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Denmark forced to U-turn on meat ban for state canteens – initiative had been part of the government's aim to achieve a 70% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030
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- Title
- 'Embarrassing': Denmark forced to U-turn on meat ban for state canteens
- Authors
- Tom Levitt
- Published
- Nov 3 2020
- Word count
- 609 words
A different method that I have seen work well in other places is to offer plant-based options by default and have options with animal products as a sort of opt-in choice. Perhaps they could have plant-based options every day for a cheaper price, with options with animal products available for a surcharge.
The issue with the sort of progress this program was supposed to nudge the country toward is that you can't force it. It's literally a "You can lead a
horsetowatera vegetarian meal, but you can't make itdrinkeat" scenario. The major issue is opinion, but some people just won't eat a meal without some sort of animal protein because it'll be incomplete.At my job, the cafeteria offers a "Meatless Monday" option that you can take if you want, and the regular menu offerings. For many people, unfortunately, a meal without meat is a somewhat controversial topic and trying to force a change is only going to breed resistance or even compensatory behavior.
As far as Greenpeace's opinion, they're like PETA in that they're so far removed from the rest of society they generally just come across as unlikable extremists to most people. I'd even go as far as to say they could and should be ignored like PETA. I'm not at all opposed to veganism or vegetarianism, but these two organizations are some of the worst representatives for this cause, and related causes.
The way I'd do it would be offer more subsidies on non-meat meals (which are often cheaper to make anyway) and develop that menu more while slowly reducing the meat options. Eventually having the menu more like the opposite of how many menus are now - with a majority meat free dishes and a few "carnivore options" which cost considerably more. If people really don't like that, they can always bring their own food. Which is exactly what vegans/vegetarians had to do for years.
Meat eating needs to go the way of smoking - something which exists increasingly on the edges of social acceptability, rather than someone everyone does by default. Many societies did it with smoking in a generation or two - when I was at primary school (age 4-10) my headteacher used to smoke his pipe in the classroom. That would be utterly unthinkable now. To be honest it was probably not very OK even then, I'm not that old, but it was a very rural school and he was a pretty old guy.
Also I agree about Greenpeace and PETA and similar groups. In theory I should be onside with them in a very broad sense because y'know - saving planet good, saving animals good - but they're just so... full on. Not to mention actively stupid in some instances. I suspect they do more harm than good in a lot of situations.
I guess trying to limit meat intake wouldn't exactly be actionable on a society-wide scale, so elimination may be the most practical goal to "control" meat consumption on a society-wide scale. I think smoking and meat may be similar, because people also tended to get a little squirrelly when taxes were added to tobacco to curb their use, and its use was increasingly prohibited at various places.
We have meatless days in several schools and workplaces here and beyond the usual grumbling most people don't care that much (there are a lot of "parttime vegans" here though so may be the difference I guess)
In the US people seem to be genuinely interested in cutting back meat and eating meat alternatives, at least in my area, and veganism isn't exactly a fringe thing, but we've still got a lot of people who just can't go without their meat. In Denmark it may even have been a smaller group within the union that cause a ruckus about it.