Source: Rita Jane Gabbett, MEATINGPLACE, 6/15/16


While Meatless Monday supporters are busy trying spread the concept through schools, restaurants and other institutional food systems, Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) is busy trying to keep out of military cafeterias.  

Ernst is offering an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act in an effort to head off future attempts to expand Meatless Mondays within the military. The amendment would eliminate the current Meatless Monday program at the Coast Guard Academy and ensure that all military personnel have access to animal protein on a daily basis.

“The push for 'Meatless Mondays' in our military is misguided at best, and goes against dietary guidelines. Our men and women in uniform should have the option to consume the protein they need, including meat, on a daily basis,” Ernst said in a statement emailed to Meatingplace.

Meatless Monday is an old concept that was revived in 2003 by The Monday Campaigns, founded by Sid Lerner in association with Johns Hopkins University. The campaign now has programs in 23 countries and participation from thousands of restaurants, schools, worksites and communities. The Humane Society of the United States actively promotes the campaign.

Ernst served in the military for over 23 years before becoming the first female combat veteran elected to serve in the United State Senate. She is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

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