While French schoolchildren are on vacation and the Covid-19 pandemic is in full swing, ministers debate… on school menus. After the decision of Grégory Doucet, ecological mayor of Lyon, to temporarily serve dishes without meat in schools in his city, but with eggs and fish, the government's reactions were not long in coming. The Minister of Agriculture and Food, Julien Denormandie launched: "Let's stop putting ideology on our children's plates!". For his part, the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin, denounced a "moralist and elitist policy " who "excludes the popular classes". Faced with these reactions, the Minister of Transition ecological Barbara Pompili regretted "a prehistoric debate". Before lamenting "hackneyed clichés, like 'vegetarian food would be an unbalanced diet', whereas we know that meat can be replaced by fish, eggs, legumes which provide all the necessary proteins", reported Le Figaro, Monday, February 22, 2021
Olivier Véran or "the father " which responds to the controversy
Words supported by the Minister of Health, indicate our colleagues. During a trip to the CAF in Lyon on February 22, 2021, Olivier Véran began by explaining: "In families, especially in precarious situations, meat and fish can be expensive, and therefore when you put your children in school and in the canteen, it is also an opportunity for the child to have protein. 'animal origin which are important in a nutritional diet ". Olivier Véran took the opportunity to make a revelation about his family life: "Besides that, it is the father of the family who will answer you. I make vegetarian menus for my own children. I am certainly not shocked and certainly not scandalized that we can offer meals without meat or fish at school. Before concluding : "I would say that there is no place for me to argue".
Read also : Olivier Véran criticized by someone close to the government for his "hypertrophied ego"