The Origins and Growth of the Meatless Monday Movement

In celebration of our 20th Anniversary in 2023, our partners at Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future set out to research Meatless Monday’s origins, growth and impact. To do this, they conducted a comprehensive review of primary and secondary sources and archival material documenting the origins, historical roots, and growth of Meatless Monday, as well as simultaneous developments in the field of public health. We are excited to share the final paper published in Frontiers in Nutrition.

Meatless Monday was conceived by advertising executive and public health advocate Sid Lerner, who was inspired by the calls for meatless days during World War I and II.  Over the last two decades, the campaign has grown both domestically and abroad, thanks to support from food writers, talk show hosts, and celebrity chefs, but Meatless Monday wouldn’t have achieved its current level of awareness and impact without the participation and commitment of thousands of schools, cities, restaurants, corporations, and institutions from all corners of the globe.

Take a deep dive into the origins and growth of Meatless Monday by reading the full publication at Frontiers in Nutrition.