Meatless Monday Gains Momentum
Meatless Monday is a weekly initiative that encourages Americans to scale back meat intake by eating vegetarian or vegan one day a week. Meatless Mondays are growing in popularity for a variety of reasons. Many people are choosing to go meatless once a week for health reasons, others for environmental reasons. Omnivores and flexitarians are seeking to reduce their meat consumption and introduce more vegetarian options into their diet. Even cities are jumping on the bandwagon, with Los Angeles formally endorsing a city-wide observance of Meatless Monday.
Many believe that Meatless Monday is a recent phenomenon, with its origins often traced back to 2003 when the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health launched the initiative. But the actual history of Meatless Mondays dates back to the days of World War I and, surprisingly, Herbert Hoover. In 1917, Herbert Hoover was a private citizen heading up a humanitarian relief effort in Belgium, when President Woodrow Wilson appointed him head of the wartime U.S. Food Administration office. In an effort to care for struggling Allies and nourish U.S. soldiers overseas, Hoover and the US Food Administration coined a slogan: Food Will Win the War to encourage Americans to do their part. The effect was overwhelming; more than 13 million families signed a pledge to observe the national Meatless Monday and Wheatless Wednesday conservation days. Restaurants and hotels participated as well. The volunteer effort paid off, resulting in a 15% reduction in home food consumption during a 12-month period between 1918-1919.
Though Wheatless Wednesday has fallen by the wayside, the modern day version of the Meatless Monday campaign supports health, nutrition, the environment and animal welfare. Monday is viewed as the day people are most likely to start new diets or give up bad habits, making it ideal for a health campaign.
No matter one’s reason for observing Meatless Monday, Hilary’s delicious veggie burgers, veggie bites, and salad dressings are a great option for Mondays or any other day of the week. In addition to being the perfect choice for Meatless Monday, Hilary’s products are gluten free, corn free, dairy free, egg free, soy free and nut free.
Lydia Butler is the President and Chief Financial Officer at Hilary's. She loves eating healthy and is passionate about caring for the environment.