Starting Tuesday 4 October this year – World Animal Day - work lunches ordered at UT caterer Appèl will be vegetarian by default. The change concerns lunches ordered via Appèl's banqueting website: the selection in the canteens on campus will not change. If you prefer meat with your lunch, you can indicate this in the comments field; exactly the opposite of the current situation. UT is introducing this so-called 'reverse standard' because vegetarian dishes have a lower CO2-footprint than dishes with meat. The land and water use of vegetarian food is also lower.
Diversity and freedom of choice
A standard working lunch will from now on consist of sandwiches with a variety of vegetarian toppings. If you prefer meat with your lunch, you will get 50% meat and 50% vegetarian toppings, just as with the current standard lunch. In this way, freedom of choice is preserved. As usual, other wishes (e.g. gluten-free or halal) can also be communicated via the comments field.
Carbon footprint
The introduction of the standard vegetarian working lunch follows from the Sustainability, Energy & Environment (SEE)-programme of the UT. The change contributes to our goal of reducing the carbon footprint of our food and drinks by 15% by 2023 and by 50% by 2030. More on this can be found on the sustainability website. The precise impact of the change on our carbon footprint will be monitored by the SEE programme. With the change, UT follows several other Dutch universities, such as Erasmus University and several other (semi)-government organisations, and in turn hopes to inspire others to do the same.
Information meeting
On Wednesday 28 September from 12:00 to 13:00, CFM organises an information meeting with a tasting of the new lunch selection for colleagues who regularly order a work lunch. They will receive an invitation. Didn't receive an invitation but interested in this meeting? Then send an e-mail to Birgit Dragtstra. You can also contact her with other questions.
