Research shows importance of public procurement of vegan options

The report proposes that the procurement of plant-based proteins in public sector settings will help the ‘alternative protein sector’ (such as plant-based meats) and will help drive down the costs involved to the companies and consumers, which will also help encourage consumers to eat more plant-based foods.

It then went on to find that if vegan alternatives displace 20% of meat sold globally, up to 8 million km² of land used for livestock farming could be redeployed for climate-positive schemes.

Animal Aid and other organisations have long called for vegan options to be mandatory on all public sector menus, combined with a decrease in food items containing animal products. This would put the public sector at the forefront of tackling the climate crisis, along with helping reduce animal suffering.

Recently, local authorities and universities have embraced such a measure, with Edinburgh becoming the first capital city in Europe to endorse the Plant Based Treaty, which means it only serves vegan food at all public events.