Program Overview: In 2021, a major New York City cancer center piloted a Meatless Monday program to encourage healthy and sustainable eating for visitors, staff, and patients. Every Monday, the on-site cafe promoted a meat-free meal alongside marketing materials on the benefits of plant-based eating.
Objective: Use Meatless Monday to introduce staff and visitors to plant-based meals and ingredients and demonstrate the connection between health, food production, and environmental sustainability.
Process: A special meatless meal was developed, promoted, and marketed every Monday in the hospital cafeteria. The hospital provided support by rolling out an employee email program that included communications on the environmental and health advantages of meat reduction along with plant-based recipes for use at home.
Outcome: After its successful Meatless Monday campaign, the hospital was named a 2020 Circle of Excellence honoree by Practice Green for its accomplishments in waste management, environmentally preferable purchasing, energy, green building, and healthy food. The Meatless Monday program also inspired the launch of other wellness and sustainability initiatives within the hospital.
Diet and cancer risks are inextricably linked. Eating a variety of fruit, vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, and whole grains, while also limiting red and processed meats has been shown to help reduce the risk factors associated with common chronic diseases and certain cancers. Hospitals are uniquely positioned to educate staff and visitors to adopt better eating habits, and it all starts in their cafeterias.
Every Monday, the hospital cafeteria offered a special meatless meal. Custom signage and marketing materials highlighting the health and environmental benefits of meat reduction were also promoted throughout the cafeteria. In addition, the health and sustainability teams launched an employee email newsletter that included resources, such as a plant-based recipe guide to help staff prepare meat-free meals at home. An additional four-week Meatless Monday Challenge was issued to staff, resulting in over 300 signups. The hospital held a Meatless Monday cooking demonstration and hosted a talk, “How to Maintain the Meatless Monday Momentum,” presented by Meatless Monday’s Peggy Neu.
The hospital’s sustainability team also leveraged Meatless Monday during Earth Month to educate employees on the environmental impact of meat production. The program included sharing Meatless Monday marketing materials, environmental facts, and recipes. Other events, such as a farmers market, Food Day, Employee Wellness Fair, and Earth Day Fair, were also organized in conjunction with Meatless Monday.
As a result of these efforts, there was greater awareness among staff of the benefits of eating more plant-based foods and less meat. Entrees including red meat were limited to one day per week, allowing for more plant-based and meat-free meal options.
