School dinners and hospital meals will contain 20% less meat in a bid to help battle climate change

Meat dishes are to be slashed by 20 per cent in schools, universities and hospitals in a major move to cut greenhouse gases linked to livestock. Public sector caterers have vowed to hit the target as part of a pledge which also aims to boost people’s health by lowering consumption of animal products. The meals being reduced in canteens and kitchens across the UK are eaten by a quarter of the population. Hitting the 20 per cent target would remove nearly 20million lb of meat from plates every year – equivalent to 45,000 cows or 16million chickens. Farmers’ livelihoods will be adversely affected by the changes. The ‘#20percentlessmeat’ pledge was launched in trade magazine Public Sector Catering. David Foad, editor-in-chief of the publication, said: ‘It represents a bold move because it is not being mandated. It would have been much easier to sit back and wait until they were either prompted or forced into action like this by Government.’ The move follows recommendations in January from the UK’s official climate change advisers...MORE