The Meatless Monday campaign marks its tenth anniversary this year. What started as a public health push, conceived by a Mad Men-era Madison Avenue ad man, has turned into a banner effort for animal rights groups, public school systems, food companies, restaurateurs and environmental groups that all have an interest in promoting healthier, meat-free meals.
"A suggested Meatless Monday poster for a Chinese campaign that reads: "It's good for you, good for us, good for the planet." Photo courtesy of Meatless Monday.">The campaign’s founder and chairman, Sid Lerner, says Meatless Monday has spread to 23 countries. And the Meatless Monday team has recently focused their attention on making inroads into China, where the population consumes about 71 million tons of meat a year.According to some estimates, the Chinese eat twice as much meat as Americans. The upward trend in carnivorous dining in China, for the most part, corresponds to economic growth. The country’s 1.35 billion residents now consume about a quarter of all meat produced globally.
