Meatless Monday

Meatless Monday was started in 2003 by advertising executive and public health advocate Sid Lerner, the founder of The Monday Campaigns, in association with the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future. The idea is that beginning each week by participating in Meatless Monday can lead people to eat more fruits, vegetables, and plant-based meals the rest of the week.

More than 20 years on, thanks to the support of the Grace Foundation, Meatless Monday is now in more than 40 countries around the world, spreading the message that reducing meat consumption isn’t just good for people but for the planet. Currently, CCP is focusing its work in three countries: Indonesia, Ghana and South Africa.

In Indonesia, for example, the Jalin Foundation, working with CCP, has helped Meatless Monday Indonesia reach millions of people since 2021 through its social media channels and in-person events. They’ve built a loyal following of “food warriors” – passionate young people who are helping to spread the message to their peers.

Ghana and Indonesia have expanded the reach of their programs and are consolidating what they already have, as well as implementing a sustainability strategy that will help ensure that, after the end of the next two-year funding period in 2026, the programs continue with localized funding sources.

Meatless Monday Indonesia partners with a diverse array of stakeholders from government agencies to local food producers to influential social media personalities. They have brought the key messages to young people through successful school outreach programs. Working with the Red Cross, they have also been able to incorporate messages about the benefits of plant-based eating into the curriculum of an after-school health program.

Says Becky Ramsing, a senior program officer at the Center for a Livable Future, who leads the science and technical work for Meatless Monday: “Meatless Monday has grown into one of the world’s most accessible and creative public health campaigns.”