{"id":135254,"date":"2022-01-27T11:09:30","date_gmt":"2022-01-27T10:09:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=135254"},"modified":"2026-01-20T09:59:54","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T08:59:54","slug":"fully-vegan-campus-consistent-with-the-universitys-values","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2022\/01\/27\/fully-vegan-campus-consistent-with-the-universitys-values\/","title":{"rendered":"Fully vegan campus \u2018consistent with the university\u2019s values\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Should the campus of Erasmus University become completely vegan? Opinions differ. To be consistent, it seems likely, but it will not be easy.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>

According to behavioural economics specialist Jan Stoop (Erasmus School of Economics), EUR is lagging behind from an international perspective with the transition to a fully vegan campus. The University of Cambridge started this process already in 2016, for example. A vegan assortment has been proven<\/a> to be better for the environment. But why should we want this? And is it feasible?<\/p>\n

Morally obliged<\/h2>

According to Stoop, the university is \u2018morally obliged\u2019 to strive towards a fully vegan campus. In his opinion, a non-vegan campus infringes animal rights and that is inconsistent with the university\u2019s values.<\/p>\n

Stoop explained, \u2018At the university, it goes without saying that we value rational and consistent arguments.\u2019 He assumes that most members of the academic community would want their activities to cause as little suffering as practically possible.<\/p>\n

Intelligence level of a cow<\/h2>

He also considers it inconsistent that slaughtering people is unacceptable, while slaughtering a cow is acceptable. Any difference between slaughtering a cow or a human is \u2018illusory\u2019, claimed Stoop.<\/p>\n

\u2018If you argue, for example, that a cow can be slaughtered because of its lower level of intelligence, we can probably find a person who objectively speaking has a lower level of intelligence than the cow.\u2019 And if you are comfortable with people being slaughtered just so you can eat a hamburger, then you are against human rights and that does not align with the university\u2019s values, he argued.<\/p>\n

The only logical conclusion is thus that the campus should become entirely vegan. Rationale: \u2018Every free choice can only be free when you are not harming others, including animals.\u2019<\/p>\n

Not feasible<\/h2>

But is a fully vegan campus feasible? Michel Flaton, manager of catering company Vitam, is sceptical about that.<\/p>\n

Vitam is willing to change, said Flaton. \u2018In recent years the company\u2019s assortment has already begun to include vegetarian options, and for every meat option still on the menu, there is a vegan alternative.\u2019<\/p>\n

According to him there are various practical problems involved in transforming the company completely.<\/p>\n

First of all, an entirely vegan assortment is not cost-effective for the company. Flaton added, \u201cCirca 20 percent of the products that we sell is vegan. That is disproportionate to the rest. We sell about half as much of them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Limited assortment<\/h2>

The problem starts with the suppliers, continued Flaton. The company can exert little influence over the assortment of wholesaler Sligro that Vitam buys from. \u201cThey do not have so many vegan products and ingredients for vegan recipes, and we cannot buy products ourselves, like Albert Heijn does. We just don\u2019t have that negotiating position.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to him, most of the visitors to his restaurants are not vegan. \u2018I see plenty of people ordering a vegan sandwich with vegetables and then slathering it with cream cheese.\u2019 As long as the demand is not there, he argues for improving the mix of products in the campus restaurants. \u2018We can make the meat products more expensive and expand the vegan options.\u2019<\/p>\n

The barrier to a completely vegan menu described by Flaton lies primarily with his customers. \u2018After all, we cannot force people not to eat any more meat or dairy products.\u2019<\/p>\n

Do more<\/h2>

The Erasmus community could also do more to change, according to a survey conducted by EUC student Joachim Strzelecki. He interviewed EUR staff members and experts involved in developing a vegan assortment in the campus restaurants at other universities. \u2018The best thing the university could do is to organise a series of events that focus on embracing plant-based protein products at which people who have experience with living a vegan lifestyle can talk to people who know little about it.\u2019<\/p>\n

Strzelecki\u2019s possible solution resonates with Flaton\u2019s ideas. \u201cMeatless Mondays<\/em> every week would be a fun way to acquaint people with a completely vegan menu.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meeting lunches<\/h2>

Some steps have already been taken to make the campus more meat-free. Meeting lunches are routinely vegetarian<\/a> (vegan<\/a> at Stoop\u2019s faculty), and in 2014 there was an initiative called Meat-Free Mondays<\/em><\/a> on the campus, in response to the documentary Cowspiracy<\/em> about abuses in the meat industry. That initiative faded away, however.<\/p>\n\t

\n\t\t

The viewpoints in this article reflect the discussion of the \u2018Let\u2019s Talk Sustainability\u2019<\/a> event organised by the Design Impact Transition<\/a> platform and the EUR Sustainability Programme.\u00a0 <\/a><\/p>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t

De redactie<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t
\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t