Frequently asked questions

By reducing your consumption of animal products – any day or days of the week – you can help slow climate change, protect the environment and live a healthier life. The campaign focuses around Mondays because this is often when people set positive intentions and get ‘back on track’ with a fresh start to the week. As Paul McCartney said: “A lot of people go to the gym on a Monday after a big weekend. With Meat Free Monday, it’s a bit like going to the gym, but with the added advantage of protecting the planet.”

Overwhelming scientific evidence points to the fact that we need to shift towards predominantly plant-based diets to help combat climate change. Meat Free Monday makes a positive difference and it’s a great start. Overall, the fewer animal products we eat, the better. Why not try out our impact calculator and work out the tangible impact of your meat free days?  

Despite the campaign name, Meat Free Monday encourages supporters to go fish free too. Industrialised fishing vessels with their football-pitch sized nets, or lines of hooks a mile long, trash coral reefs and ocean beds, kill and injure marine wildlife including dolphins, turtles and sea birds, and are pushing the oceans to the brink of environmental collapse.

Dairy products have a significant environmental impact. According to Milking the Planet, a 2020 report by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy in the US, the 13 biggest dairy companies in the world have the same combined greenhouse gas emissions as the whole of the UK! With supermarket shelves full of plant milks – soya, oat, almond, coconut, hemp, rice and tiger nut– plus more and more non-dairy alternatives to cheese, yoghurt, cream and ice-cream coming onto the market, it’s now easier than ever to enjoy plant-based Meat Free Mondays. And let’s not forget the animals. Andrea Arnold’s 2021 documentary ‘Cow’ provides a unique opportunity to look at life through the eyes of a dairy cow called Luma.

The production of eggs, like other intensive produce, generates negative effects on the environment, including greenhouse gas emissions and soil and water contamination. According to a 2018 study from the University of Oviedo in Spain, producing feed for egg-laying hens is also problematic. With so many egg-free alternatives available, including chickpea (gram) flour which can be used for batters and binding, flaxseed which can be mixed with water for baking, and aquafaba (the liquid found in cans of chickpeas) which can be used in place of egg white, it’s easy to skip eggs on Mondays. Why not whip up a delicious tofu scramble instead?

When it comes to converting nutrients into energy, animals are very inefficient. Only 5 to 25 per cent of the nutrients (depending on the animal) are converted into edible meat. The rest is spent on the animal’s metabolism and on building inedible nerve and bone tissue. The inefficiency is especially high for beef – in fact it can take up to 12 kg of grain to make 1 kg of beef. Around 60% of the world’s agricultural land is used for beef production, yet beef produces less than 5% of the world’s protein and less than 2% of its calories. As highlighted in Greenpeace’s film ‘Monster’, beef production is also directly responsible for Amazon deforestation. Paul McCartney said: “The world’s forests are truly irreplaceable. They’re home to Indigenous Peoples, amazing wildlife and are vital in our fight against the climate crisis. But these forests are being cleared at a shocking rate to farm more industrial meat and dairy. This is why reducing our meat is so important.”

A lot of people like the taste of meat but want to have a kinder footprint on the planet. With such a wide variety of plant-based products available – including veggie ‘mince’, ‘chicken’ nuggets, ‘ham’ and ‘turkey’ slices, roast ‘beef’, vegan ‘steaks’, veggie ‘haggis’, fishless fingers and more – we really can have our cake and eat it!

Going meat free one day a week is not a new concept … In the USA during World Wars 1 and 2, ‘Meatless Tuesday’ and ‘Wheatless Wednesday’ were introduced to encourage families to reduce their consumption of key foods and help the war effort. The idea was revived in 2003 by former ad man turned health advocate Sid Lerner who, in association with the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, introduced Meatless Monday as a public health campaign. The health benefits of skipping meat for one day a week were promoted in Australia too, but it was the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s 2006 Livestock’s Long Shadow report that began to open people’s eyes to the environmental impact of meat and dairy, and sparked the growth of a global movement.

The McCartney family has a long history of interest in sustainable food – from Paul’s organic spelt farm to the Linda McCartney vegetarian food range – but it was the UN’s 2006 report, Livestock’s Long Shadow, which really drew Paul’s attention to the importance of making more environmentally and socially conscious food choices. He and his daughters, Mary and Stella, launched the Meat Free Monday campaign in 2009.

From Belgium (Donderdag Veggiedag) to Brazil (Segunda Sem Carne), Hungary (Húsmentes Hétfő) to Hong Kong (Green Monday), individuals, schools, hospitals, businesses and restaurants all around the world are experiencing how easy and enjoyable it is to skip meat for at least one day a week – for their health and the health of the planet.

We get our facts and figures from published research and reports by scientists, doctors, environmentalists and reputed organisations.

Meat Free Monday is an effective way for schools to help their students become healthier, informed citizens who can contribute to a more sustainable future. It’s a ‘win-win’ – students eat healthily and learn about the global impact of their food choices and the school reduces its carbon emissions and provides an integrated, ‘whole school’ approach to global citizenship.

Many UK schools have a rotating three-week menu, with a meat option and a vegetarian option offered each day. Schools that take part in MFM simply make both options plant based on Mondays.

Meat Free Monday benefits both people and planet, so ideally it would be adopted long term as an ongoing initiative for the school. Schools which have participated in Meat Free Monday for some time find that it soon fits into the usual routine. Initially, we suggest that schools sign up for a full year so that students really understand the issues and get familiar with a wide range of plant-based food. The longer the project, the greater the impact! However, if your school wishes to trial Meat Free Monday for a shorter period, that would still be encouraged. We are confident that once a school sees how beneficial the initiative is to all involved, they will keep Mondays meat free. Check out our case study with Preston Manor All-Through Co-operative School which has been taking part for over 10 years!

Meat Free Monday in schools focuses on school hours only but we encourage staff members and students to remain meat free the whole day (or more) if they want to. We can help by providing lots of delicious meat free recipes as well as practical tips for meat free living.

Schools may wish to allow students to opt out of Meat Free Monday (by having a parent or guardian write to the school). Alternatively, schools may wish to treat Meat Free Monday the same way as other environmental or health policies in which everyone participates. For example, many schools have Healthy School Lunchbox policies whereby sugary drinks and sweets are not permitted. A whole school approach – implemented following proper consultation with students, parents, staff and governors – promotes consistent messages, clarity and an opportunity to make a real impact. Ultimately, it’s up to each school to agree its own position on this, though we are happy to advise.

We suggest that schools encourage students who bring packed lunches to go meat free, but currently in most schools the choice is theirs. Once students understand the reasons for having a meat free day, it is hoped that they will be excited and interested in the project and will choose to participate. The more people who take part, the bigger the impact!

Like non-vegetarian students, vegetarian and vegan students will have the opportunity to explore the reasons why reducing one’s meat consumption is good for the planet. And rather than having just one plant-based option, they will have a wider choice of plant-based foods not always available in school meals.

A weekly meat free day is a clear concept, easier to manage for caterers and promotes unity and the sharing of ideas. It also means that school communities really get to know a range of plant-based food selections which they might be less likely to if meat was still provided every day.

Yes, we encourage all members of the school community to take part – students, catering staff, teachers, site manager, and Headteacher. Not only does this set a good example to children and young people, but the greater number of participants, the greater the impact. Why not try out the impact calculator to work out your school’s potential impact?

Yes. Signing up to Meat Free Monday will give you the opportunity to network with other schools, share good practice, stay up to date with Meat Free Monday news and get recognition for the difference you are making.

A set of School Food Standards, with accompanying guidance, ‘A practical guide for schools their cooks and caterers’, was launched by the government in 2014 – and this included a recommendation for all school children to have a weekly meat-free day. More recently the government commissioned a National Food Strategy. Published in 2021, this called for the UK to eat 30% less meat, and included a recommendation for public canteens, including schools, to have one day a week dedicated to plant-based food: “If all public caterers moved to having even one meat-free day a week, this could reduce meat consumption by 9,000 tonnes a year, saving over 200,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.”

Download our Schools Pack. With lesson plans, case studies, recipes and a sample introduction letter which can be sent to parents and carers, the pack has everything you need in order to activate Meat Free Monday at your school! If you have any specific queries, please email [email protected].