The new ecological municipality of Lyon has decided to set up, from this Monday, a unique and meatless menu for schoolchildren. This measure aims to speed up service in the canteens as part of the reinforced health protocol. But does it represent a danger for the health of schoolchildren?
The decision is not to everyone’s taste. As of Monday, February 22, the 30,000 Lyonnais schoolchildren will discover a meatless menu in the canteen. The decision was taken by the new ecological municipality headed by Grégory Doucet (EELV). Stéphanie Léger, assistant in charge of education, notably indicated that this single menu remained provisional and that the municipality could return to the previous situation (two menus without meat per week) by the Easter holidays, depending on the evolution of the health situation. But can this measure have consequences on the health of the pupils concerned?
“Sanitarily speaking, such a measure should not cause major health problems, because most children should not suffer from deficiencies, explains Suzan Pecharman, dietician, at La Dépêche du Midi. On the other hand, this could lead to deficiencies in schoolchildren who suffer from particular chronic pathologies, and who therefore have different nutritional needs. “
A risk of worsening social inequalities
“Beyond the purely nutritional aspect, this meatless menu can widen the inequalities, continues the specialist. While some parents are able to cook balanced meals for their child in the evening after school – sometimes by offering meat – others cannot, and this can lead to other deficiencies.
An argument put forward in particular by the Minister of the Interior Gerald Darmanin, who denounced Saturday February 20 on Twitter “a scandalous ideology”, arguing that “many children often only have the canteen to eat meat”.
In addition to the unacceptable insult to French farmers and butchers, it is clear that the moralist and elitist policy of the “Greens” excludes the popular classes. Many children often only have the canteen to eat meat … Scandalous ideology. https://t.co/gFGf0JWZKn
— Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) February 20, 2021
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Suzan Pecharman also fears the effects of an “obligation” not to eat meat. According to her, “the psychosomatic aspect is not to be neglected”: if we prohibit the consumption of meat in these children, “this could create an even greater desire to consume it”, specifies the specialist, causing a opposite effect to the goal sought by the measure.
Hence the interest in leaving the choice of nutrition: “We can legitimately ask the question: do we have the right to impose a dish at school? ‘ Even if it is good not to eat meat every day, it is necessary to leave the choice to the children and the parents. I think, in the case of Lyon, that the public authorities should have consulted the parents upstream. application of such a measure. Thinking is good, but the way to do it is not ideal. “
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