The University of Winnipeg is getting ready to launch a new all-vegan menu at one of the campus’ main dining halls.

Diversity Food Services, U of W’s Campus Sustainability Office and Humane Society International/Canada’s ‘Forward Food’ program co-hosted a plant-based culinary training and gala event last week in preparation for the launch of a new all-vegan menu at The MALECÓN, in September 2020.

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Staff from the Forward Food program spent two days in the kitchen with the U of W’s chefs and cooks showing them the tricks on how to make very delicious plant-based food that they hope everyone will be excited to enjoy.

“One of my favourite quotes from the two days is when one of their cooks said to me after trying the plant-based Nachos cheese that we made that he said that this Nachos cheese tasted better than Nachos cheese which I thought was fantastic,” said Forward Food coordinator Lucy Cullen. “That’s what we’re really there to do, to show them that this is so much more exciting and acceptable and delicious than rice with some soggy tofu and veggies. It’s a lot more than that.”

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Following the culinary training, a gala was held where students and faculty learned about the benefits of plant-based eating and sampled some of the campus’s new menu items.

“We’re committed to putting more plants on the plate in line with Canada’s Food Guide so not necessarily converting (people) to a 100% vegan,” said Cullen. “We’re committed to that for a multitude of reasons: One being a sustainable future in food service that has a lot benefits for the planet and our carbon footprint; Another being the health impact of having more vegetables and fruits in our diet; and the third reason is being animal welfare and reducing the amount of animal byproducts and animals consumed in turns saves lives.”

Forward Food, a program of HSI/Canada that helps institutions and businesses offer more plant-based options, is working with Diversity Food Services to develop delicious, sustainable, plant-forward dining options that are made without any animal products.

Cullen said the goal is to appeal not just to vegans and vegetarians but also meat-eaters and those who prefer a flexitarian diet which involves a primarily vegetarian diet, but occasionally includes meat or fish.

“Part of the reason we work with universities and colleges – we work with restaurants and health care institutions as well – is that this is something that students are demanding,” said Cullen. “They’re looking for more plant-based options. (Also) These are the questions we are getting from higher education institutions. We’re getting them asking us, ‘How do we do this successfully?’ and that’s why we’re here to help.”

gdawkins@postmedia.com

Twitter: @SunGlenDawkins