Campaigners say that there is the potential for England to become the first country in Europe to enshrine a right to good quality, affordable, plant-based food in law.
Louise Davies, head of campaigns, policy and research at The Vegan Society, said: “The government is responsible for ensuring that our public sector provides for vegans in the UK and the proposed legislation would assist in fulfilling that obligation.
“Provision for vegans in the public sector I lacking, with hospital patients and school children often going hungry.
“We hope that vegans and non-vegans alike will agree on the importance of our petition and join us in urging institutions to provide healthy and environmentally-friendly vegan food.”
Veganism is a protected belief under the Equality Act 2010, but the Vegan Society say that many hospitals, schools, universities, councils and prisons fail to offer vegan food, with patients and schoolchildren ‘often going hungry’.
As part of the catering for everyone campaign, which has been encouraging public sector institutions to increase their plant based options, The Vegan Society will be at the political party conferences with fringe events and stalls, hoping to educate attendees about the rights of vegans and lobbying for change.
The petition can be viewed at: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/228078