In July of 2012, the USDA endorsed Meatless Monday in its cafeteria, encouraging employees to forgo meat consumption one day a week for health and environmental reasons.
That didn't last very long.
The animal agriculture industry got wind of this and lambasted USDA for failing in its duty to American farmers. The the president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, called Meatless Monday an "animal rights extremist campaign," and USDA backed down in its support of Meatless Monday.
In this article, I look at the background of Meatless Monday, whether it is an "animal rights extremist campaign," and if not, whether the USDA's capitulation to the beef lobby in this instance is illustrative of the way the agency handles its duty to provide nutritional information to the American public.
I discuss Meatless Monday's development and promotion through the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health due to the considerable negative impact of animal product consumption on health and the environment. I further look at USDA's development of the U.S. Nutritional Guidelines and show that USDA's allegiance to the beef lobby significantly affects the nutritional information provided by the agency to the detriment of the American people.
Saturday, November 30, 2013
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