We need more vegetarian and vegan options at Birmingham

University of Birmingham’s campus doesn’t have the variety of vegan and vegetarian food choices that it should have. As a vegetarian myself, I know that if I want to meet with friends for lunch on campus, I’ll have to compromise and either eat junk food, or just eat at home.

Recently, a petition came out asking for more vegetarian and vegan options for the students on campus. This petition has been started by Nicky Woods, a third year who is the president of the Vegetarian and Vegan Society, and the Ethical and Environmental Officer at the Guild of Students.

When she ran for the EEO position one of her manifesto points was more meat-free options and awareness of the environmental impact of animal agriculture. Now that she has been elected, she is trying to make this happen, believing it is time for a change.

According to Nicky, “currently the vegan options at the guild are pretty poor, even with the new menu in Joe’s”.

The Guild of Students is currently working on a new street food outlet, which opens the opportunity to include more vegan options in it. In order to encourage the guild to do so, Nicky is trying to show them there is demand for it.

Another purpose of the petition is to encourage the Guild to support the Meatless Monday campaign. For those who haven’t heard of it yet, this campaign motivates people around the world to reduce their meat consumption by not eating any meat products on Mondays.

It’s based on the belief that it will improve one’s health and reduce the environmental damage caused by the meat industry. Many venues around the world already adjusted their menu to include more vegetarian and vegan options on Mondays. UoB still doesn’t do this.

The negative impact on the environment caused by the meat industry makes this issue relevant for all of us. The industry is responsible for 18 per cent  of greenhouse gas emissions and for 20-33 per cent of all fresh water consumption in the world. Even if you don’t care about animal rights, this information should concern you.

So far over 500 people have signed the petition. If you too believe there should be more vegetarian and vegan food options on campus, sign the petition here.