Cambridge Student Union criticised after voting for vegan menu

The union voted earlier to “initiate talks” with catering services about removing all animal products from cafes and canteens

Cambridge Student Union have been criticised after voting to push for a completely vegan menu across its catering services.

The union voted earlier this week to “initiate talks” with central catering services about removing all animal products from its cafes and canteens, creating a “sustainable and 100% plant-based” menu.

The decision came after lobbying from Cambridge’s Plant Based Universities campaign, which is supported by Animal Rebellion, an offshoot of Extinction Rebellion.

However, the decision does not guarantee that all of Cambridge’s catering services will go fully vegan, as the power to change food policies lies with the university.

The vote also does not directly apply to the university’s 31 colleges, although the campaign said that it provided “an extremely strong mandate for colleges to begin transitioning to 100% plant-based menus”.

In 2016, the university's catering services removed beef and lamb from all its menus citing environmental concerns.

However, in 2019, it was accused of hypocrisy after an FOI request revealed that at the same period of time since banning red meat, they spent some nearly £13.5m on flights, amounting to 17,545 take-offs.

250 flights were to cities reachable by train from Cambridge or London, including Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Brussels and Paris.

Shortly before the figures were released, speaking in September 2019, Prof Andrew Balmford a professor of Conservation Science at the University, said it had 'dramatically reduced their environmental footprint'.

He said: “It is hard to imagine any other interventions that could yield such dramatic benefits in so short span of time.”

Responding to the recent vote, Mo Metcalf-Fisher, a spokesperson for the Countryside Alliance said it was an ‘attack on freedom of choice’.

“[It] sadly shows a misunderstanding about the reality of livestock farming in the UK,” he added.

“It’s often the case that radical motions passed by students’ unions are made up of a small minority of the wider student body, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the vast bulk of students felt alienated by this decision”

He added: “Cambridge Student Union would be much better off sourcing local meat and dairy produce instead, rather than adopt a policy which could likely see highly processed plant-based alternatives transported in from across the globe.

“Cambridge University should demonstrate their support for sustainable UK farmers by ensuring they continue to supply meat and dairy, irrespective of what its students’ union decide to do”.