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University of The West of England Students Vote “Yes” On Moving Towards Plant-Based Menus

  • universities5
  • May 28
  • 3 min read


University Students from the University of the West of England holding a banner reading "Plant-Based University: End The Climate Crisis" in the sun, in front of their university

  • At a Student Council meeting, student representatives at the University of the West of England’s Students’ Union voted to support their catering moving to 60% plant-based catering in the next academic year, with gradual 10% increases until 100% thereafter [1].

  • The move comes amidst similar votes at universities across the UK and Mainland Europe, most recently in Sweden and Switzerland. The decision at the University of the West of England’s Students’ Union was made after three voting stages: a student petition, the Executive Committee, and the Student Council [2]. 

  • The Plant-Based Universities campaign has said that “it’s clear what students want from their universities in the face of the climate crisis” as pressure grows for universities to lead by example and switch to plant-based menus.


Students at the University of the West of England have put their voices behind calls to transition to sustainable catering on campus. They join the likes of Cambridge, Birmingham, Bristol, and Imperial College London in passing similar motions.


Aoife Phillips,  a Master’s Student in Sustainable Food Systems at the University of the West of England, said:
“We’re delighted that our Students’ Council has taken this positive step and supported calls for a just and sustainable transition towards plant-based menus here. We’re looking forward to collaborating on making this a reality in a way that serves the needs of students and staff alike. We know that a sustainable food system is plant-based and are overjoyed to be part of working towards that in our university and students’ union.”

The motion highlighted the university’s Climate and Ecological Declaration, made in 2020, and its Sustainable Food 2030 commitments as steps in the right direction, whilst calling for stronger and more forward-thinking measures [3]. The policy also highlighted the gross inefficiency of animal farming; A 2019 Harvard study calculated that approximately 83% of global farmland is associated with animal farming, whilst only providing 19% of dietary calories [4].


Campaigners at the university now plan to work with catering teams within the Students’ Union and the University to realise the results of the motion in a set of cost-friendly, nutritious, and tasty menus.


Ivana Mena, a 1st year Mechanical Engineering student at the University of the West of England, said:
“We’re in the midst of a climate crisis, and action is required across every level of society. Universities are institutions with huge amounts of social responsibility and power, they ought to be using this to safeguard their students’ futures. 
With the impacts of the climate crisis worsening across the planet, now is absolutely the time to act local and think global. This move at the University of the West of England is doing just that.”

Plant-Based Universities is an international network of students who are campaigning for their universities and student unions to adopt 100% plant-based catering [5]. The group believes that universities should follow the scientific research that they produce on the environmental impacts of animal farming and fishing. The campaign is active in over 50 institutions, with the group encouraging interested students to sign up to run local campaigns. The campaign is part of an ecosystem of projects working to create a just and sustainable transition towards a plant-based food system.


ENDS


Word Count: 547

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Notes To Editors:


[1] The motion proposed:

“Plant-Based Universities Campaign for a transition to 60% plant-based catering and pre-packaged food at the SU by the end of the academic year 2025/26 with a 10% increase year on year, subject to a financial and social review.”

Please note that the impact of this motion does not extend to University-operated catering.

Confirmation of the outcome can be obtained from the University of the West of England Students’ Union via thestudentsunion@uwe.ac.uk

 
 
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