LE PECQ, France (AP) – By cutting meat from the menu in school canteens, the ecologist-mayor of one of France’s most famous gastronomic cities has sparked a storm of protest and debate as the country increasingly questions the environmental costs of his meaty diet habits.
Children in Lyon who were regularly offered choices like beef and chicken in rich sauces found their meat option missing this week when they returned from school holidays. Instead: a meatless four-course meal that Lyon City Hall says is quicker and easier to serve to kids who need to be kept separate at lunch time due to the coronavirus pandemic to avoid infections.
City Hall emphasizes that the meatless meals are temporary and that school canteens will again offer meat options when the rules for social distances are relaxed and children have more time to think about their food choices and to eat.
And the meat-free menus still contain animal protein. This week’s planned main courses include fish on Mondays and Fridays and eggs – either as an omelet or hard-cooked with a creamy sauce – on other days. Children also get salad starters, a milk product – often cheese or yogurt – and dessert.
Still, farmers saw red. Some drove into Lyon on Monday in protest with agricultural vehicles, cows and goats, which prides itself on its rich restaurant culture and signature dishes, many of which are meaty.
Banners and placards from protesters praised eating meat, proclaiming “meat from our fields = a healthy child” and “Stopping meat is a guarantee of weakness against future coronaviruses.”
The government’s agriculture minister, Julien Denormandie, also weighed in and accused Lyon City Hall of “putting ideology on our children’s plates”. He and other critics argued that the measure would punish children from poorer families who might not be able to eat meat outside of school.
“From a nutritional point of view, it is absurd to stop serving meat,” the minister said on RTL radio on Tuesday. “From a social point of view it’s a shame.”
Although fueled by the quintessentially French obsession with food and the country’s powerful agricultural lobby, the furor has also gained steam and taken on a political tinge due to France’s election calendar.
A wave of victories by green candidates, including the mayor of Lyon, in municipal elections last year dealt a blow to the centrist party of French President Emmanuel Macron. Their success reflected growing concern in France about the environmental damage from intensive farming and other green issues. As more local elections are expected later this year, the discussion about school meals in Lyon provided a taste of the coming wider political struggle.
Lyon City Hall said offering the same meal to all children, instead of offering them their usual meat and meat-free options, would shorten lunch time. City Hall said it has only two hours to feed 29,000 children, which is a more difficult schedule when classes have to be kept separate in canteens to minimize virus infections. The City Hall said it also chose meat-free meals because they are suitable for all children, including those who do not usually eat meat for religious, dietary or other reasons.
The mayor, Gregory Doucet, said he is a flexitarian, eats meat in reasonable quantities, and does not try to force vegetarianism on children.
“It is important to be able to offer all children a hot meal while sitting,” he told broadcaster BFM-TV. “This is Lyon, the capital of gastronomy. Taste is also essential for us. ”