Food orders for work related events are to be vegan and vegetarian only

[ValerieVomit]

We all received an email at work to say that when we order catering in future for work related events we can only order vegetarian and vegan food. The management team has imposed this. It's to reduce our carbon footprint. I don't think that this means there is to be no carnivorous food available for the rest of the organisation but our department won't allow us to order any.

Reasonable or not?

@AsTheyPulledYouOutOfTheOxygenTent I get that's their alleged reasoning. But how much food does this one team order? And how do you know the vegan and vegetarian food isn't from beunos aires? Can't they just get the food from ethical suppliers that use local, organic ingredients? I bet the bosses still want to fly out to meetings that could be done on zoom, and book fancy hotels for themselves.

Agree.
A few people making decisions on behalf of everyone else is wrong. They could have asked.

There would be uproar if there was no veggie food, it wouldn't be allowed.

There should always be choice.

I'm sure it did lower the carbon footprint. Beef is incredibly CO2 intensive, and the extra carbon cost in transportation means non-meat products are still lower in carbon. As a start, all of that feed for the cow had to be imported into Scotland, so the starting point is almost the same.

There would be uproar if there was no veggie food, it wouldn't be allowed.

🤦🏻‍♀️ Do you really need that explaining?

What about those who are allergic to nuts, soya, quorn or preservatives that are common in vegan food?

I had vegan cheese recently and had a bad reaction no idea what was in it.

I actually cook and eat a lot of vegetarian food.

It isn't necessarily inclusive.

Allergies are a completely different issue. Allergens are present in all kinds of food. Food containing meat isn't magically allergen free. The whole 'vegetarian food isn't inclusive' is so redundant because no food is completely inclusive. Vegetarian and vegan food is more inclusive than meat though.

I’d understand more if it was veggie only. But vegan? Is that really reducing carbon footprint? Processed vegan cheese and quorn, foods that come from abroad like avocados- are they really a lower carbon footprint than British sourced dairy? I wouldn’t want a lot of processed vegan food but would happily accept no meat.

All of those contain gluten as default, including the crisps, unless specifically gluten free alternatives are purchased.

I think it's fine, as long as people's dietary needs are taken into account. I am allergic to nuts and soya which rules out a lot of vegan food, but there's still plenty I can eat. I would be pissed off if there was loads of processed fake meat/cheese and I was left nibbling on a lettuce leaf and fruit salad, but it should be possible to do plant based food that suits most cultural/medical/ethical dietary restrictions.

Well there's nothing stopping you buying your own - that's what I usually do as I'm not a midday sandwich fan. Dietary preferences are just that - preferences. You can't please everyone, it's too much hassle and too expensive to provide food that's low carb, low GI, high protein, halal, kosher, vegan, gluten-free, vegetarian, pescetarian, low FODMAP, high fibre, low fibre, low fat, sugar-free...etc.

I'd be fine with this policy - even taking into account the water used for avocados etc. it's still more environmentally friendly to eat veggie than meat.

To all the posters whose concern is that this policy doesn't reduce the carbon footprint enough - if this is so important to you that you're up in arms about this, I'm curious as to what actions you're taking to combat climate change? I assume you're out with Just Stop Oil every weekend or at least supportive of them?

Or is it actually that you don't give a shit about the environment and therefore think no one else should either.

What about those who are allergic to dairy, ham, eggs, wheat.....

Allergies are an entirely different issue.

Cheese is worse for carbon footprint than chicken or fish unfortunately. It's the same problem as beef: you're growing the crops, processing them into cattle fodder, shipping it to the cows, keeping them alive while they fart and burp methane, milking the cows, shipping it in a chilled container to the cheese factory (which may be in another country), processing it, then shipping it in another chilled container to the shops (possibly in another country again). It all adds up, but it's the inefficiency of turning the crops into cattle fodder into milk that's the killer.

Tried this in our place. head of hr decided it. had it a few times but the amount of food waste was shocking no one was eating it. ceo saw last time the amount being thrown in the bin and had a canary. told to go back to mix catering. with a small selection for vegan and vegetarian. food waster contributes to your carbon footprint aswll (and no one wanted ut to bring home before anyone asks)

I agree, but there are plenty of people around who would happily deprive others of that choice.

I think you're missing the point. It's not what we do that's the issue here. It's the sheer crass hypocrisy of using "carbon footprint" as a reason when, if you looked into it a little, you'd be worried about avocado deforestation, palm oil ingredients, cheese production, pesticides on wheat and corn, etc etc etc.

Exactly!

Do people with genuine allergies actually trust outside catering?

We have had this rule for some time. Honestly? Noone notices any more. You just get used to it as the food is decent, and there is something for most tastes.

You can actually get uk grown chickpeas.

https://hodmedods.co.uk/products/british-chickpeas

I buy soy milk made with French soy beans.

I don't drive (never have); rarely fly; don't have children or pets.

Is that low-carbon enough for you? Or should I be knitting my own muesli too?

There are various reasons for scepticism about linking meat-free initiatives to carbon footprint impact - it's not just lack of concern about the environment.

(1) Too much emphasis on one source of carbon emissions: not much use reducing one area if you're merrily consuming vast quantities of needless stuff, plus the waste that produces.

(2) Carbon emissions are not the only environmental damage caused by human consumerism, ie land clearance, water and mineral extraction.

If I'm sceptical about meat-free diets it's because I'm a darker shade of green than the single-issue activists.

Unless they’re sourcing things locally it’s just virtue signalling because it’s doing nothing for the carbon footprint.

On the surface it seems a great idea except that a lot of vegan foods are UPF. Perhaps highlight this as it's not good for health either

Doesn't surprise me. Catering exclusively veggie and vegan food that the staff didn't ask for risks increasing the carbon footprint, as people may simply ignore the catered food and bring their own meat.

I'm a meat-eater and it wouldn't bother me at all from a preference point of view, and I can see why it would be a good practical decision in terms of all the food being suitable for everyone, and avoiding having to work out how much vegan/veggie stuff vs meat to order (given that the meat-eaters often snaffle the veggie stuff they fancy). But if carbon footprint is their motive, then previous posters have a good point about avocados etc.