The city council of Los Angeles unanimously voted to declare all Monday’s in the city as “Meatless Mondays,” according to an NBC News report.
The non-profit initiative of Meatless Mondays started in 2003, and is associated with John Hopkins University’s public health school. The goal is to cut down on meat consumption for health and environmental reasons. So far, Los Angeles is the largest city to support the campaign, the report stated.
Councilwoman Jan Perry introduced the motion along with Councilman Ed Reyes, noting not only the environmental impacts of meat production, but also the fact that high meat diets have been linked to health problems, including colon, prostate, kidney and breast cancers, along with heart disease, the NBC report stated.
“Eating less meat can prevent and even reverse some of our nation’s most common illnesses,” Perry said in the report. “We’ve become disconnected in some ways from the simple truth that our heath is directly affected by the foods we eat.”
The council resolution noted the link between livestock and environmental problems, and statistics showing more than half of Los Angeles County residents are overweight. They stated reduced meat consumption an lower health risks and “lower our carbon footprint,” according to the report.
The decision was made “in support of comprehensive sustainability efforts as well as to further encourage residents to eat a more varied plant-based diet to protect their health, protect animals and protect the environment,” the report stated.