It’s Worldwide!

Meatless Monday was founded in 2003 by Sid Lerner in association with the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. In May, 2009, Ghent, Belgium, became the first non-U.S. city to go meatless. Shortly thereafter, Paul McCartney introduced the U.K. to Meat-Free Mondays.

Meatless Monday is now active in 44 countries and continues to grow. Representatives from different nations are finding innovative ways to make meatless and vegetarian dishes part of their everyday culture, customs and cuisine.

Skipping meat one day a week is good for you, great for your nation’s health, and better for the planet. Are you interested in launching Meatless Monday in your country? Download our global toolkit and become part of the movement! Our kit contains useful steps, scientific research and links to additional graphics and tools that will help you introduce the movement and form relationships with organizations in your community.

Want to get quarterly updates about Meatless Monday around the world? Subscribe to our newsletter by entering your email address below.

Australia

Meat Free Mondays Australia is an initiative of Do Something! and the Fry’s Family Foundation, started in 2013. The campaign has a strong and growing visibility in the Australia.

Meat Free Monday Australia sends out weekly newsletters with recipes from celebrity chefs. Their website hosts updated blog on meatless issues, in addition to essential information pertaining to organic foods, Fair Trade, animal welfare, household waste, and other sustainable topics.

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Belgium

Meat Free Monday Belgium is a project of Planete Vie, an organization that aims to foster a more ethical relationship between humans and the natural world. Among their many activities, they host an annual “Dinner with Chefs”, a meat-free gathering of the best Belgian & foreign chefs. They also organize two festive meat-free meals per year in collaboration with each of the two rotating-Presidents of the European Union and produced the documentary Lovemeatender about the various issues surrounding meat production. For the latest updates, check out the Meatfree Monday Belgium Facebook page.

“Donderdag Veggiedag”—Thursday Veggie Day was founded in 2009. “Donderdag Veggiedag” is a campaign run by EVA, a nonprofit committed to the production and consumption of plant food and an environmentally friendly society.

In 2009, Ghent was the first city in the world to pass a Veggie Thursday proclamation. Their campaign has spread throughout the country, and “Veggie Day” is now an official word in the Belgian dictionary. Check out their website for recipes, cultural news, and endorsements.

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Bhutan

In Bhutan, Meatless Monday is known as “Jangsem Monday”. Jangsem actually translates as “Bodhicitta” in the Sanskrit language, which is taught by the Buddha and Buddhist masters as the essence of enlightenment. Jangsem serves as reminder to think beyond yourself and to think of others. The national TV broadcaster, BBSC, promotes Meatless Mondays there, on the show the “Jangchub Shing” (or the Bodhi tree). The show has featured special guest David Yeung, the director of Hong Kong Green Monday.

Organizers in Bhutan are spreading Jangsem Monday through vegetarian recipes, gardening, getting local politicians, actors, singers, bands and an artist to join the movement. They are working to launch Jangsem Monday to spread greater environmental awareness at the Royal Thimphu College, and, are visiting schools in Thimphu(the Capital) to encourage students to understand the connection between Buddhism and going meatless. Further, they are working to spread the movement to hotels and restaurants, and also promoting vegetarian restaurants. They will promote Meatless Monday by featuring participants of schools, communities and people who are going meatless on Monday, online and on TV

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Bolivia

Lunes sin Carne was launched in Bolivia in January 2014. Their efforts are led by the animal rights organization APLAB, Amor por los Animals Bolivia. While most Bolivians participate for health reasons, others are inspired by animal rights and the environmental benefits of going meatless. Each Sunday, APLAB promotes Lunes sin Carne at a fair in the center the capital city, La Paz.

At these Sunday fairs, APLAB organizers offer vegetarian and vegan food samples and recipes to help the community prepare for Monday “sin carne”. Other efforts include active outreach through Facebook, where they promote Meatless Monday and share meatless recipes with over 22,000 followers. Three times a year they organize large events with live music, vegetarian foods, and educational promotions about Lunes sin Carne. The movement continues to grow in La Paz, where there are now more than five vegetarian restaurants.

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Brazil

In Brazil, Segunda Sem Carne was founded in 2009. The campaign is run by the Brazilain Vegetarian Society. The city of Sao Paolo offers one million vegetarian meals twice a month, which translates a reduction of 88 lbs of meat per month.

Sengunda Sem Carne has the support of celebrities who wear t-shirts and share the meatless campaign via social media. Their website includes an outline of the program activities, news, press, recipes, and links to its thriving social media communities.

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Canada

Meatless Monday in Canada is a local chapter of global initiative, led by Earthsave Canada. They work in collaboration with several other like-minded groups, including their French-language partner in Quebec–Lundi Sans Viande.

Several Canadian universities and schools have proclaimed Meatless Monday, including McGill and Queens. The City of Vancouver proclaimed Monday June 10th, 2013 as the city’s and country-wide first official Meatless Monday. See their website for more news and detailed information. Quebec Meatless Monday launched in Quebec in 2010 as Lundi Sans Viande. Its site provides a list of participating restaurants, celebrity signatories and user-submitted recipes, as well as an archive of press releases dating back to its inaugural exposition.

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Chile

Vegetarianos Chile runs their national Lunes sin Carne movement, which continues to grow strong. Their website shares a wealth of information including recipes and news about vegetarian life.

The Lunes sin Carne campaign is well known in Latin America providing resources and information for those interested in Meatless Monday. Chile continues to garner campaign support from celebrities. They are working to spread the movement to the government, schools and restaurants. And, they promote Lunes sin Carne at large-scale cultural events, including Lollapalooza 2014. See their website for more!

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Croatia

The Croatian Meatless Monday program is led by Animal Friends Croatia. The capital Zagreb was the first city to officially support Meatless Monday. Their campaign grows strong–they have the official support of Ministry of Agriculture, the City of Samobor, and the former President of Croatia Ivo Josipovic. Local restaurants and like-minded organizations participate in the movement. Animal Friends sends out a popular weekly newsletter, and their website describes the great success of Croatia’s Meatless Monday campaign! Check out their favorite recipes here: French Salad and Horseradish Sauce

Denmark

Two Meatless Monday campaigns thrive in Denmark.

Meat Free Monday Denmark was started in 2012 as a grassroots campaign led by Noura Mahfouz Kindler. Partnering with large food chains, food manufacturers and restaurants, the group holds events to promote Meatless Monday with live music, art, and presentations. Check out their original song, Make It a Monday!

Kødfri Mandag (which translates to Meat Free Monday) has brought Meatless Monday to three large universities in Denmark: Copenhagen University, Aarhus University and Roskilde University. The group also works with the largest supermarket chain, a dozen companies and some schools across the country. Visit Kødfri Mandag’s Facebook to see a beautiful vegetarian cookbook and other Meatless Monday inspiration.

France

In France, Meatless Monday has been appropriated as “Jeudi Veggie”: Veggie Thursday. But the meatless message remains! Its straightforward sections include “Why?” “How?” and “Examples.”

Germany

In Germany, “Donnerstag ist Veggietag” (Thursday Veggie Day), was launched in 2010. The campaign is run by VEBU or Vegetarierbund Deutschland, the vegetarian society of Germany. VEBU is a nonprofit committed to the production and consumption of plant food with the eventual goal of an animal- and environment-friendly society.

There are over 30 cities participating in Germany’s Meatless Monday campaign. Schools, companies are on board to go meatless too! See their website for recipes, cultural news, and national endorsements.

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Holland

Holland’s program launched in 2009 through a private initiative. Their website features a list of recipes, meat-substitute taste tests, news releases, user-generated content, and literature on the health and environmental benefits purposes of Meatless Monday.

In Amsterdam, the Zuidas Meatless Monday Campaign launched in 2014. Zuidas is the growing business district in the capital city where eight companies have already joined the movement. Participating groups include a bank, a global paint company, a management consulting company, law firms, municipality services and a real estate firm. Employee and company feedback has been positive and the programs continue to expand. In September 2014 organizers will host the official kick-off event in a square on the Zuidas business district to promote the movement by offering vegetarian foods at small market stalls. In November, they will be considered for the Accenture Innovation Award. For more information and campaign updates, check out their Twitter or Facebook.

Honduras

The Meatless Monday (Lunes sin Carne) campaign in Honduras is led by national nutrition leaders. Their program partners with local restaurants, writes promotional articles for the national news and shares vibrant meatless recipes each week.

Campaign participants include a variety of local restaurants, individuals at homes, and are working to spread the movement to schools. They are supported by two national NGOs. You can try Honduran meatless recipes for Black Beans & Rice, Chinese Friend Rice, or Lentil & Kale Power Soup.

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Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, Meatless Monday is part of the “Green Monday” movement, a collaborative effort to reduce carbon emissions and lessen individual impact on the environment. Green Monday has support from organizations, schools, government and even the Hong Kong International Airport Authority.

Over 1,000 restaurant outlets, including Chinese, Indonesian, Thai, Vietnamese cuisines, fast food chains, coffee shops, pizzerias, salad bars, ramen shops have joined the movement to increase vegetarian options and promote the message of Green Monday. The schools program, was launched in 2012, and has been impactful on students.

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Hungary

Earth Day Foundation, an environmental organization, brought Meatless Monday to Hungary. The campaign is a strong and growing movement. They partner with social workers, schools, restaurants, and public figures to unite Hungary around the Meatless Monday Movement.

Food and eating is an important aspect of Hungarian culture, so the campaign works to connect with local culture by partnering with celebrities to share their favorite meatless recipes. In Hungary, the most important reason to participate is to help the environment. Their next promotional effort will look at the amount of water consumed to produce meat.

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Indonesia

Indonesia’s Meat Free Monday Facebook page went live in 2010 through a collaborative effort between the Indonesia Vegetarian Society and the Vegan Society of Indonesia. Their campaign has gathered an impressive list of supporters from the worlds of entertainment, politics and the environmental sciences.

Iran

Meatless Monday was introduced to Iran in 2013 through the Omega Research Team, an organization that promotes health, nutrition and food science.

Meatless Monday Iran is supported by 17 diet therapy clinics, 7 food companies and the International Humane Society. Their website provides a host of information including links to relevant news items, international databases, and academic journals. Check out their Meatless Monday video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgYNCgCXDfc&feature=youtu.be

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Israel

Meatless Monday Israel was launched in 2012, spearheaded by the grassroots efforts Miki Haimovich a former television news anchor and national celebrity. In 2014 a report showed that 20.8% of Israelis – more than 300,000 people – have adopted the initiative since it was launched. The campaign is supported by government organizations, restaurants, businesses, universities and hospitals.

Government supporter for the movement comes from a lobby in the Knesset, Minister of the Environment, Mr. Amir Peretz, Minister of Education, Rabbi Piron, Health Minister Ms. Yael German and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Participating academic institutions include Ben Gurion University, Tel Aviv University and Sapir College. Further support from the government municipalities of Tel Aviv, Petah Tikva and Modi’in. Meatless Monday was launched in a Café chain with nearly 140 branches nationwide.

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Italy

In Italy, Meatless Monday progress is led by two groups.

Meatless Monday Italia, is a grassroots movement led by world food lover Marcela Senise. As an ambassador for the Food Revolution, Marci shares recipes and teaches healthy meat-free eating to school children. Marcela represented Italy at the 2014 Meatless Monday workshop in NYC. In October 2014, she promoted Meatless Monday at the “Slow Food Conference Salone Internazionale del Gusto”.

Lunedì No Meat efforts are led by “the green chef” Francesca Molica Colella. The campaign launched November 2014 in Sicily with a two day event to feature a convention and press conference. The event showcased plant-based foods from all over Italy and offered vegetarian food tastings. The mayor of Capo d’Orlando, in Sicily, endorsed Meatless Monday with the intention to spread the movement to community schools and restaurants. Francesca organizes veggie cooking lessons to educate people and restaurants on how to substitute meat on Mondays and live healthier every day. The campaign grows with the support of doctors, famous athletes and government. Check out the Lunedì No Meat Facebook, to keep up with campaign news, vegetarian recipes, and the global meatless movement.

Jamaica

Jamaica launched Meatless Monday in 2010 as a grassroots movement through Kingston Kitchen, a food style company run by the famous “Juicy Chef”– Jacqui Sinclair. In Jamaica there’s a growing awareness of the benefits of more vegetables and reduced meat diet on health.

The campaign efforts are working to share Meatless Monday recipes online and to shoppers at grocery stores. Next, the campaign is working to garner government support.

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Japan

Veggie Monday Japan is an initiative launched in 2010, currently backed by The Ethical Vegan Society of Japan. The website provides a useful primer on both the Meatless Monday program and plant-based diets in general, including what to eat, where to eat it, and which schools and universities around the world are participating.

Korea

Korea’s robust website delivers—in addition to its many scientific, news-related, and archival documents—a simple and inspiring message: “When you do not eat meat one day a week, you are an environmentalist.” The site is an indispensible resource for anyone who wishes to better understand the environmental urgency behind going meatless once a week.

Kuwait

Meatless Monday Kuwait is an initiative of the nutrition department in Kuwait Cancer Control Center. Their campaign aims to spread awareness and promote healthy lifestyles by cutting down on meat consumption. Meatless Monday is particularly important for health, as rates of obesity and diabetes in Kuwait are also high and rising among the young generation.

March 10, 2014 marks the official launch of the Meatless Monday Kuwait campaign through Kuwait University’s school of medicine in partnership with Standing Committee of Public Health (SCOPH). National supporters of the campaign include the Ministry of Health, Food & Nutrition Administration and Cancer Awareness Nation (CAN).

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Luxembourg

Meat Free Monday Luxembourg launched in May of 2015.

Malaysia

Malaysia’s Facebook page went live in 2010 and features a wide variety of user generated content.

Mexico

Mexico’s Lunes sin Carne is organized by Ana, a certified nutrition and dietetics coach, from the University of Leon, Spain. Ana writes articles for local news and provides easily digestible tips, research, and personal anecdotes in support of the movement. She teaches in schools about the health and environmental benefits of meat reduction. In Mexico, the message is spreading around the country, already an elementary school and a university have officially joined the movement.

In 2013 Tec de Monterrey in Nuevo León launched Meatless Monday across their main campus dining halls. They developed a meatless menu and map to allow students to discover where to dine meat free each Monday. In September 2014, La Escuela de Lancaster, an elementary school in Mexico City began Meatless Monday to advocate health and environmental concerns. The school promotes Meatless Monday on their website, and they continue to expand the cafeteria’s meatless options.

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New Zealand

Meat Free Monday New Zealand, supported by the Berrysmith Foundation, excites and inspires Kiwis to use Monday as the day to try new plant-based foods. Featuring an online pledge, delicious recipes, and several Kiwi celebrities on board, this campaign has a promising impact on health, the environment, world hunger, and animal welfare.

Norway

Meatless Monday’s mission? Saving the world. So say the curators of Norway’s Facebook page, the destination for a passionate defense of animal rights and green living.

Perú

“Lunes sin Carne”, Meatless Monday Peru was launched in 2014, organizers were inspired by the movement in Brazil. They Meatless Monday with a vegetarian picnic in honor of Meat Out Day. The campaign launch was a big success with over 200 participants learning about Meatless Monday through informational flyers and recipes. Peru plans to make “Picnic Sin Carne” a regular Meatless Monday sponsored event.

Philippines

“Luntiang Lunes” or Meatless Monday in the Philippines is led by Dr. Custer C. Deocaris. Their efforts encourage schools, citizens and government institutions to go meatless one day a week and embrace native produce. Little Miss Earth and Miss Teen Earth Pageant contestants participate in and promote Meatless Monday to support the environment.

Portugal

In Portugal, Meatless Monday is known as 2as Sem Carne. The Portuguese movement was founded in 2009 with the support of Political Party for Animals and Nature (PAN). The campaign spreads the meatless message by presenting on the health and environmental benefits of going meatless.

Currently they have one school on board, and are looking to expand the reach to more students. The campaign collaborates with bloggers who promote plant-based eating to support the movement. On their website 2as Sem Carne actively shares news, recipes, tips and celebrity interviews, tips and recipes about how to cut out meat one day a week.

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Slovenia

Slovenia has a strong online community committed to educating the public about the importance of Meatless Monday. They have shared over 150 recipes, to encourage people to try and go meatless one day a week. Join their Facebook community, or watch their documentary film “Meat the Truth.”

South Africa

South Africa launched Meat Free Monday in 2011, with support of the Fryes Family Foundation. Around the country over 600 restaurants support the movement with vegetarian options. Over 20 schools, like-minded organizations participate in the campaign.

National universities support Meat Free Monday, including University of Cape Town, University of KwaZulu Natal and Varsity College Durban. Campaign organizers have spoken to over 16,000 students in schools they are very passionate about the movement. Check out the video of campaign organizers spreading Meat Free Monday in schools. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1Y1yM_yNLc

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Spain

Spain’s movement launched in 2011. Their online messaging encourages Spaniards to go Meatless one day a week to help the environment.

Sweden

The Swedish Meatless Monday campaign is a grassroots effort, fueled by passionate advocates. The main leaders are ordinary people writing weekly articles and sending them to newspapers. Advocates are working to get Meatless Monday on the political horizon, by pushing for a new political party focused on animal rights.

Taiwan

Taiwan’s Meat Free Monday program was founded in 2009. Their goals are to promote vegetarian diets as nutritious, delicious and good for the environment. The campaign continues to grow popular in Taiwan with the support of local celebrities. More than half of the country’s major cities have adopted Meatless Monday.

The central government of Taiwan now has four ministries going Meatless one day a week: Environment, Education, Defense, and Food & Agriculture. Schools are joining the movement; in fact a 2012 poll by the Ministry of Education found 93% of students participate in Meatless Monday.

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Togo

In partnership with Welfare Togo, Eco-Conscience TV and the Chargè de mission de l’environment-gouvernance of the French Embassy in Togo, Food For Life Togo successfully launched Lundi sans viande (Meatless Monday) in May of 2016, starting with a government secondary school, Lycèe de Baguida.

Turkey

Turkey’s Meatless Monday movement has a strong online presence. Their blog offers a summary of the Meatless Monday program as well as related news, research, and recipes.

U.K.

Launched in the UK by Paul, Mary and Stella McCartney in 2009, Meat Free Monday is a not-for-profit campaign which aims to raise awareness of the detrimental environmental impact of eating meat, and to encourage people to help slow climate change, preserve precious natural resources and improve their health by having at least one meat free day each week. Campaign support has spread to hundreds of schools, and to universities including Wadham, Regent’s Park and Pembroke Colleges (Oxford), UCL and City University London. Meat Free Monday has also garnered the support of dozens of restaurants and businesses.

World News

World Health Summit Sits Down to Table for Meatless Monday

The positive impact of Meatless Monday is high on the menu at the eighth annual World Health Summit in Berlin, Germany.

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Climate Change and the Global Diet: Meatless Monday at COP21

In early December of this year, representatives from more than 200 nations gathered to discuss and decide the future of climate change and the fate of our planet. While many proposals aimed to help reduce climate change, it is impossible to reach the COP21 goals without including meat consumption in the equation. Read More

Ghana Launches Meatless Monday Campaign

The program in Ghana plans to organize lectures, a monthly healthy lifestyle variety show, cooking demonstrations, and public education events about how to prepare tasty meatless meals on Mondays. Read More

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