Created jointly in 2003 by Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and an ad exec, Meatless Monday was invented to encourage gradual dietary change (and help the environment). Monday was chosen because people are more likely to make lifestyle changes like quiting smoking or begin exercising at the beginning of the week.
While Americans still consume on average 270 pounds of meat a year there is some evidence to suggest the Meatless campaign is working:
It can be extremely tricky to measure the impact of any campaign aimed at changing behavior. But The Monday Campaigns tried to do so in 2012 by hiring the FGI Research firm to conduct an online survey of 1,000 American adults. Some 43 percent said in the survey they were aware of Meatless Monday. And among those, 36 percent said the campaign has influenced their decision to cut back or consider cutting back on meat.
But the survey’s most significant finding, according to the campaign? Some 62 percent of respondents who said they were influenced by Meatless Monday report that they’ve tried to incorporate it into their weekly routine. Source: NPR
In general people are eating less meat. Since 2008, American meat consumption has been dropping. According to an NPR poll 39% said they eat less meat than they did three years ago.
Are you familiar with the campaign? If you’re a meat eater, do you follow this routine or something similar?
roodonfood 
When I lost my job in 2008, I started preparing one meal each week as a meatless meal. It just comes naturally now for me to do this at least once a week. My husband and I have also reduced our consumption of meat for our other meals during the week. Great post and a simple way to help us keep our cholesterol levels at an acceptable level.
That’s fantastic. I too skip meat once a week and generally have it once a day. I feel healthier – and it saves lots of money! Thanks for the comment. Cheers.