The Rise of Meatless Monday

During World War I, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) urged citizens to reduce consumption of key staples like meat, wheat and sugar. The idea was that these foods took more energy to produce. By cutting them out, America could support the troops and help to feed starving Europeans. To encourage this voluntary rationing, the FDA coined the terms “Meatless Monday” and “Wheatless Wednesday” and published a variety of materials including vegetarian cookbooks and educational pamphlets. The campaign, which was resurrected for a few years during WWII, stayed dormant for nearly six decades. Now the Meatless Monday initiative has gone far beyond a war effort, seeking to improve public health and raise awareness for animal welfare and the environment.