Eat Meat on Every Day, including Mondays!

October, 2012
Courtney Davis - Extension Agent I, Dairy/Water Quality, Okeechobee County Extension


When completing a search on Google for Meatless Monday, 505,000 results come up in .29 seconds. The first result is the website www.meatlessmonday.com. Which is a website dedicated to various articles talking about how you too can join the group and become a meatless Monday participate. The campaign aims to “reduce meat consumption by 15 percent to produce health and the health of our planet.” Although there are not many hard core facts that state why it is healthy or more sustainable for the environment. The website shows many different ways that you can join the campaign and convince others to join as well.

However, what is not one this website is any real benefits of going without meat. The campaign also states that eating meat is harmful to the environment without actually stating any facts of why. One of the biggest ploys that this website has a long list of celebrities that state that themselves and their families participate in meatless Monday. Which taunts viewers with “See our incredible roster of participants...” This is more of bandwagon propaganda that is used, instead of sound scientific based facts.

There are even people who work for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) who are trying to get others to jump on the Meatless Monday bandwagon. As evidence by the July 23, 2012 internal newsletter.

From the July 23, 2012 USDA Greening Headquarters Updates newsletter,

    “One simple way to reduce your environmental impact while dining at our cafeterias is to participate in the “Meatless Monday” initiative http://www.meatlessmonday.com/. This international effort, as the name implies, encourages people not to eat meat on Mondays. Meatless Monday is an initiative of The Monday Campaign Inc. in association with the John Hopkins School of Public Health.

    How will going meatless one day of the week help the environment? The production of meat, especially beef (and dairy as well), has a large environmental impact. According to the U.N., animal agriculture is a major source of greenhouse gases and climate change. It also wastes resources. It takes 7,000 kg of grain to make 1,000 kg of beef. In addition, beef production requires a lot of water, fertilizer, fossil fuels, and pesticides. In addition, there are many health concerns related to the excessive consumption of meat. While a vegetarian diet could have a beneficial impact on a person’s health and the environment, many people are not ready to make that commitment. Because Meatless Monday involves only one day a week, it is a small change that could produce big results. Did you notice that our cafeterias have tasty meatless options? So you can really help yourself and the environment while having a good vegetarian meal!”


USDA spokeswoman Cortney Rowe states that the department does not endorse “Meatless Mondays” and the agency has removed the posting after the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) denounced it. This statement from USDA was posted (tweeted), “USDA does not endorse Meatless Mondays. The statement was posted without proper clearance and it has been removed.” The USDA often promotes the beef industry by encouraging Americans to eat meat.

What does this mean for U.S. agriculturalists? That we need to do a better job of telling our story. That we, as American farmers and ranchers, are the premier stewards of the land and that American agriculture provides the safest, abundance of affordable food. American meat is one of the safest sources of nutrients needed to build healthy bodies. Research shows that the iron, zinc, and B vitamins found in beef play an essential role in brain development, healthy immune system and helping to provide a healthy, active lifestyle. Also, we need to make sure to tell the story that according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, raising livestock accounts for less than three percent of our country’s greenhouse gas emissions. U.S. ranchers produce 20 percent of the world’s beef with seven percent of the world’s cattle making the US beef industry one of the environmentally sustainable industries.

So the agricultural community needs to ban together to tell friends, neighbors, and especially new friends the benefits and the true story of agriculture. We need to not only be the best stewards of the land, but also the best public relations representative for agriculture. Let’s make it a goal to tell at least one person everyday that American agriculturists are the providers of the safest, abundance of affordable food and that is based on science based findings!

http://www.foodpolitics.com/wp-content/uploads/USDA-Newsletter.pdf


http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/07/26/usda-under-fire-for-backing-meatless-mondays-linking-ranching-to-climate-change/

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