Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Work sustainability policy dictating crap food

135 replies

ThisBrickOtter · 05/12/2024 10:02

So, my employer has gone on a sustainability bender (don't look at this happening at the same time as the expensive and resource consuming rebrand). This now means for our dept get together, which usually has food, only vegan or vegetarian options are available. This is really annoying me.

I'm a pro thought for the environment type but my choices don't extend to meat (I don't find the vegan argument convincing, I do the vegetarian one, but got ill when tried that). I consume what meat I can afford, thoughtfully.

I do have an unusual relationship with food. Part neurodiversity (this extends to authority at times, something I keep an eye on!), part poor childhood. I think this might be contributing to my reaction.

But yep, I feel angry that my food choices are being taken away. Last meeting I was at where they did this, only the sweet food got completely finished. The savory vege sandwiches and fallafel was picked at. Same with the fake chicken. The policy is resulting in more food waste, not less. So that annoys me too.

I have no issue with people's personal choices, but this feels like being lectured to about drinking but a very drunk uncle.

AIBU feeling this way?

OP posts:
Original poster
ThisBrickOtter · 05/12/2024 19:57

Frowningprovidence · 05/12/2024 19:55

I was meaning other posters experiences of work catering not others in your company.

My work based meat catering was crap so I woukd prefer nicer vegan option with fresh produce like i described. But if other companies were giving delicious meat options and switched to fake meat it would be a downgrade.

I assume youcompaniey's meat options were previously nice so this is a downgrade. It would be embarrassing for you to give to guests.

Show quote history

Yes there used to be a few highlights that were meat or fish based.

Now it's like serving up food from a dystopia.

OP posts:
Frowningprovidence · 05/12/2024 19:55

ThisBrickOtter · 05/12/2024 19:48

Others are not! This is a company wide policy. No flexibility.

When I'm organising an event I like to cater for those attending. And ensure it's so tasty, guests want to take it with them. I'll be endlessly apologising for the food unless something changes.

Show quote history

I was meaning other posters experiences of work catering not others in your company.

My work based meat catering was crap so I woukd prefer nicer vegan option with fresh produce like i described. But if other companies were giving delicious meat options and switched to fake meat it would be a downgrade.

I assume youcompaniey's meat options were previously nice so this is a downgrade. It would be embarrassing for you to give to guests.

Original poster
ThisBrickOtter · 05/12/2024 19:53

StandingSideBySide · 05/12/2024 19:48

Think better ideas for food options are required…fake chicken! Overprocessed crap. What’s wrong with tomatoes or similar

If this department get together is every day through lunch then YANBU
If it’s less ie once a week YABU

It is less than once a week, however it's a service I'm supposed to use in my work. I also have some issues around food, which are mine to manage, so I can over react. Kinda why I asked the question! I'm used to making it a bit of a joke at myself when I'm being a bit food funny. This just seems a terrible idea, badly executed and driven by a crap interpretation of what is a well motivated agenda.

OP posts:
Honeycrisp · 05/12/2024 19:52

I can imagine it's embarrassing if you're the person organising the events and you have to present crap food to people. Especially if it's stuff that your ND means you can't eat yourself. It's poor that they're giving so little consideration to dietary needs. Of course you can bring your own, but if you're the one organising the event, it could be a bit awkward.

StandingSideBySide · 05/12/2024 19:48

Think better ideas for food options are required…fake chicken! Overprocessed crap. What’s wrong with tomatoes or similar

If this department get together is every day through lunch then YANBU
If it’s less ie once a week YABU

Original poster
ThisBrickOtter · 05/12/2024 19:48

Frowningprovidence · 05/12/2024 17:16

It's a real shame if it's increasing food waste and that needs to be addressed.

If your employer provides all your meals every day, I would be annoyed. But I struggle a bit with the odd meeting being a huge problem.

I dont go to many catered meetings but they have normally been sad sandwiches, crisps and fruit.

I'm not sure I really would miss catering ham if I was offered roasted red peppers and pesto instead or instead of egg mayo got hummus or avacado and tomatoes.

Maybe others are getting more exciting meat dishes at thier meetings.

Others are not! This is a company wide policy. No flexibility.

When I'm organising an event I like to cater for those attending. And ensure it's so tasty, guests want to take it with them. I'll be endlessly apologising for the food unless something changes.

OP posts:
Original poster
ThisBrickOtter · 05/12/2024 19:44

FlabbergastedByTheGorgons · 05/12/2024 16:46

Not eating bits of animal flesh made you depressed? You can't have one meat-free meal without triggering mental illness? Really?!

Yes ofc I can. It's when I tried to be an actual vegetarian, the depression happened.

After reading some other comments, I took what I'm actually mad about are:

  • the food is shit.. It's not good vegetarian or vegan food.
  • the sustainability reason is a lie. It allows them to save money, while producing an ESG figure so they appear sustainable. They are a very wasteful, money obsessed company.
  • I have issues with food that I self manage, and my ability to self manage has been reduced.
  • most of it gets left as it's horrible. So it's a ton of food waste. A lot of my colleagues are vegetarian and they don't like it either!

If they got the catering in, say from a local company who were actually good at making vegetarian and vegan food. I'd have zero issue.

OP posts:
JudgeJ · 05/12/2024 19:41

hydriotaphia · 05/12/2024 14:57

To be honest, yes, I think YABU to be 'angry' about this. Having an occasional meal that isn't your favourite food isn't taking choice away from you in any meaningful sense.

Ha, tell that to the vegans etc., why do they get to bully the rest of us with their fads?

Original poster
ThisBrickOtter · 05/12/2024 19:39

Wellingtonspie · 05/12/2024 17:33

Poor catering is it. Not because it’s veggie or vegan but because they have just changed a cheap meat buffet to a cheap veggie / vegan one meaning even a lot of veggies won’t like the offerings.

Now if they did curries and rice with no fake meat in. Some onion bhajis. Proper meals with sides as snacks even if in small grab bowls. A proper veggie / vegan meal no fake items.

Exactly. Yes. Mixed in with I don't like feeling dictated to and I've a few issues around food. They're my issues and I manage them, and I'm now in the position of having to ask ahead and make requests.

If it was really good vegetarian food with a few vegan side options. I'd have no issue. It's not. It's like they took the meat out of sandwiches and added some plastic food like product stuff.

OP posts:
JudgeJ · 05/12/2024 19:39

DoreenonTill8 · 05/12/2024 10:16

What no ones said the usual 'it's ooonnly one meal! Surely you can eat vegan for one meal?????!!!' thing that always gets posted on threads like this yet?! 😆

True yet no-one ever says to the vegans 'It's only one meal, surely you can force down the odd Greggs sausage roll'. We live in a world where the minority expect to dictate to the majority.

NautilusLionfish · 05/12/2024 19:38

ThisBrickOtter · 05/12/2024 10:02

So, my employer has gone on a sustainability bender (don't look at this happening at the same time as the expensive and resource consuming rebrand). This now means for our dept get together, which usually has food, only vegan or vegetarian options are available. This is really annoying me.

I'm a pro thought for the environment type but my choices don't extend to meat (I don't find the vegan argument convincing, I do the vegetarian one, but got ill when tried that). I consume what meat I can afford, thoughtfully.

I do have an unusual relationship with food. Part neurodiversity (this extends to authority at times, something I keep an eye on!), part poor childhood. I think this might be contributing to my reaction.

But yep, I feel angry that my food choices are being taken away. Last meeting I was at where they did this, only the sweet food got completely finished. The savory vege sandwiches and fallafel was picked at. Same with the fake chicken. The policy is resulting in more food waste, not less. So that annoys me too.

I have no issue with people's personal choices, but this feels like being lectured to about drinking but a very drunk uncle.

AIBU feeling this way?

But this is a one off event? Occasional event? Eat lots of meat then go attend the event . Besides not all vegan food is fake and processed. You are overreacting if its only for the event not daily work place menu. Even then, you could pack a steak.
Choose your stresses

Original poster
ThisBrickOtter · 05/12/2024 19:36

ExitPursuedByAGummyBear · 05/12/2024 16:35

@DoreenonTill8 I’ll do the honours 😋. It's ooonnly one meal! Surely you can eat vegan for one meal?????!!!

Good vegan food cooked by a vegan. Yes. Catering services who have basically just removed the meat and added a ton of processed crap. Nope.

OP posts:
ManyATrueWord · 05/12/2024 19:25

It's absolute green wash. I'd take my own food. I'd also be requesting locally sourced meat instead of UPFs. Probably wouldn't get it.

noctilucentcloud · 05/12/2024 19:01

WingsofRain · 05/12/2024 17:17

I agree. I would like to be vegetarian but I have an allium allergy and it’s pretty much impossible to eat anything catered that is both vegan and safe for me.

Plain egg and mayonnaise or cheese sandwiches would be perfect, but these days it seems to be a procession of complicated fillings that all have alliums of some sort shoehorned in, or worse, completely anonymous stuff in bread that is probably contaminated with all the other fillings anyway.

Oh, and don’t even start me on the samosas and similar mystery parcels of doom! 😂

Show quote history

I have bad IBS and have to avoid a lot of things including onions, garlic, chilli, beans and pulses (the full list is massive). I love a plain sandwich too! I won't end up in hospital, but I do feel awful for days and have lots of symptoms I won't explain here.

MarkingBad · 05/12/2024 18:55

RamsaySnowsSausage · 05/12/2024 18:53

Pop a few Whiskas pouches in your pocket. Excellent for on-the-go extreme meat needs. Jelly or gravy...your choice.

Trouble with that is that it won't taste any different to the faux meat options.

RamsaySnowsSausage · 05/12/2024 18:53

Pop a few Whiskas pouches in your pocket. Excellent for on-the-go extreme meat needs. Jelly or gravy...your choice.

StrawberrySquash · 05/12/2024 18:26

YANBU. There is lots more food for vegans now, but the choice of veggie food has definitely got worse as people try and lump veggie with vegan. Lots of substitutes like cauliflower steak for meat and processed fake meat. I'd much rather eat pulses and eggs and dairy.

It's got to the point I end up getting the meat option where previously I would have picked the veggie option. (I'm a meat-light omnivore)

Makingchocolatecake · 05/12/2024 18:21

How often are these events?

DowntonFlabbie · 05/12/2024 17:51

Thingamebobwotsit · 05/12/2024 17:05

I can't eat a lot of veggie/vegan food unless I make it myself as it has so much soya in it... next time say you have allergies to nuts and soya and see what alternatives they come up with.

I am less worried about eating meat as we don't eat a lot anyway, but most commercially prepared vegetarian and vegan food is awful. In fact. Thinking about it I hate commercial buffets full stop.

Don't advise people to pretend to have allergies that they don't, it's seriously dickish.

You're making life harder for people with real allergies.

StormingNorman · 05/12/2024 17:51

Sure I read that some meat substitutes were incredibly resource intensive to make.

DowntonFlabbie · 05/12/2024 17:49

Lentilweaver · 05/12/2024 10:13

I dont know why people think veggies want food that mimics meat.

Probably because plenty do

Lengokengo · 05/12/2024 17:49

Fake meat makes me ill. My SIL once pulled a stunt serving fake meat burgers at a family bbq, without saying. Not only did everyone immediately detect it and left most of it, I had one bite and felt ill the rest of the evening. Virtue signaling would have worked better if she didn’t have a massive gas guzzler of a car.

my work canteen also serves hardly any meat ( fine, I can cope) , but the alternative is fake meat I can’t eat. I’d be fine with jacket potatoes with cheese and coleslaw, or interesting salads, but they don’t do nice alternatives . So I bring in my own lunch every day. Catering company lose money every day.

Cakeandcardio · 05/12/2024 17:47

I am a meat eater but like a lot of vegetarian meals and would happily eat these most of the time. The problem for me is with fake meat. I see it as a big carcinogenic and would not touch it at all. It's vile! And not a better option than meat.

Summerhillsquare · 05/12/2024 17:44

Why don't you secrete a pork chop in your pocket on the day of the event? Cheese down your bra? Ham in your shoes?

Wellingtonspie · 05/12/2024 17:33

Poor catering is it. Not because it’s veggie or vegan but because they have just changed a cheap meat buffet to a cheap veggie / vegan one meaning even a lot of veggies won’t like the offerings.

Now if they did curries and rice with no fake meat in. Some onion bhajis. Proper meals with sides as snacks even if in small grab bowls. A proper veggie / vegan meal no fake items.