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?

In my experience this does not reduce waste at all (at one point I was ordering the lunches for some meetings myself).This was imposed at my workplace a while ago too and there is a lot that goes to waste at the end of meetings as some people don't really enjoy the vegan options so they hardly eat anything on offer and it gets wasted. There was much less waste when not only vegetarian/vegan options.

I'd be annoyed at this. As others have said the carbon reason is a bit weak. It feels like an excuse given by a veggie who wants to impose their views. One of the main arguments against people who get huffy about veggies is 'It doesn't affect you; let them eat what they want'.

A lot of protein heavy vegan stuff nowadays is very processed. I'd rather save my processed food eating for stuff that I actually like eating.

It's different from eating veggie at a vegetarian's house for example because the workplace should be representing everyone. That's the wrong word, but you know what I mean.

And I say this as someone who cooks plenty of nice veggie food and does her best to buy free range chicken etc.

So it's totally fair to expect people to provide their own?

Something which was Unfair when it was for allergies or vegan diets before?

For fairness, options should be available for carnivores, vegetarians and vegans

Bullied? 😂😂😂

Depends how much fake meat and cheese there was involved.

Livid would mean I would express my discontent at the absolute crap food being served, as would everyone else where I work if it was lab-grown ultra processed shite.

I think it depends what good is then offered.

I don't eat a great deal of processed food, as others have mentioned a lot of vegan food is processed.

If they had said "only locally sourced organic produce" I'd have had much more respect for them TBH.

given it will be vegetarian or vegan and not just vegan there is nothing ruling out an egg mayo sandwich being offered

Oh dear. Looks like cheese, chocolate and coffee are definitely of the menu as well. Because carbon...

I agree and it’s the odd occasion so won’t hurt anyone not to eat meat - might be a positive for health and wellbeing.

Why not? If they were before ordering olive oil oranges oranges and meat and they are now ordering oil oranges and non-meat the carbon footprint is still lower.

No almond milk either

As an omnivore who prefers non UPF I would be very happy with egg, cheese, cream cheese, hummus, nut butter, etc sandwiches.

Bean and pulse based salads.

Veg samosas etc

What’s wrong with that?

It’s one meal in the week. Provided free.

Of course chickpeas and lentils are famously grown in the UK.

Not that there is anything wrong with eating these things, I certainly do. But I really hate corporate greenwashing.

Bullied. 😬

Which is weird because in my experience it is always the vegetarian/vegan options that get eaten first often leaving the vegetarian/vegans with nothing to eat 😂

My work is the same, and has been for a long time, I think it is common

Yeah, if we get pizza at work it's the meat ones that go first and the vegan left until last. Obviously we try to order a bit generously on the veggie as we know meat eaters will go for both, but it's clear people like their pepperoni and I wouldn't want to be the person refusing to order it. In carbon terms it's quite different from everyone eating a steak, too. That logic of using meat almost as a seasoning.

Do you not eat fruit and vegetables?

Also - it's not just meat
Eggs, cheese, butter, milk...
There's much more that has to be cut out or changed for vegan diets

Cheese is a no go, it turns out, carbon-wise. So it's just eggs and... what do the vegans get? Chickpeas grown using a lot of water intensity, and flown in, to make hummus?

Well, yes, if it's falafels, cheese boreks and egg butties.

But people don't want vegan chicken sandwiches and pea protein sausages. If it is made of actual vegetables and pulses I don't mind at all.

More and more companies are being held accountable for their carbon emissions and are looking at how to achieve net zero in a few years time.
Things like this might be a small difference but it all add up.

as long as there is a mix of foods surely everyone will find something for them (as long as allergies are catered for in addition). No one can dislike all vegetarian food.

Well obviously. From what I can tell from the OP however they are offering vegan and vegetarian buffets which sounds to me like dairy and eggs will still be available.

I had a company that tried this week one I said where is the gluten free food? (They were supposed to provide it) they couldn't find it week two produced "gluten free oats" offering I had already told them I reacted to those also so that was out week three bought in a soya offering which my stomach hated week four I got a jacket potato I can eat those 😅 but the complaining that went on because I had a plain jacket potato was ridiculous

We ended up with free fruit Friday instead

Cheese is only just below beef in being carbon unfriendly.