The menu for schoolchildren in the city of Lyon was the cause of a major political scandal in France.
It all started when the mayor of Lyon, Gregory Doucet, representing the Green Party, announced that during the COVID‐19 coronavirus pandemic, all schools in the city will have only one menu: vegetarian.
This caused the indignation of the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the country Gerald Darmanen. “This is an unacceptable insult to our farmers and butchers. Often, many children in France only have the opportunity to eat meat in the school cafeteria, “ the minister said. In his opinion, there is an “unacceptable attempt to impose an ideology” in Lyon.
The deputy from the party “Forward, Republic” in power, Bruno Bonnel, also criticized the innovation.
“We need to make sure that these small “temporary” measures to prevent the meat from entering canteens do not lead to veganism imposed from above,” the politician said.
In turn, the French Ministry of Agriculture intends to look into this situation and find out the motives for the mayor’s decision.
The Mayor’s office of Lyon explained that during the pandemic, it is easier for them to offer children a single menu. In addition, the vegetarian option, according to Doucet, is suitable for all children, regardless of caste and religion. In particular, the mayor’s office explained that before the pandemic, canteens offered several menus for elections and about half of the children chose a vegetarian set.
Lyon is one of the main gastronomic centers of France. It is known, in particular, for its meat dishes.
