France Encourages Plant-Based Options To Curb Meat-Heavy Diet

6 July 2021

While Traditional French cuisine is abundant with bizarre meat-based options, such as oysters and snails. There has been a rising population of youth who have been adopting a plant-based diet. French leaders have urged the younger population to lessen their meat intake. Government policies emphasize the meat will not be served for at least one day a week in schools, while vegetarian options will be standardized in public catering, and chefs will receive training to make healthy and delicious plant-based meals, so more people can willingly switch to plant-based options.

Earlier in February 2021, the government had removed meat from school menus in the light of the rising threat of the coronavirus pandemic. While there was a dissent among the traditionalists who favoured French cuisine, the decision was welcomed by many youths who had been more aware of the impacts of meat on global climate change. Average meat consumption dropped by 12% between 2007 to 2016, this has been a consistent trend since the outbreak of zoonotic diseases: Mad Cows Disease in 1990s and Bird flu in the 2000s.

The proposed Climate and Resilience bill dictates a compulsory plant-based menu a week in all schools along with one daily vegetarian choice in all state-run canteens, including government establishments and universities, requiring training for canteen staff to cook high-quality vegetarian meals.

The reformative leadership has ensured that sustainability is ensured through small gradually enforced actions over a period of time. While veganism is not discussed yet, the nationwide introduction of plant-based options through policy framework is still a big change, one that all countries must follow as an example.