ABOUT THAT MEATOUT PROCLAMATION...

What Is Meatout?

The Great American Meatout is a global celebration of healthy, nonviolent plant-based diet. Since its inception in 1985, Meatout has blossomed into the world’s largest annual grassroots diet education campaign, with educational events by volunteers in a thousand communities in all 50 states and 32 countries (http://www.Meatout.org).

Events range from simple information tables and food samplings to video screenings, street theater, and festivals. Visitors are asked to explore a healthful nonviolent diet of vegetables, fruits, legumes, and grains on March 20th, first day of spring.

The Case Against Meat and Dairy

In the past three decades, a dozen panels of health experts, examining hundreds of individual studies, concluded that consumption of meat and dairy products increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, most forms of cancer, diabetes, and a host of other chronic diseases that cripple then kill 1.3 million American annually. None reached the opposite conclusion.

Meat and dairy production also devastates forests and other wildlife habitats, pollutes our drinking water supplies, and contributes 18% of global warming gases.

Consequently, every reputable public health advocacy organization now advocates a Meatout-like diet of vegetables, fruits, legumes, and grains. Among these are the U.S. official Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Dietetic Association, the American Heart Association, and the American Cancer Society.

Gov. Granholm’s Proclamation

In issuing a Meatout Day proclamation, encouraging residents not to eat meat on March 20th, Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm has followed the lead of more than 30 other governors in placing her concern for her state’s consumers, above that for the narrow self-serving interests of Michigan’s meat and dairy lobby. Her subsequent Michigan Agriculture Day proclamation rightfully recognizes the great contribution of all Michigan agriculture to the state’s economy and in no way conflicts with her Meatout proclamation.

Since 1985, Meatout-like proclamations have been issued by the governors of Alaska, California, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia.

The Michigan Farm Bureau

The Michigan Farm Bureau and other lobbies for the meat and dairy industries have reacted badly to the Governor’s proclamation, labeling it “unconscionable and insensitive.” Bureau President Wayne Wood railed against the “food elitists” advocating a healthful, nonviolent diet.

We find it unconscionable and insensitive of the Michigan Farm Bureau to deny Michigan consumers the joy of a healthy nonviolent diet on one of 365 meat- and dairy-laden days. We believe that Michigan consumers deserve a day featuring a contrary opinion to the daily barrage of advertisements for the meat and dairy industries.

Moreover, by opposing the Governor’s resolution, the Michigan Farm Bureau demonstrates that it cares only for the meat and dairy sector of Michigan agriculture, rather than those members who grow vegetables, fruits, legumes, and grains for human consumption. If Michigan meat and dairy farmers feel so confident that their diet is superior, they should be willing to allow Michigan vegetable, fruit, legume, and grain farmers to compete freely for the food dollar of Michigan consumers. They should welcome a day promoting these products in competition with their own.

www.Meatout.org 800-MEATOUT 10101 Ashburton Lane Bethesda, MD 20817