That’s right, the Beef Industry is running scared (bolting perhaps, stampeding even), after Michelle Obama launched a campaign to encourage school kids to come up with non-meat recipes for their school lunches. Not even ‘vegetarian’: ‘non-meat’, how’s that for a peculiar description.
Still, it made those hot-blooded manly Texan Cattle Killers pretty darned angry. Which is pretty great, as it shows that the rise of vegetarianism and veganism, and the support by such high-profile previous meat-recommenders and meat-eaters such as Bill Clinton, and the USDA is raising the hackles of the death industry. Not to mention Meatless Monday’s growing popularity. The angry response from BEEF Magazine gives the competition some great publicity too!
The competition has been created to get kids and their parents thinking about healthy food, and getting involved in ensuring their levels of nutrition reach optimum standards. The beefeaters are up in arms as they’re getting a hammering from the USDA this year. Usually the USDA have been somewhat lacklustre in recommending plant-based diets and reduction or removal of animal-derived ‘foods’ in the diet of Americans, but their guidelines for healthy living, due to be published later this year, have (for the first time!) stated that moving to a plant-based diet is better for your health. They most likely won’t mention that a plant-based diet is better for the planet, or even for the animals that won’t be killed or seriously harmed and distressed as usual in the meat/dairy industries, but hey, that’s why we’re here right?
Ms Kristina Butts, director of legislative affairs for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), is a little miffed, and says as much in BEEF Magazine. Should be a hot gay pleasure mag really, but no, it’s all about dead cows, and how to grow and kill them more ‘efficiently’. Ms. Butts states that the USDA and Michelle Obama are adding to the “misconception that meat is over consumed in the U.S.” Whose misconception is that then? Erm, the BEEF Magazine.
So, encourage your kids to get cooking, eat their greens and beans and grains and seeds and nuts and p’tuts and fruits and shoots… as the cat in the hat said (I may have paraphrased). The competition is on until December 30th and has over $12000 in prizes for the kids and their schools. Everyone’s a winner though really with this great initiative, following hot on the heels of Michelle Obama’s presidential vegetable gardening with her kids and Barack Obama. Everyone that is, except those who have a beef with the contest of course.
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