Meatless Monday Endorsed by World Health Summit 2016

On Monday, October 10, thought leaders and decision makers from academia, the industry, government, and civil society will dine on a Meatless Monday menu at the World Health Summit 2016 (WHS) in Berlin, Germany. This signals WHS’ endorsement of the growing global Meatless Monday movement, which is creating a positive impact on health and the environment.

The World Health Summit, scheduled from October 9-11, is the premier international platform for exploring strategic developments and decisions in the area of healthcare. It is held under the high patronage of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President François Hollande and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

WHS’ Meatless Monday endorsement fits in with the summit’s session on “Planetary Health” that will explore the long-term health implications of changes in the environment caused for example through their effects on food and agriculture.

Michael J. Klag, dean of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and 2012 WHS president said, “Meatless Monday is an important public health campaign that has been advised by the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future since 2003. The campaign’s encouragement of going meat-free one day per week is a practical and simple step toward improving individual and public health globally. Recognizing Meatless Monday at the World Health Summit aligns with our mission at the Bloomberg School to strengthen public health practice infrastructure worldwide.”

About Meatless Monday

Meatless Monday is a nonprofit public health initiative founded by Sid Lerner, chairman of The Monday Campaigns in association with the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future. The campaign encourages the public to cut back on meat consumption one day a week to reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer, and lessen the environmental impact of meat production on climate change, water and land use. The campaign is founded on research that demonstrates Monday is the day we are most primed to start and sustain a healthy new behavior. Since its launch 13 years ago, Meatless Monday has become an international movement in more than 40 countries with support from governments, schools, celebrities, restaurants, and local and global organizations around the world.