INTERVIEW
The Federation of Parents' Councils and the Vegetarian Association of France (AVF) on Wednesday called mayors and directors of schools in France to experiment with a vegetarian menu per week in school catering. Arnaud Cocaul, a nutritionist, reminds the microphone of Europe 1 of the risks of a diet too rich in protein for the 8 million students who eat at least once a week in the canteen.
"The children eat too much meat in the canteen: you have to educate them to open their palate to other flavors and especially to the plant", says the food specialist, who judges the campaign "all quite judicious ". It is in line with the ANSES report published in 2017, which considered that adolescents consumed on average twice as much protein as necessary.
Too much meat can lead to obesity or metabolic disorders
"Parents, too, tend to give too much to young children," says Arnaud Cocaul, pointing out that it is not healthy to eat two steaks of beef a day. It recalls that meat in disproportionate proportions may be "providers of obesity" and cause "metabolic disorders". He recognizes, however, that proteins are "indispensable to everyone", especially to support the growth of children.
The AVF has provided canteen cooks with a kit of vegetarian recipes on the website vegecantines.fr, to help them implement the new law. The Egalim law (Etats Généraux de l'Alimentation) provides that from 1 November, they must offer at least once a week a vegetarian menu.