Plant Based Universities

[GriseldaMolestrangler]

https://www.plantbaseduniversities.org/post/warwick-students-vote-yes-for-100-plant-based-menus

Two Russell Group Universities have voted to install a 100 per cent plant-based menu on campus to “end the climate crisis”. During Student Union meetings, students at both the University of Bristol and Imperial College London voted to switch to a vegan catering menu.

What do you think to this?

Literally all this means is that the SU has voted to lobby the University. It doesn't mean the University is moving to 100% plant based.

If the demand is there from students the various food outlets will move to offer more plant based options. Thats just good business

I don't understand the assumption that vegan = shite.

One of my work clients has a canteen that is about half vegan, with most of the rest vegetarian and they might serve a couple of fish or chicken dishes across the week.

The food is made from vegetables, pulses, grains, cheese, eggs, fruit and dairy. You know, normal food that everyone eats that just happens to be vegan or vegetarian.

The university isn't going to 'end the climate crisis' whatever it serves in it's eateries though.

generally it also means of the 13 people who turned up to the vote the majority voted in favour..

It's just in the student union cafe. Many other places available on campus to eat.

same here. My diet is horrifying short on fruit and veg (even though I love some fruit and veg) because if I did the 5 portions thing, I would be living in the loo. It seems to me that there is an argument here that they are excluding people who can't tolerate a vegan (or even veggie) diet.

Embarrassed but not surprised that my Alma mater is bringing in something like this. But with a student body of tens of thousands, I find it batshit that they would change it based on the votes of like 2000 students

Then those people should have turned up and voted, likewise the meat eaters, but they didn’t.

I don't think there are any universities, campus or otherwise, where the SU is the only place you can buy food and drink. Imperial for example has at least 5 catering outlets, of which only one is run by the student's union,

This isn’t as significant as it looks. The student union can decide what food they provide in their own catering outlets, but not what the university offers. The student union is not the university.
It isn’t new. The article says that Warwick is the eighth university student union to vote in favour of this.
I work in a university. I’m all for it, but it would not be popular with some of our students. We have many international students, including many Chinese. The big sellers in the student restaurants tend to be pork and chicken Chinese dishes. Our catering is outsourced, and the companies make commercial decisions to provide what sells best.

Not seeing the problem here. They voted for it, they can try it. If it doesn't work they can try something else.

Good on them to want to try something that might make a difference.

Since when are cheese, eggs and dairy vegan?

Since I said most of the food was vegan, but also nearly half of it was vegetarian, and obviously it's the latter that has the cheese, eggs and dairy in, unlike the vegan food, that's made from vegetables, fruit, grains, nuts, seeds, spices etc. OK?

This all sounds lovely and virtuous in theory, but in practice it will inevitably be horrible UPF-stuffed 'meat alternatives'. Having said that, any mass-catered meat is likely to be pretty cheap and nasty too, so it's probably much of a muchness.

I'm a meat eater myself, but I think vegetarian is a much more sensible option than vegan for institutions that want to take this kinds of ethical stance - so many more options - but vegan always seems to win out nowadays.

Imperial isn’t mentioned in the article, not sure the OP has that right?

@MalleusMaleficarumm There is no indication that universities are bringing in anything. This is a vote by the SU, who can decide what to offer in their own bars and cafes, but they can’t tell the university what to do. The university will probably discuss the SU’s viewpoint and the senior management will decide - though it’s likely they have already discussed it in their sustainability committees and so on.

I've been vegetarian since childhood so am in favour from an animal welfare and broadly environmental POV however it sounds a bit greenwashy. It's not going to end the climate crisis. If it's wholefood ingredients then great but highly processed fake meats and cheeses aren't great for anyone and I hope they've got an eye on food miles and impact on local communities etc (see quinoa and avocados etc).

Great news

I agree with pps that if it was good quality vegan food it'd be OK but I imagine it will all be upf crap.

I wouldn't mind a vegetarian campus personally - would support it - but I would feel tired and unwell on a vegan diet.

The local takeaways will be doing a roaring trade I imagine and it'll last a term or two!
They tried healthy eating, banned chips basically, at our kids school - the queue at the chippy opposite was so long that it was quietly phased out after a few weeks.

It's just the Student Union not t the universities. The university run catering will not be solely plant based.

So they want ultra processed foods rather than natural? Youngsters don't think things through!

Oh well, good reason for the students to make packed lunches

Food miles are a tiny part of the climate footprint. Most emissions are at the production stage, and no not just being produced in a factory or chilled/ frozen (presumably that was true of the non vegan options too anyway).

How is it fair to exclude meat eaters?

Ridiculous.

Its literally one outlet on each campus

If the OP's title hadn't been misleading the news story would be

"two food outlets to become plant based"

Not quite the same dramatic effect though.

I have a problem with it because with plant based meals I have a choice of either minimal protein content or being ill due to an intolerance of legumes. Plus not a fan of everything being manufactured rather than just cooked.

(Editing to say that if it's not the whole university then that would be less of an issue, I can just avoid a single plant only cafe)