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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples is raising objections to a school district pilot program that encourages kids to eat meatless lunches once a week.
The program at the Drippings Springs School District offers meat-free lunch options on Mondays to students in its three elementary schools.
Among the food items offered to students this Monday were a black-bean burrito, vegetarian chili with cornbread, baby carrots and sliced peaches. On past Mondays, students could choose cheese sandwiches, cheese ravioli, spinach salad and vegetarian soups.
Students can still eat meaty meals on Mondays, but must bring their lunches from home.
Staples said in an opinion piece published in the Austin American-Statesman Statesman (http://bit.ly/1weW1OT ) that "meatless Mondays" are part of an "activist movement" advocating a vegetarian diet for Americans. He is in charge of the agency that administers school lunch programs in the state.
"While we have plenty of room in the Lone Star State for vegetarians, we have no room for activists who seek to mandate their lifestyles on others," he wrote.
John Crowley heads childhood nutrition services for the Hays County district. He said the program is intended to encourage healthy and environmentally conscientious eating. Some benefits of growing vegetables over raising livestock include fewer greenhouse gases.
He said there is no plan to expand the veggie menu to other weekdays.
"Are we having a war on meat in Dripping Springs? Definitely not," Crowley said. "We're trying to think outside the box, and we serve a lot of Texas beef on our menus. We've had requests for more vegetarian options, and I thought, 'Why don't I give it a try and see how it's received by kids?'"
The Houston school district also has meat-free Mondays at some of its schools.
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Information from: Austin American-Statesman, http://www.statesman.com
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