Newswise — NEW YORK – The new Meatless Monday Restaurant and Foodservice Implementation Guides are ideal resources for right now as trends show that consumers are increasingly seeking plant-based dishes. The guides provide restaurant and foodservice operators guidance to help start and promote a Meatless Monday program, while keeping meat on their menus.

The guides were created to address various audiences and include versions for restaurants and foodservice venues at K-12 schools, colleges & universities, corporate and hospital dining establishments. To develop the 16-page guide, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for a Livable Future, a scientific adviser for the Meatless Monday movement, surveyed organizations that have implemented Meatless Monday. They learned that customers respond well when they realize the many health and environmental benefits of going Meatless Monday. Johns Hopkins researchers asked foodservice operators for specific insights on how to make Meatless Monday promotions successful.

The key insights of foodservice operators surveyed are:

  • Enhance participation, sustainability and long-term diet changes through culinary creativity and choices
  • Make vegetarian options appealing and delicious to win over omnivores
  • Offer variety and avoid short-menu rotations
  • Leverage the popularity of global cuisines and flavors
  • Give chefs time to test and perfect

By implementing Meatless Monday, restaurant and foodservice operators can attract new customers and help move toward healthier eating habits. It also demonstrates a commitment to food sustainability and the health of the planet. The guides cover topics, such as Meatless Monday benefits; how to get started; strategies for success; talking points to train staff; and evaluation criteria to assess how well Meatless Monday performs.

In addition to the implementation guide,  foodservice operators can download a ZIP file to access a new promotional kit which includes posters, signs, table tents and graphics. The kit and guide are available at

http://www.meatlessmonday.com/start-a-campaign/

About Meatless Monday/The Monday Campaigns: Meatless Monday is a nonprofit public health initiative founded by Sid Lerner, chairman of The Monday Campaigns. The initiative is in association with the Lerner Centers for Public Health Promotion at Johns Hopkins, Columbia and Syracuse universities. Meatless Monday encourages the public to cut back on meat consumption one day a week to reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer, and lessen the environmental impact of meat production on climate change, water and land use. The campaign is founded on research that demonstrates Monday is the day we are most primed to start and sustain a healthy new behavior. Since its launch 14 years ago, Meatless Monday has become an international movement in more than 40 countries with support from governments, schools, celebrities, restaurants, and local and global organizations around the world.

Contact:

Cherry Dumaual PR & Partnerships Director The Monday Campaigns/Meatless Monday [email protected] Tel: 212.991.1056

Nara Sandberg PR & Partnerships Coordinator The Monday Campaigns/Meatless Monday [email protected] Tel:212.991.1055