Los Angeles Public Schools Go Meat-Free on Mondays

Los Angeles Public Schools Introduce Meatless Mondays

This past November, we worked with the Los Angeles City Council on a “Meatless Monday” resolution encouraging residents to choose meat-free foods at least once a week. Now we have more exciting news to share.

While L.A.’s Meatless Monday resolution made the rounds in local and national news raising awareness about the many benefits of choosing meat-free foods, the Los Angeles Unified School District was developing an implementation plan.

According to an article in yesterday’s Los Angeles Times, last month L.A. Unified, the nation’s second-largest school district, kicked off a Meatless Monday menu for all of its cafeterias. Now, every Monday, the district serves an estimated 650,000 meat-free meals to students.

This means that rather than cholesterol-laden fried chicken, sausage pizza and other meaty options, students can reach for veg meals like southwestern rice and beans bowl, Italian calzone, meat-free lasagna and other healthier, more humane options. Introducing young kids to the variety and flavors of vegetarian foods raises their awareness about nutrition, health concerns like childhood obesity, global warming, and the inhumane treatment of animals raised for food.

Learn more about how you can help bring Meatless Mondays to your community, from getting a resolution passed, talking with your school, or encouraging restaurants to participate.  You can also discover more ways to get active for animals by signing up for our weekly eNewsletter.