Forest of Dean District Council Offices by M J Richardson - CC BY-SA 2.0
On 25/07/24 councillors at the Full Council meeting of Forest of Dean District Council voted to approve a motion promoting plant-based eating.
The motion called for the council to ensure plant-based options are available and clearly advertised at all council events and meetings, and to further promote the advantages of a diet rich in plant-based foods.
Local supporters of the Plant-Based Councils campaign say this is the logical and necessary next step after declaring a climate emergency [1].
This decision comes on the heels of a decision made by councillors at Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council to adopt a fully plant-based catering policy [2].
Councillors at Forest of Dean District Council have voted to approve a motion calling for a range of changes related to the promotion of plant-based diets.
Tabled by Jacob Sanders, councillor for Cinderford West, the motion called for the council to: ensure that plant-based options are available at all events catered for by the council; encourage the promotion of plant-based foods by organisations and businesses in the district; promote the advantages of a diet rich in plant foods to all residents in line with the recommendations of the Eat-Lancet commission [3].
Explaining his reasoning for the motion, Cllr. Sanders said:
“. . . regardless of your politics, beliefs, financial status - this is in your interest. We all need a world to live in. We need to find ways of making this transition in a way that doesn’t undermine anyone’s lifestyle and doesn’t take away people’s livelihoods . . . we need to do it in a planned and managed way, and all tiers of government need to be a part of that.”
The decision by councillors to approve the motion comes after similar issues have been raised by other councils. Earlier this week, councillors at Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council approved a policy implementing fully plant-based catering for council events and meetings [2]. Last week, Dacorum Borough Council committed to vegetarian internal catering, and a proposal for a plant-based catering policy for North Devon District Council saw backlash from local farmers [4].
This motion comes after lobbying from the Plant-Based Councils campaign [1], requesting that the council follows other councils around the country in promoting healthy plant-based eating as the logical and necessary next step after having declared a climate emergency. The Plant-Based Councils campaign believes that local authorities have an opportunity and a duty to lead the way in normalising plant-based eating, which is necessary if we are to tackle the climate emergency.
ENDS.
For more information or further comments, please contact press@plantbasedcouncils.org
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NOTES TO EDITORS:
[4] Dacorum Borough Council moves to vegetarian internal catering: https://www.hemeltoday.co.uk/news/politics/council/dacorum-borough-council-moves-to-vegetarian-internal-catering-4707649
Farmers rebel against plant-based council plan:
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