Kiwi cafes are buzzing with success on meat-free Mondays and driving environmental change

This is evident from a recent study published in the journal Nutrients, researchers conducted interviews and online surveys with hospital cafe staff to explore support and implementation variables for the Meat-Free Mondays (MFMs) movement. More than half of the 194 survey participants actively contributed to the movement, and almost 60% supported the movement. The research results showed that there is evidence of the benefits of MFMs, and greater inclusion and consultation with café workers were the most influential variables in making the movement successful.

Research: Meat-free Mondays in hospital cafes in Aotearoa New Zealand. Image credits: Created with the help of DALL·E 3

The problems of a non-vegetarian diet

Unprecedented anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions are putting Earth at the tipping point of sustainable environmental health. Resulting climate change already poses a serious threat to public safety, affecting weather (increasing sporadic floods and droughts), diseases (increased pathogens) and food availability (reduced soil fertility and an over-reliance on chemical growth enhancers and genetic modified crops).

Surprisingly, the food system is a critical driver of climate change; the agricultural sector represented one of the main contributors to climate change, with methane and nitrous oxide emissions from livestock farming (14.5%) being the largest source of greenhouse gases worldwide. Meat production requires greater availability of land, water and feed than crop production. Alarmingly, a growing body of research shows that livestock farming, combined with excessive antibiotic use, plays a central role in the recent risk of diseases, both infectious and non-communicable, worldwide.

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of global mortality, accounting for an estimated 89% of all human deaths. NCDs are associated with a complex interplay between genetics, socio-economics and individual health behaviour. These health behaviors are modifiable, with nutrition at the forefront of interventions to combat non-communicable diseases and improve public health. The New Zealand (NZ) Adult Nutrition Survey (2008/09) has identified critical gaps in the nutritional composition of the average New Zealand citizen, with only 32.8% of New Zealand adults meeting prescribed food and vegetable requirements and almost all New Zealand adults do not meet the recommended fiber intake. .

Alarmingly, NZ has been identified as the 6^e largest meat-consuming nation in the world (per capita), according to the findings of the Organization for Economic and Development (OECD). Research has linked long-term red meat consumption to increasing NCD risk, including type 2 diabetes (T2D), cancer, coronary artery disease, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality.

“In 2019, the EAT-Lancet Commission recommended a largely plant-based diet, advising that deep changes must be made to the global food system to feed the world’s population of 10 billion people within planetary boundaries by 2050.”

One possible answer to growing concerns about the overconsumption of meat is the Meatless Mondays (MMs) campaign. The MMs campaign, launched in the US, encourages individuals to abstain from eating meat on all Mondays and also seeks to replace 15% of current meat consumption with an equivalent vegetarian intake. It has become popular worldwide, with countless cafes, hospitals, restaurants and even schools participating in and advertising the benefits of the movement. However, there is insufficient research on the consequences of MM compliance on public and environmental health.

About the study

The current study examines the enablers and barriers to the implementation of the Meat-Free Mondays (MFMs) policy, a policy characterized by the free or subsidized provision of vegetarian diets within District Health Boards (DHBs) across New Zealand . The research was conducted to identify and make recommendations to facilitate future policy implementations.

Three of the twenty DHBs in NZ were selected based on their various stages of contemplation/implementation of MFMs. DHB1 (Nelson Marlborough DBH) had been implementing the policy for over two years at the start of the study, DHB2 (Northland DBH) was testing the policy and DHB3 (Auckland DHB) was not implementing the policy.

This study included a 12-question online staff survey, semi-structured interviews with key job representatives and an open-ended survey open to both DHB staff and the New Zealand public. The surveys and interviews were compiled based on input from a seven-person team consisting of three nutritionists, a DHB manager and three laypersons. The surveys additionally collected participants’ demographics, eating habits, and general attitudes toward MFMs.

The χ² A (Chi-square) test was used for statistical analyses. More extensive research could not be conducted due to insufficient sample size.

Findings of the study

The online survey sample cohort consisted of 194 respondents from DHB1 (54.1%) and DHB3 (45.9%). Most participants were female (76.3%) and of Pākehā ethnicity (72.7%). The majority of respondents were paramedical or other health professionals (28.9%). More than 60% of respondents were meat eaters (63.4%), with flexitarians (18.6%), pescatarians (7.2%), vegetarians (6.7%) and vegans (4.1%) the dietary minorities represented.

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

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

Health, environmental concerns and affinity with plant-based dishes were identified as the main factors enabling the implementation of MFM policies. Concerns about animal welfare and economic savings represented small but important factors that could reduce meat consumption. In contrast, knowledge (30.1%), taste (26.3%) and familiarity (16%) were identified as the main barriers to policy endorsement.

Awareness among DHBs appeared to be high, with 65.5% of all respondents aware of the movement. However, inter-DBH understanding appeared to vary widely: DHB1 showed an awareness of 79.8% versus DHB3, which described only 53.3%. Surprisingly, awareness in MZ hospitals was found to be lower than that of the general population. Statistical analyzes of support showed that 58.8% of all participants supported the movement and played an active role in its implementation.

The interviews revealed (contrary to previous research) that environmental concerns, rather than health benefits, were the most crucial factors enabling the movement among café managers.

“Some of the respondents did not believe that reducing meat would have a positive impact on the environment. Some felt that other sustainable actions would have more benefits, such as packaging, recycling, reducing food transportation and regenerative agriculture. This sentiment was echoed in the interviews and is consistent with other research in this area.

Conclusions

The current study examines the enablers and barriers to implementation of the MFM campaign in three New Zealand DHBs at different stages of their policy implementation. It identifies misconceptions and a lack of sufficient knowledge as major barriers to the continued success of the policy. It recommends reaching out to key players in the movement, including café managers, café staff and medical staff, as the best possible intervention for rapid and successful future implementation of the policy.