Urge Your MP to End the Meat Mandate for Schools!

Did you know that it’s still mandatory for school caterers in England to serve meat (including fish) and dairy?

Urge your MP to write to the education secretary calling for the revision of the School Food Standards.

Outdated Health Standards

The regulations are incongruous with the government’s own nutritional advice to the public, the Eatwell Guide, which recommends that nutritional needs be met with animal-free protein sources such as beans, peas, lentils, and mycoprotein.

Mandatory servings of meat (including fish) and dairy – foods high in cholesterol and saturated fat – can contribute to obesity and other health problems, while a balanced diet of vegetables, fruit, whole grains, pulses, and sources of unsaturated plant-based fats can help children stay healthy.

Children Need Us to Protect the Climate

Children (and all of us) need a planet to live on. Since all animal agriculture generates vastly greater volumes of greenhouse gas than the production of plant-based equivalents does, requiring schools to serve animal-derived foods contributes to the climate catastrophe. When the United Nations, scientists worldwide, and the government’s own climate advisors are calling for a reduction in meat and dairy consumption, why are they still mandatory on school menus?

Major Public Support

PETA’s campaign to drop the meat mandate has been backed by Sir Paul McCartney and his family, award-winning teen vegan chef Omari McQueen, MPs including Caroline Lucas and Dame Diana Johnson DBE, over 40 English councillors, Greenpeace UK, Meat Free Monday, Upfield, Quorn, and others. It’s time the education secretary backed the campaign, too.

Help Give Children Healthier Meals

The Department for Education must change the outdated School Food Standards to remove obligatory servings of meat (including fish) and dairy. Do you live in England? Urge your MP to write to the education secretary, asking that she revise these rules now.

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Dear {contact_data~firstName} {contact_data~lastName}:

I hope you are well.

I am writing as your constituent to urge you to take action to help rectify the outdated regulations for school meals, which make it obligatory to serve animal-derived foods.

The school food standards in England currently state that schools must serve a portion of dairy daily, a portion of meat at least three times a week, and a portion of fish once every three weeks.

This misguided requirement impedes efforts to increase the consumption of fibre, fruit, and vegetables – which is vital in the effort to tackle childhood obesity. According to research published in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health, three-quarters of secondary school children fall short of eating the recommended five daily portions of fruit and vegetables.

Children need a planet to live on, but meat and dairy are damaging the environment. More than half of the greenhouse gas emissions from UK school meals are attributed to meat. An extensive study published in Nature Food shows that people in the UK can lower their carbon footprint from food by 75% by going vegan.

For years, the Department for Education has promised a revision to the school food standards but remains slow to act. At a time of climate destruction and childhood health crises, this inaction is unacceptable.

As my MP, will you take action on my behalf and write to the education secretary Gillian Keegan MP? Please urge her to update the school food guidelines to remove the mandatory servings of meat (including fish) and dairy. Making this simple policy revision is essential to allow schools and caterers the freedom to offer sustainable and healthy choices, while ensuring they can deliver varied menus that meet the needs of their students.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

{user_data~First Name} {user_data~Last Name}
{user_data~Address 1}
{user_data~City}
{user_data~Postcode}
{user_data~Email Address}

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