The Long Beach City Council has adopted a resolution in support of “Meatless Mondays” as part of an international campaign to raise awareness about meat’s impact on physical and environmental health. Council members Al Austin, Lena Gonzalez, and Suzie Price proposed the item, which encourages residents to forgo animal products on the first day of the week.
Proponents say less meat consumption means a reduction in water use, greenhouse gas emissions, and heart disease. But not everyone is pleased that the council decided to take up the issue.
“I just don’t think city government really should be in the business of telling people and making proclamations based on preferences,” said Council Member Stacy Rose Mungo, one of the two dissenters in a 7 to 2 vote Tuesday.
Vasilios Hapsis, the CFO of the Long Beach-based meat producer Four Star Meat, also expressed incredulity over the decision.
“In my opinion, the government should stay out of the bedroom, people’s lives, and people’s diets,” he said.
Long Beach now joins numerous other cities across the state and country which have adopted similar resolutions, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, and Oakland.
Read more about the resolution here.