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Cambridge University’s Students’ Union (SU) has voted to make its catering 100% plant-based.
Student representatives voted for the University of Cambridge to “provide exclusively plant-based food in all its internal operations and at all events and meetings”.
The motion was put forward by members of Plant-Based Cambridge (PBCam), a student-led environmental group that is working with the University of Cambridge to transition to accessible, plant-based catering.
Last year, Cambridge students passed a motion to support similar initiatives within University Catering Services (UCS), which manages several cafeterias around the university.
PBCam campaigner William Smith said in a statement: “Following last year’s vote, it’s only logical that SU should also make its catering entirely plant-based. It’s only a small change, but it sets the stage ‘s precedent is important for climate action and environmental justice.”
Students lead climate action
Plant-Based Cambridge runs a number of events locally, involving students, academics and catering managers from colleges and departments across the University.
Since the vote last year, PBCam has been working with UCS to transition its stores to be entirely plant-based.
A branch of the PBCam campaign is dedicated to helping universities align their investments with their ethical and environmental principles. Students involved in the campaign said this involved abandoning livestock farming altogether, which would help “erode its social licence”.
Dozens of institutions, including the University of Stirling and London Metropolitan University, have taken steps to make their meals 100% plant-based over the past few years. Meanwhile, more than 650 academics have signed an open letter calling on universities to transition away from livestock farming.
Plant-based dining promotes environmental justice
Motion passed by Cambridge SU argues that entirely plant-based dining will help fight environmental injustice and “eliminate [the SU’s] Connect with an industry that profits from the death and destruction of communities around the world. “
One student backing the motion said the shift to plant-based dining represents “an institutional boycott and divestment of the worst harms in our food system” and would “send a powerful signal to industrial livestock companies that they cannot Continue to disproportionately harm communities through violence, brutality and disregard for human and animal life.”
PBCam campaigner Haley Huang said: “All communities deserve access to clean water and air, safe housing and freedom from exploitation.”
Plant-based menus follow climate science
Peer-reviewed studies from top universities have repeatedly shown that moving to a plant-based food system will bring huge climate benefits. For example, the livestock industry accounts for about 60% of greenhouse gas emissions from global food production.
Farmed animals also cause a range of other environmental problems, including water pollution and deforestation.
Dr. Chris McDonald, Research Fellow at the Institute for Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability, said: “The livestock industry is inefficient (the world’s livestock use as much land as the Americas), harmful (it is one of the leading sources of greenhouse gases) and gases emissions) and unethically (more than 80 billion land animals are needlessly bred, imprisoned and slaughtered every year).”
Cambridge University’s climate commitment
The latest vote by Cambridge University Students’ Union is part of a major shift in Cambridge’s catering industry.
Earlier this year, CamEATS ZERO, a campus-wide sustainable food task force, made “increasing the proportion of plant-based meals” a top priority.
As a first step, the plan aims to make at least half of college meals plant-based. Their work to date includes award-winning plant-based restaurant Stem & Glory and Tipsy Vegan’s plant-based gourmet chef training program.
Andrew Balmford, professor of conservation science and member of the CamEATS Zero Working Group, said in the statement: “Shifting to a plant-based diet is critical to mitigating the catastrophic consequences of climate change and the extinction crisis. Few other actions can make the difference in a short period of time.” Such a huge benefit.”
Since its launch in October 2022, Plant-Based Cambridge has worked closely with CamEATS ZERO, Cambridge Zero, the Cambridge SU Ethical Affairs Campaign, the Cambridge SU Black and Minority Ethnic Environmental Justice Campaign and the wider plant-based university movement. In 2023, PBCam’s coordinator received the Chancellor’s Sustainability Social Impact Award. The event was also shortlisted for Cambridge University’s Event Impact Award that year.
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