The network of Icahn Charter Schools – set up by corporate investor Carl Icahn – has joined MFM’s sister campaign, Meatless Monday, in a bid to encourage children to eat more healthily.
“Meatless Mondays is an important initiative that addresses the current health crisis hitting children by bringing nutritious choices to students and opening them up to healthy foods they might not otherwise try,” Icahn said.
From September, the school canteens will serve meat-free meals exclusively on a Monday, provided by SchoolFood, the city department of education’s food service provider.
With one in three US children and teenagers overweight or obese, the charter schools’ superintendent, Jeffrey Litt, said they had a moral and professional responsibility to tackle the issue.
“We are embarking on changing the way children, parents and teachers think about their basic necessity – food,” he said. “We will teach children about healthy choices and introduce them to foods they are most probably unaware of. We will play a significant role in addressing childhood obesity and the damage caused by poor food selections.”