Lawmakers
in New York are aiming for a state-wide ban on processed meats in public
schools to protect the health of their students.
The ‘Ban
the Baloney’ resolution was supported by City Council members Fernando Cabrera,
Helen Rosenthal, and Justin Brannan – and sparked by Brooklyn Borough President
Eric Adams’ switch to a plant-based diet for diabetes management.
During the
meeting, Cabrera said: “I’m
introducing this resolution today to protect the health and well-being of New
York City’s children.”
Carcinogens
Adams agreed, saying: “We cannot continue feeding our children substances that are
scientifically proven to increase their chances of cancer later in life.
“Chicken
nuggets and sloppy joes are in the same class of substances as cigarettes.”
Under
consideration
A
spokeswoman for Mayor de Blasio said the administration is ‘committed to
providing all our students with free healthy and nutritious meals’, and that the
resolution is under consideration.
Adams made
the ban out to be a matter of black-and-white ethics.
He said: “We
know that we would never give our children cigarettes to smoke, so there’s
absolutely no reason why we should continue poisoning our children’s health
with processed foods.”