'Eat S**t!': Swedish National Food Body Booed for Attacking Boys and Men for Eating Meat

The Swedish National Food Agency has sparked a hot debate with a contentious Twitter post, where it shamed boys and men for eating meat, which it suggested is unhealthy and environmentally unfriendly.

“Men and boys eat the most meat, which is not good for health and environment. How can the meat norm be changed? You don't have to eat a lot of meat to be masculine or build muscle”, the National Food Agency tweeted, adding hashtags like “sustainable food consumption”

​However, many interpreted the government body's call to “challenge the meat norm” as uncalled-for activism.

“Yet a better suggestion: Kick all left-wing activists from the National Food Agency. Meat is excellent from both a health and an environmental point of view. Grazing livestock is of crucial importance for biodiversity. 'The climate threat' is a huge political scam. Unkind regards,” an angry user wrote back.

​“You really are the worst. Do you think men eat meat because it's 'masculine'? Are you really that retarded or are you just looking to provoke?”, another one wrote.

​“Had I been prime minister, whoever wrote this tweet would have been kicked all the f***ing way to Finland. Alternatively, the entire authority. What the hell are you doing for MY tax money?” Pirate Party founder Rick Falkvinge tweeted.

​“What in the world is this? Government activism has spread from weapons and hunting-haters in the police to meat haters at the National Food Agency. Imagine the joy of being a Swedish meat farmer being met by something like this from the state,” another user mused.

​“Eat s**t!” yet another user retorted testily.

​The indignation reached even the country's political circles.

“What is this nonsense? Swedish meat is neither unhealthy, nor bad for the environment. Why should we pay for this kind of public lobbying via government bodies? Should this be an analysis? 'Meat norm' and masculinity? They are targeting children with their parents' money,” Edward Nordén of the Citizens' Coalition Party tweeted.

​“Has your account been hijacked or have some of your employees tweeted from the wrong account? Or is this how the Swedish National Food Agency expresses itself now?” Moderate Party MP Lars Beckman tweeted incredulously.

​“Sure, there is no left-wing bias in the authorities,” Johan Ingerö of the Christian Democrats tweeted sarcastically.

​“It must feel real good to you to admonish ordinary people with their own tax money. Enjoy as long as it lasts. Because what you do doesn't only make people switch on the grill in protest. Fortunately, it also generates public opinion against opinion-forming authorities,” Sweden Democrat MEP Charlie Weimers tweeted.

​The National Food Agency later explained itself, tweeting that it didn't mean to urge all people to go vegan. “On the contrary, animals grazing on natural pastures are needed. But you don't have to eat meat to build muscle, there are many successful athletes who are vegetarians,” the agency wrote in self-defence.

Despite estimates showing that less than 10 percent of the Swedish population of over 10 million is vegetarian, the country's media have in recent years been heavily campaigning against meat consumption, which is seen as a climate burden due to its carbon footprint.

One of the leading figures of the nascent vegan trend, which is heavily promoted as sustainable eating is 16-year-old climate activist and media darling Greta Thunberg, who admittedly ditched animal products and convinced her parents to adopt a plant-based diet as well, using so-called “environmental guilt”.