There’s still meat in UvA canteens, though the majority now eat plant-based
It’s Meat & Dairy-free Week again. In five years, meat consumption in UvA canteens has decreased significantly. Still, the sale of animal products has not been completely renounced, although catering is also increasingly focusing on plant-based products. “Our goal now is 70 percent vegetable and 30 percent meat. We want to raise that to 80/20.”
The intent of Meat & Dairy-free Week is to eat or drink no meat and dairy products for seven days. But for the UvA, that’s still a step too far. While more plant-based offerings are being made, meat is still on the menu, though more hidden, says Rob Szrama of caterer Cirfood.
“We still believe in freedom of choice,” Szrama said. “But we are offering less meat and dairy this week. For example, throughout March we are highlighting products from the vegetarian butcher and students who buy it can win prizes, such as tickets to Walibi or the Efteling. At the Science Park, instead of offering two meat sandwiches, we now offer one, which we put a little less in plain sight. This way we try to entice students who normally choose meat to eat vegetarian or vegan.”
This is because the latter—eating vegetarian or vegan—has become increasingly popular. While more than 42 percent of people in UvA canteens still ate meat in 2019, this dropped to only 28 percent by 2023, Cirfood figures show. In 2019, nearly 13 percent ate vegan; last year it was nearly a quarter. The proportion of people who chose the vegetarian option remained stable above 40 percent.
Better for the environment
Currently, the caterer Cirfood offers around 70 percent plant-based products, compared to 30 percent meat. But that may change in the future. “We want to raise that to 80/20,” Szrama said. The caterer is in talks with Facility Services about this, but cannot give a firm date for when this objective might be reached.
“We believe that plant-based food is better for the environment,” Szrama says. “And we also see that vegetarian and vegan products are evolving tremendously in terms of taste and quality. So there are also more and more interesting alternatives for the meat-eater.”
The caterer also still offers “minimal” products from ruminants, such as beef or mutton. This was agreed upon in the so-called “Sustainability White Paper” in 2021. Szrama says: “Completely avoiding them is very difficult, because we also utilize products from manufacturers who use them, such as for soup broth. But we hardly sell roast beef or carpaccio anymore. A kilo of beef is very bad for the environment. So we prefer to use chicken, or better yet, vegetarian options.”
