-based products usually have the same—or even more—protein than their animal-based counterparts and little or no saturated fat and cholesterol. Saturated fat and cholesterol are associated with preventable chronic diseases like heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, and obesity. Going meat-free once a week can reduce saturated fat intake and lower the risk of these serious health issues.

For the Planet Animal agriculture has been implicated by the United Nations as one of the top contributors to global environmental problems, due to its vast use of water, land, and fossil fuels and high carbon dioxide and methane emissions. Prominent environmental organizations like the Sierra

Club, Environmental Defense Fund, and Natural Resources Defense Council advocate for reduced meat consumption. According to Environmental Defense Fund, “If every American skipped one meal of chicken per week and substituted vegetables and grains…the carbon dioxide savings would be the same as taking more than half a million cars off of U.S. roads.”

The Sierra Club said, “If Americans reduced meat consumption by just 20 percent, it would be as though we all switched from a sedan to a hybrid.”

For Animals The majority of the meat, milk, and eggs produced in the U.S. come from animals intensively confined in in factory farms, their lives bearing no resemblance to the way most of us envision farm life. By increasing and highlighting meat-free options even just one day a week, our schools can help spare animals from factory farms.

For Education Healthy bodies help create healthy minds, and what kids eat in school cafeterias has far-reaching effects. Meatless Monday provides students with the opportunity to learn about new nutritious foods and exposes them to legumes and other vegetarian protein sources with which they may be unfamiliar.

1 Why Monday?

For most Americans the week begins on Monday. On Monday we move from the freedom of the weekend back to the structure of work or school. We set our intentions for the next six days. We plan ahead and evaluate progress.

From an early age we internalize this rhythm. And studies suggest we are more likely to maintain the behaviors begun on Monday throughout the week. That makes Monday the perfect day to make a change for your health and the health of our planet.

Monday is the call to action built in to every calendar each week. And if this Monday passes you by, next week is another chance to go meat-free!

What can we do at home? Try Meatless Monday at home. Cook with your family on Mondays to acquaint kids with new healthy foods. Visit humanesociety.org/meatfree for recipes and more information on meat-free eating and Fruits and Veggies More Matters for ideas for getting kids involved at home.

What can we do at school? Visit this page for resources and activities.

1 Available at meatlessmonday.com/why-monday/ Sample news release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

[School district name] Kicks off Healthy Eating Program: Meatless Monday

School system brings meat-free options to community

City, State (Date) — [School district name] is the latest school district to join the international Meatless Monday movement. [School district name] will participate in Meatless Monday by offering exclusively meat-free meals in its cafeterias every Monday and educating students about the health benefits of eating more plant-based meals.

“At [School district name], we believe that healthy eating helps to create healthy minds,” said [name, title]. “We’re participating in Meatless Monday to introduce our students to the wide variety of nutritious, delicious meat-free foods available and to encourage healthier eating habits.”

“Choosing meat-free options just one day a week helps spare animals from factory farms, benefits our environment, and improves our health,” said Kristie Middleton, food policy manager at The Humane Society of the United States. “We’re pleased that [school district name] is the latest district to show that being healthy can also be delicious.”

Facts • Meatless Monday raises awareness about the animal welfare, environmental, and public health impacts of industrial meat production. • According to Environmental Defense Fund, “If every American skipped one meal of chicken per week and substituted vegetables and grains…the carbon dioxide savings would be the same as taking more than half a million cars off of U.S. roads.” • Polls show that 50 percent of Americans are aware of Meatless Monday and that roughly one in five are participating in it. • Public figures, celebrities, and athletes—including President Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres, Russell Simmons, Russell Brand, Carl Lewis, Mike Tyson, Tony Gonzalez, and Arian Foster—have recently touted the advantages of eating less meat.

-30-

Media Contact: [name, email, phone number]

Marketing materials

Meatless Monday Posters

Contact us for copies of the poster images or download higher resolution images and a brochure. You can also download posters and logos from The Monday Campaigns here.

Meatless Monday Model Tweets and Facebook Posts

Tweets • Mondays just got better! It’s #MeatlessMonday. Check out our Asian noodle stir fry, a delicious way to get your veggies. • Why #MeatlessMonday? Animals, the environment, your health. • It’s that time of week! #MeatlessMonday. What will you eat? • Have you tried #MeatlessMonday? Share your food pics and tag #MeatlessMonday. • Who else is doing #MeatlessMonday? Watch this short video and find out! http://youtu.be/tpziz8cJMaI

Facebook posts • What’s #MeatlessMonday? (post image, top right) • Have you tried #MeatlessMonday? What’s your favorite meat-free meal? • We love #MeatlessMonday because of the food. What’s your reason? (post image, middle right) • Who else is going meat-free on Mondays? Watch this fun video to find out: http://youtu.be/tpziz8cJMaI • It’s #MeatlessMonday. What will you have for lunch today? (post image, bottom right)

Email [email protected] to sign up for weekly Meatless Monday social media ideas.

Assembly/Launch Event Ideas

Holding an assembly or launch event is a great way to show students that the entire community— parents, other students, and faculty—are all excited about Meatless Monday. We can send a representative from The Humane Society of the United States to the kickoff event. This can be a simple morning assembly or more of a community fair if done on the weekend. Student groups, faculty, parents, and teachers can coordinate to make the event a success. Some ideas follow.

• The event could include a presentation by an HSUS representative, a local chef, and/or a teacher about Meatless Monday.

• Schools have hosted food samplings at kickoff events to acquaint students to new meat- free foods.

• Rent costumed mascots like giant carrots or peas, or a cow, pig, or chicken to greet students.

• Host a poster-making contest and announce the winner at the kickoff.

o The posters can address the three pillars on which Meatless Monday focuses: health, sustainability, and animal welfare.

o The posters can be hung in the cafeteria to remind students of why they’re doing Meatless Monday. Sample Kickoff Party Invitation Text

Get excited, because you’re invited!

Learn more about how you can help: Your health, the planet, and animals!

School Address

February 1, 2014, 1 p.m.

Interesting speakers Delicious food Games Contests Prizes and more CN Labeled Meat-Free Foods

Advance Pierre 9990 Princeton Rd. Cincinnati, OH 45246 Phone 513-874-8741 Contact web site

• Veggie Pattie with Teriyaki Sauce • Veggie Rib Pattie with Honey BBQ • Veggie Rib Pattie with BBQ Sauce • Veggie Pattie with Teriyaki Sauce

VeggieLand Food Service 222 New Road Parsippany, NJ 07054 Phone 973-808-1540 Email [email protected]

• California Burger • Garden Broiler • Garden Variety Burger • Peppadew Burger • Portabella Veggiburger • Spicy Black Bean Patty • Black Bean & Salsa Burger • Veggiballs • Just-like-chicken Patties • Just-Like-Chicken Nuggets • Meatless Breakfast Sausage

Truitt Bros. Truitt Bros., Inc. P.O. Box 309 Salem, OR 97308-0309 Phone: 503-362-3674 Contact web site

• Vegetarian Chili Morningstar Farms Kellogg's Food Away From Home 27199 State Highway 56 Brownsdale, MN 55918 Phone: 1-877-511-5777 Contact web site

• Veggie Breakfast Sausage Patties • Classic Hamburger • Garden Chik Tenders • Spicy Black Bean Burger

MCI Foods/Los Cabos Foods M.C.I. Foods, INC. 13013 Molette St. Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670 Phone: 1-800-704-4661 Contact web site

• Bean Burrito

The J.M. Smucker Company 1 Strawberry Lane Orrville, Ohio 44667-0280 www.smuckerfoodservice.com

• Peanut Butter and Grape Jelly Sandwich on Whole Wheat • Peanut Butter and Strawberry Jam Sandwich on Whole Wheat Bread • Peanut Butter and Grape Jelly with Soy Protein on White Bread

American Bean Company 100 McGraw Drive Edison, NJ 1-800-854-2449 x123

• Black Bean Burger (2 oz.) • Black Bean Burger (1.5 oz.) • Falafel

Beyond Meat P.O. Box 2204 Manhattan Beach, CA 90267 1-866-756-4112 [email protected]

• Lightly-Seasoned Chicken-Free Strips • Beef-Free Crumble • Chicken-Free Strips

JTM Food Group 200 Sales Ave. Harrison, OH 45030 1-800-626-2308

• Chili Verde • Vegetarian Spaghetti Sauce (high in protein) • Vegetable Soup

Asian Food Solutions, Inc. 2572 W. State Rd. Ste. 216 Oviedo, FL 32765 Contact form

• Vegetable Egg Roll • Vegetable Chow Mein w/Teriyaki Sauce

Mrs. T’s 600 East Center St. P.O. Box 606 Shenandoah, PA 17976-0606 [email protected] 570-462-2745

• Potato and Onion Pierogies