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Vegetarian lunches become the norm

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The Erasmus University faculties have all adopted an initiative of the University Council to make vegetarian products the standard option for lunch orders. While faculties can still ask for cold meats, they need to explicitly indicate this in their orders.

More about eating habits at EUR

This change applies to the meals ordered for e.g. employee meetings. It doesn’t apply to orders placed in the cafeteria or other catering establishments on campus. Up till now, the campus caterer Vitam included a variety of fillings like cold meats and cheese as a standard part of its lunch deliveries. While Vitam also offered vegetarian and vegan options, these needed to be specified beforehand on the order. This arrangement has now been reversed.

Setting a new standard

Recently appointed Rector Magnificus Rutger Engels applauded the initiative during the final University Council meeting of this academic year. “It may seem like a minor change, but it actually sets a new standard. Future generations of students in Rotterdam will learn that the normal option is vegetarian.”

The University Council borrowed the idea of introducing vegetarian lunches from Erasmus School of Economics. At ESE, they have even taken things a step further. There, behavioural economist Jan Stoop successfully argued for making vegan lunches the norm unless explicitly requested otherwise. The other faculties won’t be taking it that far: this move couldn’t count on widespread support within the University Council.

Mixed feelings

In a comment by e-mail, Jan Stoop says he has mixed feelings about the initiative of the university to introduce vegetarian meals by default. “On the one hand, it is a step in the right direction to reduce meat consumption. On the other hand, I think it is a missed opportunity. Vegetarian food causes a much greater burden on the environment than vegan food. Why wouldn’t EUR go for a maximal impact? Caterer Vitam has proven to serve very tasty vegan food, so I will continue to enjoy it at the ESE.”

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3 reacties

  1. Frederick Thielen op 5 July 2018 om 12:58

    A very good call from EUR! Vegan food would have indeed been an even larger step but Rome wasn’t built in a day and I already hear some colleagues complaining about this little step (which should be no excuse to go all the way though).

  2. FG op 5 July 2018 om 13:02

    It never seizes to amaze me how little there is to do at this university if this is the kind of thing that is being discussed on a regular basis. Not one second or cent should have been wasted in this topic, making vegetarian the “default” lunch changes nothing. I’m not even going on the topic of vegetarians being an overwhelming minority and this being portrayed as a being fair or just is just outright wrong. Anyway, everyone should feel blessed that this is the problems you are faced with, you have no idea how little of a problem this is for the rest of the world.

  3. Professor Hercules E. Haralambides op 5 July 2018 om 21:29

    Amazing the things we find of importance, and on which we spend our time, when the world is turning upside down, with Europe becoming a follower, exactly because of the things we are deciding to spend our time upon and the politicians we choose to make them happen. To quote François Mitterrand, “when Europe opens its mouth this is just in order to yawn”. I would add “and to eat what we are told it’s good for us to eat”…

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