Campaigners are calling for vegan food to be offered everywhere (Picture: Getty Images)

Those of us who were vegetarian schoolchildren in the 90s will remember being served an ambiguous slab of matter and some lettuce leaves on a fairly regular basis.

Needless to say, we’ve come a long way over the last two decades. Vegetarians have fought the good fight, and most schools will now offer kids a fairly decent veggie option or two.

So with at least half a million in the UK, should public institutions such as schools, hospitals and prisons now be providing vegan meals as standard too?

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‘Put a VEGAN meal on every school, college, university, hospital and prison menu,’ a petition on the Parliament website, started by Judith Ward, says.




‘Over 5% of the population is vegan and growing. A vegan diet is healthier, it conserves resources and protects the planet, and above all it’s cruelty-free.

‘The United Nations has called upon us to consume more plant-based foods, [and] animal products are linked to an increase in cancer and heart disease.’

It’s attracted more than 1,000 signatures (Picture: Parliament.uk)

Despite only being posted on the site last night, it has already attracted more than 1,000 signatures at the time of writing.

Responding to the petition on Vegan UK, one of Facebook’s largest vegan groups, one woman wrote that her five-year-old daughter ‘gets fed chips most days as there is very little else she can eat in school’.

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‘She’s the only kid I know who says “Urgh… Not chips again”,’ she added.

Another added: ‘This needs to be done. All my daughter gets is jacket potato and beans.’

This isn’t a new issue, however. The Vegan Prisoners Support Group (VPSG) has long provided help, support and information to prisons on how to ensure vegan prisoners have access to decent food and cruelty-free bodycare products.

And the Vegan Society offers guidelines for parents on how to make sure their kid’s school provides vegan food – which essentially tells them to be prepared for a bit of a battle.

‘There absolutely ought to be vegan options in every single school, hospital and prison in the UK,’ Jimmy Pierson from the Vegan Society told Metro.co.uk.

‘It’s an area in which we’re actively campaigning. Veganism is a protected belief under equality and human rights laws in the UK. This means that vegans cannot be treated less favourably than non-vegans, and that a reasonable effort must be made by institutions like schools and other public bodies so as to avoid discrimination.

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‘The arguments for veganism are compelling. Animal agriculture denies animals even their most basic needs – they live shortened lives of pain and suffering.

‘In terms of our health, we know from independent major studies that a balanced vegan diet can be effective in preventing several cancers, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, strokes, and arthritis. Vegans also have lower rates of obesity than any other dietary group.

‘Environmentally, veganism is by far the most sustainable lifestyle. Animal agriculture is one of the leading causes of climate change, responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions (at least 14.5 per cent) than all global transport – cars, planes, trains, buses, boats, ships – combined. It is also widely acknowledged as the leading driver of deforestation, species extinction, habitat loss, water consumption and pollution.



‘By providing vegan options, these institutions are not just complying with UK equality laws, they’re catering for a fast-growing section of society, contributing to reducing climate change, offering healthier food, and reducing the suffering of animals.’

In response to the call for schools to have vegan options, a Department for Education spokesperson told Metro.co.uk: ‘We believe that head teachers, school governors and caterers are best placed to make decisions about their school food policies, taking into account local circumstances and the needs of their pupils.

‘In doing so, we expect schools to make reasonable adjustments for pupils with particular requirements.

‘School food policies work best when schools discuss them with parents and pupils, so that parents have the opportunity to raise pupils’ specific dietary needs.’

Metro.co.uk has contacted the Ministry of Justice for comment.