City Council asks L.A. residents to go ‘meatless’ on Mondays
For one day each week, the Los Angeles City Council wants residents to go vegetarian.
In a unanimous 12-0 vote, the council approved a resolution Friday endorsing the “meatless Monday” campaign and asking residents to make a personal pledge to ditch meat for one day a week.
The resolution makes L.A. the largest city to sign on to the international “Meatless Mondays” campaign, which aims to reduce meat consumption for health and environmental reasons.
It also comes two years after L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa told The Times that he had cut meat from his Monday diet as part of his health regimen.
According to the nonprofit campaign, which was started in 2003 in conjunction with the Johns Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health, cutting meat from your diet can reduce the risk on cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity.
The resolution, introduced by Councilwoman Jan Perry and Councilman Ed Reyes, cites statistics showing health disparities facing Los Angeles residents, specifically those living in low-income areas with lack of access to health foods.
It also notes that, according to the department of Health Services, more than half of Los Angeles County residents are obese or overweight.
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Photo: Santa Monica farmers market in July. Credit: Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times
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