A furious reaction from livestock industry lobby groups led cafeterias on Capitol Hill to ditch the campaign after only a single MFM on June 3.
In a letter to the House Administration Committee that week, the unironically named Farm Animal Welfare Coalition (FAWC) protested that the company operating the cafeterias, Restaurant Associates, was dabbling in politics.
“Meatless Mondays is an acknowledged tool of animal rights and environmental organizations who seek to publicly denigrate US livestock and poultry production, alleging we provide unhealthy foods, while contributing disproportionately to climate change and environmental damage,” FAWC wrote. “Both claims are offensive to us and wrong.”
Having called the decision to promote the campaign “unfortunate and political”, FAWC asked the House committee to instruct the company that “it must cease immediately”.
The committee bowed to the pressure, informing FAWC that the promotion “will not reappear”.
Meat-free options are still be available, but all signs and literature relating to Meatless Mondays are to be removed from cafeterias and the Restaurant Associates website.
Last year the US department of agriculture was forced to change a sustainability newsletter after complaints from livestock producers about one suggestion for living a greener life: eating less meat.