The Climate law, the text of which was adopted on May 4 by the deputies, provides that, from 2023, in the canteens of schools and universities, a daily option will be offered vegetarian at mealtime. This is not an obligation but a voluntary action.
What the law says ?
Currently, a weekly vegetarian menu in school canteens is already offered. This has been set up as an experiment, since 1er November 2019 for a period of 2 years. The aim is to offer a collective catering which makes it possible to diversify protein sourceseven without meat or fish for those who wish.
But the state wants to go further and oblige canteens that already offer several options to include a vegetarian one. On the one hand, school canteens will have to compose a vegetarian menu at least once a week, on the other hand, voluntary communities will be able (this part is not compulsory) to experiment with a vegetarian menu. ©Getarian Daily.
Why these vegetarian menus?
Greenpeace and the Vegetarian Association of France recently published a survey concerning the experiments already in place. What has been observed is that most of the time (9 times out of 10) the vegetarian meal is less expensivethus allowing in certain cases to use better raw materials, of biological origin for example.
The vegetarian menu would allow something else: fight against food waste, notes the survey. Especially insofar as meat represents 50% of financial losses linked to waste. When the children do not want to eat meat, it is put aside. As it is calculated in quantity so that everyone can have access to it… a part is therefore lost. So, no meat, less waste. In addition, the survey revealed that 20% of people who eat in collective catering opt for a meal without meat or fish if they can.
From an ecological point of view, vegetarian meals are good for the environment. Greenpeace estimates that if all collective catering opted for a vegetarian dish every day, we would avoid the emission of around 1.35 million tonnes of CO2.
Sources: Greenpeace, Ministry of Ecological Transition.
Read also:
- Are vegetarian products (really) healthier?
- Senior: the vegetarian diet against obesity
