'Meatless Monday' in city schools earn kudos from PETA

An animal rights group has declared Baltimore schools the "Most Progressive Public School District of 2009" for going vegetarian in school cafeterias once a week. The "Meatless Monday" menu that Baltimore City Public Schools adopted this school year earned it a "Proggy Award" from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. "Proggy" is PETA shorthand for "progress." Tapping into a national campaign, the "Meatless Monday" program is intended to make lunches more healthful, stretch the district's food budget and raise awareness about the environmental impact of large-scale meat production, Tony Geraci, the district's food and nutrition director, has said. The district, which offers meat products the rest of the school week, has not promoted the program as a way to save animals. But PETA appreciates the gesture just the same. "By adopting 'Meatless Mondays,' Mr. Geraci is helping students develop healthy eating habits and saving animals' lives at the same time," PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk said in a prepared statement. "Baltimore should be proud that its schools are considering how our food choices affect us - as well as the world around us."