It’s far easier to live a meat-free lifestyle these days than it was ten years ago, with McDonald’s, Wetherspoons and basically every big food outlet now offering their own take on a plant-based burger. And now, in a sign veganism is properly mainstream, even that most stuffy and old-fashioned of establishments, Cambridge University, could be one step closer to going fully (yes, fully) vegan.
The Cambridge Student Union recently voted to push for a completely vegan menu across its catering services. The motion was backed by 72 percent of non-abstaining student representatives, calling for a change that could help fight the ‘climate and biodiversity crises’.
In practice, the change would mean removing all animal products from campus cafes and canteens in favour of a ‘sustainable and 100 percent plant-based’ menu.
However, the power to change food policies lies with the university, and the decision as stands is only for the student union to ‘initiate talks’ with central catering services. But it’s not the first time there’s been a big change: back in 2016, the university catering services removed beef and lamb from all of its menus.
The vote followed lobbying from Cambridge’s Plant-Based Universities campaign, a nationwide group of students in more than 40 institutions who are campaigning for their universities to adopt fully plant-based catering. Sure, it might be a small step in the grand scheme of things, but it’s certainly setting a good example as we look for new ways to tackle the climate emergency.