USDA: Support Alternatives to Meat!
A newsletter originally posted on the USDA website read, "One way to reduce your environmental impact while dining at our cafeterias is to participate in the Meatless Monday initiative." After backlash from politicians and agricultural interest groups, the USDA retracted their recommendation, tweeting that the "Statement found on USDA website was posted w/o proper clearance."
The USDA's own food pyramid lists beans, peas, processed soy products, nuts and seeds as protein sources along with meats. The average U.S. diet is unimaginative and heavy on meats, to the detriment of human and environmental health. No one is forcing citizens to give up meat. The Meatless Mondays initiative or similar promotion of non-meat proteins would simply encourage people to be more imaginative in their eating choices and more conscious of how their diets affect their health and the world around them.
Please sign the petition to encourage the USDA to promote meat alternatives and put the health of citizens and the environment above political and financial interests.
To: United States Department of Agriculture
We, the undersigned, were encouraged by the Meatless Mondays endorsement posted on your website. Your decision to retract the recommendation after backlash from politicians and agricultural groups was a disappointment.
Your own food pyramid lists beans, peas, processed soy products, nuts and seeds as protein sources along with meats. The average U.S. diet is unimaginative and heavy on meats, to the detriment of human and environmental health. We believe that the Meatless Mondays initiative or similar promotion of non-meat proteins would encourage people to be more imaginative in their eating choices and more conscious of how their diets affect their health and the world around them.
We encourage you to promote meat alternatives and put the health of citizens and the environment above political and financial interests. Thank you for taking the time to read and consider our petition.
