Launched in January by television news anchor Miki Haimovich, several hospitals across Israel have already signed up to MFM, which has won the support of the Israeli Dieticians Society and Israeli Cardiology Foundation.
Those agreeing to strike meat from the menu at the start of the week include Bnei Zion Medical Center in Haifa, Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv, and two hospitals in Jerusalem, Hadassah University Medical Center and Shaare Zedek Medical Center (whose MFM is on a Tuesday).
In the past fortnight Assaf Harofeh Medical Center in Tzrifin and Ichalov Medical Centre in Tel Aviv have also opted to provide patients and staff with healthy vegetarian food on a Monday – at a fraction of the cost of serving meat.
Offering her support for its health and holistic benefits, Dorit Adler, the chief clinical dietician of Hadassah University Medical Center, said: “The evidence-based research proves again and again that the [low-meat] Mediterranean diet lowers the risks of most of the modern diseases from obesity through diabetes, heart disease and even cognitive impairment. In this diet, red meat is at the top of the pyramid – meaning that the lowest the better.”
She added: “The carbon print of [producing] meat is a huge problem contributing to the deterioration of the globe to grow the food, even in the near future.”
As well as hospitals and health centres, more than a hundred restaurants in Israel now offer a Meat Free Monday, including the Café Café chain, while lunches in council-run nurseries in the cities of Petah Tikva dn Modi’inl are now also meat-free.
Visit Meat Free Monday Israel’s website and Facebook page