LE PECQ, France (AP) – By removing meat from the school canteen menu, the ecological mayor of one of France’s most famous gastronomic cities has sparked a storm of protest and debate as the country questions the environmental costs of its food fleshy habits.
Children in Lyon who have been regularly offered choices such as beef and chicken in rich sauces have found the option of meat-free this week when they returned from school holidays. In its place: a meatless, four-course meal that Lyon City Hall says will be quicker and easier to serve to children who, due to the coronavirus pandemic, must be kept separate at lunch to avoid infections.
The mayor’s office insists that meatless meals are temporary and that school canteens will once again offer meat options when the rules of social distancing are relaxed and children again have more time to think about their food choices and eat.
And meatless menus still contain animal protein. The main courses planned for this week includes fish Monday and Friday and eggs – either in the form of an omelet or hard-boiled with a creamy sauce – on other days. Children also receive appetizers for salads, a dairy product – often cheese or yogurt – and dessert.
However, farmers saw red. Some drove agricultural vehicles, cows and goats in protest on Monday in Lyon, which is fiercely proud of the restaurants’ rich culture and signed dishes, many of them meaty.
Protesters’ banners and placards extolled meat consumption, proclaiming “meat in 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, accusing Lyon City Hall of “putting ideology on our children’s plates”. He and other critics have argued that the measure would penalize children from poorer families who may not be able to eat meat outside of school.
“From a nutritional point of view, it is absurd not to serve meat,” the minister told RTL radio on Tuesday. “From a social point of view, it’s a shame.”
Although fueled by the quintessential French obsession with food and the country’s strong agricultural lobby, the rage also gathered steam and took on a political connotation because of France’s electoral calendar.
A wave of victories by green candidates, including the mayor of Lyon, in last year’s municipal elections gave a blow to the centrist party of French President Emmanuel Macron. Their success has reflected growing concern in France about the environmental damage caused by intensive agriculture and other ecological problems. With several local elections expected at the end of this year, quarrels over school lunches in Lyon provided a harbinger of the ensuing political battles.
Lyon City Hall said serving the same meal to all children, instead of giving them regular meat and meat-free options, would shorten the time they take for lunch. The mayor’s office said it only has two hours to feed 29,000 children, which is a more difficult schedule when hours have to be kept separately in canteens to minimize virus infections. The mayor’s office said it also opted for meatless meals because they are suitable for all children, including those who do not normally eat meat for religious, dietary or other reasons.
The mayor, Gregory Doucet, said he is flexible, eats meat in reasonable quantities and does not try to force vegetarianism on children.
“Being able to provide a warm meal for all children is important,” he told BFM-TV. “This is Lyon, the capital of gastronomy. For us, flavor is also essential. ”