{"id":91699,"date":"2018-11-08T11:17:49","date_gmt":"2018-11-08T10:17:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=91699"},"modified":"2026-01-20T10:30:24","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T09:30:24","slug":"nearly-800-students-sign-petition-for-more-milk-alternatives-in-campus-coffee","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2018\/11\/08\/nearly-800-students-sign-petition-for-more-milk-alternatives-in-campus-coffee\/","title":{"rendered":"Nearly 800 students sign petition for more milk alternatives in campus coffee"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two EUR students would like to see coffee outlets on campus offer more vegetable alternatives to cow\u2019s milk. The petition they started soon gained over 800 signatures. And campus supermarket Spar has also heeded their call: they\u2019ve promised to stock one of their vending machines with soy milk.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/figure>

Psychology students Sara and Anaelle of the Erasmus Food Lab set up the petition<\/a> to show coffee vendors that there\u2019s sufficient demand for vegan alternatives. Sara: \u201cWalking through town, you can find alternatives to cow\u2019s milk almost everywhere. Except on campus: one of the few options you have is grabbing a 4 euro cup of coffee at Starbucks. The machines and cafeterias only sell cow\u2019s milk.\u201d<\/p>\n

Inclusive<\/h2>

According to Sara and Anaelle, there are a number of reasons why students don\u2019t want to drink cow\u2019s milk. Dairy production has a massive environmental footprint, for example. \u201cBut what a lot of people also forget is that by exclusively offering cow\u2019s milk, you actually exclude a large group of people,\u201d says Sara. \u201cLactose intolerance is a common condition, especially among people from East Asia. As an inclusive university, it is important to at any rate offer a range of different options \u2013 whatever reason students might have to pass up on ordinary milk.\u201d<\/p>\n

Walking across campus, we find several companies that already offer non-dairy alternatives. Erasmus Pavilion, Starbucks and New Fork, for example, all sell soy, oat or almond milk for a modest surcharge.<\/p>\n

Spar takes note<\/h2>

After seeing the petition, campus supermarket Spar also decided to start offering soy-based cappuccinos and lattes through its well-known vending machines. Local manager Joren Sikkema: \u201cThe petition popped up in our WhatsApp group, and we decided to act on it straight away. We refill our machines with fresh milk every day. So we decided to reserve one of them for soy milk. We\u2019ve already sourced the milk, so all that\u2019s left to do is negotiate the price with our supplier.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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

Latest news<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t