Work sustainability policy dictating crap food

[ThisBrickOtter]

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?

Using fake chicken - indeed, any fake meat/dairy - is more expensive. The processes the original product goes through to make it taste like a bit of tandoori chicken/cheese is worse environmentally than meat/dairy production.
Trouble is, caterers are lazy and think the vegetarians want the crap the vegans want - so yit's almost impossible to get a veggie dish with realy dairy products, or one that isn't made to look and taste like a piece of fucking meat (which is what most veggies are trying to avoid!)

I am veggie and dont believe in forcing food choices onto people. I also dont eat any fake meat. But most canteens wont know how to cook decent veggie or vegan food.

It's a way of saving money - give the staff food they don't want to eat so lots gets wasted, then use this as an excuse not to provide food in future because the staff don't eat it.

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

If it isn't part of your contractual agreement, they can provide whatever they like. If you think the policy will result in greater food waste, then point out that it might not be as sustainable as they think, and perhaps suggest some better alternatives that will be eaten. Good vegetable samosas always disappear in no time, for example.

Nobody is taking away your choice about what you eat, though. You can eat what you like, but that doesn't mean that the company is obliged to provide your chosen menu.

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?! 😆

Some do!

Then allow me 😂
How often are these meetings happening? I'd just suck it up and eat later.

As a vegetarian who has attended work conferences for 2 decades where only 1 veggie option is offered amongst a sea of meaty ones, I would say YABU. It's the meat eaters turn to not like the options, we veggies have served our time!

"at the same time as the expensive and resource consuming rebrand"

Jaguar??

My mum told us dinner was sausages and mash the other day, and asked us if the meal was good.

We all politely thanked her and enthused about the sausages as was obviously expected. We were smugly told they were vegan, which was already obvious.

Except my one year old wasn't in on the social niceties, and fiercely resisted any attempts to have any. He even took some out of my mouth and put it back on the plate when I tried to do the "yummy" thing parents do when kids won't eat something.

Your choices arent being taken away because the food your company provides isn’t to your taste.
It’s a bloody sandwich, if you can’t have the occasional meat free lunch that’s not your employers problem. Scoff some chicken after your meeting is done.

Why would eating vegetarian food make you ill?

It hink you're being quite precious about this. If they are providing food you can eat then what is the big deal? How often do you have dept get together...can't be more than once or twice a month.

Besides, if you want to consume meat 'thoughtfully' I doubt that's what most prepacked sandwiches contain.

Yabu, it's free food. Sometimes my company provides free food that i don't like, so I take/buy my own

Take some pocket meat. Pork pie is ideal

That's the exact food I want as a veggie.

YABU. It's one meal. Sometimes I don't like the food offered at team meals so I just leave it. I'm a meat eater but I don't need to eat meat at every meal.

But fake meat isn't very sustainable or healthy, no?

Veggies don't eat meat for lots of reasons, environmental is often far down the list. Yet we get all the stick when businesses pull this sort of thing.
I rarely eat fake meat, but do have lots of fake dairy.
I will say I've spent many a work meal as a vegan literally just eating dry bread. So tiny violin.

I don't know why people think vegetarian/vegan food is special weirdy food that's only suitable for or attractive to vegetarians and vegans.

Does no-one ever eat hummus, salads, pittas, falafels?

Onion bhajis, vegetable samosas?

Cheese or egg sandwiches?

Spanish omelette, pizza?

Crisps, bread?

Salads?

This, and I'm not even vegan or vegetarian!
It includes nearly everyone in my eyes - vegans, vegetarians, meat eaters, allergy sufferers, you can all find something.
If it's just "but I know I won't like it!" then that's not the caterers fault, is it?!

I am meat fan, wouldn't have issue with veggie buffet at work BUT I do not abide by fake meat and vegan "cheese". If most options had that in I would be grumpy too.
There are so many actually nice and healthy veg options I am eyerolling whenever these are whisked up somewhere.
Also shame about stupid names like cauliflower buffalo wings. Mate, it's a buffalo cauliflower bite. Just call it that

I do understand, but from the perspective that I like plain and simple. I am happy with a ham sandwich, or an egg mayo, or a cheese one. What I don't like are sandwiches or quiches etc. with lots of different things in them, especially vegetables, and I don't like avocado or red/green peppers which pop up a lot. I often struggle with a buffet. Pizza slices often have veg on them, or spicy meat - or both!

When I used to have to attend functions and I thought I would struggle, I had a small pack of biscuits in my bag and I would snaffle one every now and again.

It's difficult to provide food that everyone likes, so I wouldn't complain. I wouldn't mind a meat free buffet as long as there were some basic, simple, plain options and it wasn't pretend meat. That is just wrong!

I’m guessing you might work at a Uni. YABU- the problem is shit catering and mass catering is often shit.
i went to a conf in another European country, all lunch was veggie with vegan options and it was delicious. No one worrying that all the veggies options would be gone.
is the food inedible to you or are you just foot stamping?