Meatless Monday Institutional Foodservice Toolkit SM
T. G.I.M! TABLE OF CONTENTS About the Movement 3 Key Benefits for Foodservice 4 How to Get Meatless Monday Started 5 Food and Menu Suggestions 6 Sample Signage and Promotions 7 Contact Information 8 2
ABOUT THE MOVEMENT MEATLESS MONDAY is an international movement with a simple message: One day a week, cut out meat. The idea of Meatless Monday dates back to World Wars I and II, when it was used by three U.S. Presidents to reduce consumption of key staples. It was reintroduced in 2003 as a public health campaign by former ad man Sid Lerner and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Sid Lerner Reducing our meat consumption can have a range of positive impacts on our personal health and the health of the planet. Diets that include less meat and more vegetables and fruits can reduce the risk of chronic diseases, conserve water and energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are accelerating climate change. Meatless Monday initiatives are now active in 40 countries and 22 languages and are promoted by celebrities like Paul McCartney, chefs like Mario Batali, and large global organizations like the Humane Society and Slow Food. Meatless Monday in Iran Sir Paul McCartney Dining services have played a leadership role in growing Meatless Monday around the world. In 2009, Sodexo developed a Meatless Monday program for their corporate and healthcare divisions. Since then thousands of K-12 schools, campuses, hospitals and government facilities have joined the movement to promote healthy, plant-based options every Monday. Meatless Monday has demonstrated success in accomplishing key business objectives including shifting purchases towards less meat and more vegetables, saving money, attracting new diners and meeting customer needs for innovative, appealing vegetarian options. By joining together to give up meat one day a week, we can have a huge collective impact on our personal health and the health of the planet. 3
KEY BENEFITS FOR FOODSERVICE Demonstrates commitment to health and sustainability. Diets that include less meat and more vegetables and fruits can reduce the risk of chronic diseases, conserve water and energy and reduces greenhouse gas emissions that are accelerating climate change. Promoting Meatless Monday signals to clients that your organization is committed to achieving their sustainability and wellness goals. Saves money. The food cost of vegetarian dishes is often about 50% less than menu items with meat. But there s no need to charge less for these meals, which will lead to greater profits. Provides weekly platform to showcase seasonal produce and co-promote meatless alternatives. Meatless Monday gives your organization an opportunity to feature produce from local farms or your on-site garden. Enables your company to work collaboratively with forward-thinking companies like Gardein, Beyond Meat and Morningstar Farms to introduce new meatless options. Gives chefs the opportunity to create innovative, satisfying plant-based options. Companies like Sodexo have enjoyed greater consumer engagement with items like their Meatless Monday Portobello feta wrap, which became a best seller all week long. Chefs are inspired to create new meatless options when given a platform. Meets diners need for healthy options on Monday when they re most open to buy health. People are more likely to eat healthier and exercise on Monday than any other day, so it s the perfect day for a healthy vegetarian meal. Creates a weekly event to attract new diners and encourage customers to enjoy a healthy meal together. Restaurants find that Meatless Monday attracts new demographics and can bring vegetarians and carnivores together to share a special meal. Taps into trend towards putting vegetables at the center of the plate. Total fruit and vegetable consumption is expected to grow +4% by 2020. 1 67% of Americans say that a vegetarian meal can be as satisfying as one with meat. 2 Vegetable offerings at restaurants have jumped +11% nationally since 2011. 3 64% of college foodservice operators said students are asking for more vegetarian and vegan dishes. 4 Each Monday we pack our menu with healthy vegetarian options as part of the Meatless Mondays initiative. That s because research shows that eating plant-based foods at least once a week may help improve health by cutting saturated fat intake by 15 percent. - Memorial Hospital Cafeteria, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Throughout the month many dishes sold out. Our vegetarian black bean, corn and cheese quesadillas were a hot seller. Our trial period of Meatless Monday was so successful that we ve decided to continue it throughout the year. - Angela Harrison, Sodexo Clinical Nutrition Manager, St. Anthony Hospital Meatless Mondays have been a hit. We had a Napa Valley salad with fresh, local produce highlighting local farmers. People just loved it. We made it a farmers market kind of theme. Our sales skyrocketed. - Tracey Riddle, Sodexo General Manager, Toyota, Torrance, California 1. Source: Produce for Better Health Slate of the Plate 2015 2. Source: Technomic, Inc. poll, November 2013 3. Source: Technomic, Inc. poll, November 2013 4. Source: Meatless Monday poll, 2016 4
HOW TO GET MEATLESS MONDAY STARTED Offer choice. You don t have to take meat off the menu! Just add or highlight existing meatless options. Do Meatless Monday makeovers. Swap tofu for steak in a stir-fry recipe Add an extra can of beans or meatless crumbles rather than ground beef in chili Offer eggplant vs. chicken parmesan Try themed Meatless Monday menu stations. Mexican/Latin Asian/stir-fry Subs and sandwiches Mediterranean SWAP CALORIES PROTEIN FIBER MINERALS COMMENTS Pasta w / ground turkey marinara 4% Beans and ground turkey have similar (2 oz turkey) 115 9.5g 0g potassium 4% iron calories and protein, but beans have Pasta w / white beans and marinara 14% more fiber blood-pressure regulating (1/2 cup beans) 124 9 5.5 potassium 18.5% iron potassium and blood-building iron. SWAP CALORIES PROTEIN FIBER FATS COMMENTS Lean ground beef taco salad 2.5g Beans, especially black beans, (2 oz beef) 100 11.5g 0g 0.5g total saturated containhigh levels of antioxidants Black bean taco salad 0g that you can t find in animal (1/2 cup beans) 114 8 7.5 0.5g total saturated proteins such as ground beef. SWAP CALORIES PROTEIN FIBER CHOLESTEROL COMMENTS Shrimp stir-fry Soybean foods such as edamame (2 oz shrimp) 60 11.5g 0g 87 mg may help lower cholesterol, Edamame stir-fry reduce risk of certain types of cancer (1/2 cup beans) 95 8.5 4 0 mg and improve bone health. Source: USDA Nutritient Database Make it easy. Start by promoting existing vegetarian dishes When developing new meatless dishes, use familiar ingredients When introducing new ingredients (like meat analogues), offer training Co-promote with food brands and associations. Often they ll have free marketing materials available, too. Get buy-in and involvement from management, wellness and sustainability groups. Promote Meatless Monday and provide education material. Printed and blackboard menus Signage at serving stations Newsletters, websites and social media Launch events and tabling Inspire your chefs and kitchen staff. Training and FAQ Meatless Monday chef contests Get them involved in promotion 5
MEATLESS MENU IDEAS: Need help with meatless meals for Mondays? Here are some suggestions to get you started: AMERICAN Baked beans Baked potato (built your own with salsa, veggies, low-fat cheese & sour cream) Chickenless Caesar salad wrap Cottage cheese with fruit Eggplant or zucchini casserole Garden burgers Grilled vegetable panini Stuffed tomatoes or bell peppers Three bean salad Portobello stuffed with wild rice Vegetable wraps Vegetarian chili ITALIAN Eggplant parmesan Panzanella (tomato salad with white beans on Italian bread) Pasta primavera Ravioli stuffed with sweet potato, butternut squash, mushroom, pumpkin or spinach Risotto Spaghetti with marinara Spinach tortellini Stuffed shells with spinach & low-fat ricotta or tofu Vegetable lasagna Veggie meatball or eggplant subs with low-fat mozzarella MEDITERRANEAN Falafel in a pita Greek salad Lentil soup Sandwiches with hummus & sprouts Spanikopita (Greek spinach pie) Stuffed grape leaves ASIAN Pad Thai Sesame noodles Szechuan tofu Tofu & vegetable stir-fry Vegetable fried rice (low oil) Vegetable spring rolls (low oil) INDIAN Curries to accompany rice & vegetables Dal (lentils served with rice & vegetables) Pulao (rice pilaf) with vegetable broth Suji/ savory vegetable pancakes LATIN & MEXICAN Bean & vegetable burritos Black or red beans with rice Grilled tofu & veggie fajitas (build your own) Vegetable quesadillas Vegetarian tacos 6
The Meatless Monday Foodservice Company Tool Kit SAMPLE PROMOTIONS Web Assets Signage 7
SAMPLE PROMOTIONS March to a different drumstick. Try the MM Special! SM Signage Buttons for employees Signs to identify Meatless Monday dishes ONLINE RESOURCES Download posters, sticker and magnet designs and web graphics to get your clients excited about Meatless Monday! meatlessmonday.com/start-a-campaign CONTACT INFO Contact us to get started and learn more about our customized promotional materials. info@meatlessmonday.org meatlessmonday.com 8