The council is following in the footsteps of others around the country such as Exeter, Cambridge and Oxford who have already switched to plant-based catering. Nottingham City Council says it will include plant-based milks, biscuits and other foods.
This policy comes after lobbying from the Plant-Based Councils campaign, which believes that local authorities have an opportunity and a duty to lead the way in normalising plant-based eating.
Nottingham City Councillor Sam Lux, executive member for carbon reduction, leisure and culture, said: “I am really happy to say that after discussing with officers at the end of last week, I can confirm now that from Monday 30th September we will only have plant-based internal catering from Nottingham Catering at Loxley House.
“So this will include plant-based milks, biscuits and other foods, and we will also plan a week of promotion of dairy milk alternatives in October for staff to try plant-based milk in their drinks from the coffee bar at Loxley, substituting for all drinks unless specifically requested otherwise. This obviously is to encourage our employees to try these alternatives and to actually increase their uptake.
“I would also like to take the opportunity to mention that our Carbon Neutral 2028 Action Plan includes a list of food-related actions, reflecting our awareness of its significant contribution to the city’s footprint - particularly the high-carbon impact of meat and dairy products.”