LE PECQ, France (AP) – By taking meat off the menu in school cafeterias, the mayor ecologist of one of France’s most famous gastronomic cities has sparked a storm of protests and debates as the country increasingly questions the environmental costs of his diet rich habits.
Lyon’s children, who regularly received options like beef and chicken with rich sauces, found that their meat option was missing this week when they returned from school holidays. In its place: a four-course meatless meal that Lyon City Hall says will be quicker and easier to serve for children who, because of the coronavirus pandemic, must be kept separate during lunch to prevent infection.
The city insists that meatless meals are temporary and that school canteens will again offer meat options when the rules of social distance are relaxed and children have more time to think about their food and eating choices.
And meatless menus still contain animal proteins. Main dishes planned for this week include fish on Monday and Friday and eggs – in omelets or boiled in a creamy sauce – on other days. Children are also given starters for salad, a dairy product – usually cheese or yogurt – and dessert.
Still, the farmers saw red. Some drove farm vehicles, cows and goats in protest on Monday in Lyon, which is fiercely proud of its rich culture of restaurants and unique dishes, many of them meaty.
Banners and posters of protesters extolled meat consumption, proclaiming “meat from our fields = a healthy child” and “Stopping eating is a guarantee of weakness against future coronaviruses”.
The government’s Minister of Agriculture, Julien Denormandie, also intervened, accusing the City of Lyon of “putting ideology on our children’s plates”. He and other critics argued that the measure would penalize children from poorer families who may not be able to eat meat outside of school.
“From a nutritional point of view, it is absurd to stop serving meat,” the minister told RTL radio Tuesday. “From a social point of view, it’s a shame.”
Although fueled by the essentially French obsession with food and the country’s powerful agricultural lobby, the furor also gained momentum and took on a political tone because of France’s electoral calendar.
A wave of victories for green candidates, including the mayor of Lyon, in last year’s municipal elections struck a blow to French President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist party. Its success reflected growing concerns in France about the environmental damage of intensive farming and other green issues. With more local elections scheduled for later this year, the discussion about school lunch in Lyon offered a taste of the broader political battles to come.
Lyon City Council said that serving the same meal to all children, instead of offering the usual meat and meatless options, would reduce lunch time. The city said it has only two hours to feed 29,000 children, a more difficult schedule to follow when classes have to be separated in cafeterias to minimize virus infections. The city said it also opted for meatless meals because they are suitable for all children, including those who usually do not eat meat for religious, dietary or other reasons.
The mayor, Gregory Doucet, said he is a Flexitarian, eats meat in reasonable quantities and is not trying to force vegetarianism on children.
“Being able to offer a hot meal to all children is important,” he told BFM-TV. “This is Lyon, the capital of gastronomy. For us, taste is also essential. ”