Vegetarianism in School Systems

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Sebastian Rowland, a member of the Penn Bioethics Society, reported on the first school system to ever participate in Meatless Mondays, a vegetarian day to reduce meat consumption. Baltimore County Public Schools made the change on September 21st, 2009 with the help of the Food and Nutrition Director, Anthony Geraci, who decided to make the change because he wanted the kids in the school district to be conscientious about meat consumption. He had also decided to make the change when the National Institute of Cancer had released a report saying that red meat is linked to cancer and cardiovascular disease.
In addition to endorsing vegetarianism, Geraci also encourages the school systems to buy only Maryland grown produce, use ovens instead of deep fryers and lean away from all pre-packaged foods. Their efforts to create a healthier, more sustainable kitchen created skewed opinions from the children. Some students were excited and eager but others were nervous and guarded about the changes but overall kids became more curious about the idea of vegetarian meals, so the goal of raising awareness was reached.
Rowland, S. (2010). Baltimore Schools Serve Healthier Food. Penn Bioethics Journal, 6(1), 3. Retrieved from https://www.vrg.org   


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