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?

I can't eat wheat.
I'm lucky if there is anything I can eat at a work event (that I haven't brought myself) - and after a memorable 5am-10pm work trip which I was told was fully catered and allergen friendly, but the only food the catering company could find for me was an orange they'd planned to use as a garnish, I either take my own food, or have preresearched plans to order a takeaway delivered to the event if the food isn't acceptable.

I'd be horrified if the only food provided was the cardboard wheat/gluten free over processed crap, that while 'safe' to eat, barely qualifies as food.

Could you cater wheat free and provide a delicious nutritious meal with plenty of options, yes. Is this what happens, no.

So my recommendation is to stage a rebellion, and order locally produced pizza/sushi/your food of choice to be delivered fresh to your workplace, and eat it in front of the management team. Bonus points for loudly stating your disappointment in the lack of support for British/Scottish/Welsh/Irish/wherever you are based pig/cow/chicken farmers

It depends what it is. I can't eat mushrooms, quorn type things, lentils or chickpeas. This kind of limits what I can have and even more so if the food was vegan as I wouldn't be able to have egg.

@CharlotteStreetW1 you're absolutely right there.
For a very short while us vegetarians actually got a decent choice in restaurants and now once again we don’t. All the lovely cheesy foods are now made with awful vegan cheese.
Aparently, once again, we don’t get a choice.
We had to put up with meat only now it’s vegan only.
Im sick of it.

People are omnivores not carnivores.

It's not 'curious' to want to eat a falafel, egg sandwich or a piece of spanokopita, it's normal food that anyone could eat.

Just because people do eat meat doesn't mean they need or want everything to contain meat so they're likely to be selecting the things they like or choosing a variety of food so they don't end up with a plate of 'five ways of processed pork'.

Take a pack lunch with plenty of neat and pointedly munch loudly.

Dad turned veggie this year and we did try Quorn/TVP style meat replacement but we both decided it's pretty gross. I hate Tofu too, but DD likes it, however this is an ancient food, not stuff grown in a lab. So we eat a diet based on beans, pulses, nuts, veggies, and dairy foods. I am still a meat eater but it's cheaper to cook one meal over two.

I take issue with fake meat & milk anyway, it takes a lot of energy and added flavourings to make this fake nonsense taste nice. Sometimes there's so many chemicals and things I can't pronounce in this stuff I wonder how much better it is really over eating a fish fillet or a breast of chicken.

As for waste, OMG yes! I hate it. It's not sustainable if too much is being ordered and it's not eaten! All that time, energy, money and resources wasted.

DD not Dad

Depends a lot on what they are serving - not all veggie and vegan food is sustainable!

However if it's couscous, roasted veggies and hummus that sounds lovely

I don't eat fake meat, milk or cheese though - they aren't nice and quorn gives me stomach aches.

Quorn gives lots of people reaction. Dh throws up violently. Unfortunate found out while in a city centre....
There was at one point discussion that the ampunt of people who react, it should maybe be marked as proper allergen.