Kiwi cafes shine with success on meatless Mondays, sparking environmental change

A new study published in the journal nutrients, Researchers conducted interviews and online surveys with hospital cafe workers to investigate support and practice variables for the Meatless Mondays (MFMs) movement. More than half of the 194 respondents surveyed were actively contributing to the movement, with nearly 60% supporting it. The study findings revealed evidence of the benefits of MFMs, with greater involvement and consultation with cafe staff being the most influential variables in making the movement successful.

Study: Meatless Mondays in Hospital Cafes in Aotearoa, New Zealand. Image Credit: Created with help from DALL·E 3

Disadvantages of non-vegetarian diet

Unprecedented human-caused greenhouse gas emissions find Earth at the crossroads of sustainable environmental health. The resulting climate change presents serious threats to public safety by affecting weather (increased isolated floods and droughts), diseases (increased pathogen burden), and food availability (decreased soil fertility and over-reliance on chemical growth enhancers and genetically modified crops).

Surprisingly, the food system is a significant driver of climate change; the agricultural industry represented one of the major contributors to climate change; Methane and nitrogen oxide emissions from livestock farming (14.5%) were the largest source of greenhouse gases globally. Meat production requires greater land, water and feed availability than crop production. Worryingly, a growing body of research is identifying the overuse of antibiotics in livestock farming as central to the risk of end-stage diseases, both infectious and non-infectious, worldwide.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of global death, accounting for an estimated 89% of all human deaths. NCDs are associated with a complex interaction between genetics, socioeconomics, and individual health behaviors. These health behaviors can be changed; nutrition is at the forefront of interventions to combat NCDs and improve public health. The New Zealand (New Zealand) Adult Nutrition Survey (2008/09) identified critical deficiencies in the nutritional composition of the average New Zealand citizen; Only 32.8% of New Zealand adults meet prescribed food and vegetable requirements, and almost all New Zealand adults fail to meet recommended fiber intakes. .

Worryingly, New Zealand has been identified as 6th^This According to the findings of the Organization for Economic and Development (OECD), it is the country that consumes the most meat (per capita) in the world. Studies have linked long-term consumption of red meat to an increased risk of NCDs, including type 2 diabetes (T2D), cancers, coronary artery disease, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and total mortality.

“In 2019, the EAT-Lancet Commission recommended a largely plant-based diet, requiring fundamental changes to the global food system to feed the world population of 10 billion within the planetary boundaries by 2050.”

One potential response to growing concerns about excessive meat consumption is the Meatless Mondays (MM) campaign. The MM campaign, launched in the US, encourages individuals to give up meat for all Mondays and also seeks to replace 15% of current meat consumption with equivalent vegetarian intake. It has gained global popularity, with numerous cafes, hospitals, restaurants and even schools joining the movement and advertising its benefits. However, studies documenting the effects of MCC compliance on public and environmental health are scant.

About the study

This study explores the enablers and barriers to the implementation of the Meatless Mondays (MFMs) policy, a policy characterized by the free or subsidized provision of vegetarian diets across District Health Boards (DHBs) across New Zealand. The study was conducted to identify and present suggestions that will facilitate future policy implementation.

Three of the 20 DHBs in New Zealand were selected based on different stages of designing/implementing MFMs. DHB1 (Nelson Marlborough DBH) had been implementing the policy for over two years at the start of the study, DHB2 (Northland DBH) was in the process of trialling the policy, and DHB3 (Auckland DHB) had not implemented the policy.

This study comprised a 12-question online staff survey, semi-structured interviews with key business representatives, and an open-ended survey available to both DHB staff and the New Zealand public. The surveys and interviews were formulated based on input from a seven-member team comprising three nutritionists, a DHB manager and three laypeople. The surveys also collected participants’ demographic characteristics, eating habits, and general attitudes toward MFMs.

χ² (Chi-square) test was used in statistical analysis. More comprehensive studies could not be conducted due to insufficient sample size.

Study findings

The online survey sample consisted of 194 participants from DHB1 (54.1%) and DHB3 (45.9%). The majority of participants were female (76.3%) and of Pākehā (72.7%) ethnicity. Allied health workers or other health professionals (28.9%) comprised the majority of respondents. More than 60% of respondents are meat eaters (63.4%), flexitarian (18.6%), pescatarian (7.2%), vegetarian (6.7%) and vegan (4.1%) dietary minorities. It represented.

Encouragingly, over 50% of meat-eating respondents reported taking active measures to replace meat-based foods with vegetarian alternatives.

“There were approximately one and a half times more vegan participants in DHB3 (12.4%) compared to DHB1 (8.9%). There were approximately one and a half times more vegan participants in DHB1 (25.8%) than in DHB3 (12.4%) There were twice as many flexitarians.”

Health, environmental concerns, and interest in plant-based meals were identified as important factors driving the implementation of the MFM policy. Concerns for animal welfare and economic savings represented small but significant drivers for reducing meat consumption. In contrast, knowledge (30.1%), liking (26.3%) and familiarity (16%) were identified as the main barriers to policy subscription.

Awareness appeared to be high across DHBs; 65.5% of all participants were aware of the movement. However, understanding between DBHs appeared to vary greatly – DHB1 showed 79.8% awareness versus DHB3, which identified only 53.3%. Surprisingly, awareness in MZ hospitals was observed to be lower than in the general population. Statistical analysis of support revealed that 58.8% of all participants supported the movement and took an active part in its implementation.

Interview results (unlike previous surveys) found that environmental concerns, not health benefits, were the top drivers for the move among café managers.

“A number of respondents did not think that reducing meat would positively impact the environment. Some felt that other sustainable actions such as packaging, recycling, reducing food transportation and regenerative agriculture would provide greater benefits. This view was also voiced in the interviews and was in line with this area’s with other research.

Results

This study explores the factors and barriers that facilitated the implementation of the MFM campaign at different stages of policy implementation in three New Zealand DHBs. He identifies misunderstandings and lack of adequate information as significant obstacles to the continued success of the policy. He recommends reaching out to key players in the movement, including cafe managers, cafe staff and medical staff, as the best possible intervention to ensure the policy is rolled out quickly and successfully in the future.