The #20percentlessmeat initiative, agreed by catering industry leaders under the umbrella of the PSC100 Group, was unveiled in the April issue of Public Sector Catering.
It has now garnered exposure on a truly national stage in The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph and the Mail Online, the Daily Mail’s website that attracts 56m monthly visitors and is among the leading online news outlets.
There was also coverage in publisher William Reed's FoodNavigator website, which claims to be the leading online news source for the food industry.
All the stories focus on the pledge to trim by 20% the amount of meat served by caterers working in schools, hospitals, universities, care homes, catering colleges, prisons and the military.
They point out the motivation behind the move is to curb their greenhouse gas emissions generated and encourage people to eat a healthier diet.
The #20percentlessmeat campaign was drawn up by the PSC100 Group of catering industry leaders with support from Humane Society International/UK and input from sustainability consultancy Foodsteps.
All the major catering associations have backed the campaign, together with a number of other groups that promote a reduction in meat consumption for various reasons:
LACA – UK school meals providers
ASSIST FM – Scottish local authority and school meals providers
HCA – Hospital Caterers Association
NACC – National Association of Care Catering
TUCO – The University Caterers Organisation
PACE – Professional Association of Catering in Education
Love British Food – Promoting use of British produce
HSI – Humane Society International/UK
Sustain – Alliance for better food and farming
Eating Better – alliance of health, environment and welfare groups
ProVeg – International food awareness organisation
Friends of the Earth – International group aiming to protect the natural world