Nottingham City Council has stated that they will go 100% plant-based at their meetings from the end of this month. Councillor Sam Lux announced the change at today’s Full Council following a public question from a Plant-Based Councils supporter.
On 9/9/24, Nottingham City Council announced that they would be implementing a plant-based catering policy for food and drink at internal meetings at the end of the month, following a question from a local resident.
Local supporters of the Plant-Based Councils campaign praise this announcement and say this is a logical and necessary step after declaring a climate emergency and an essential step on the journey to net zero [1].
Similar policies have been implemented at Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council, Oxfordshire County Council and Exeter City Council [2][3][4].
Nottingham City Councillor Sam Lux, Executive Member for Carbon Reduction, Leisure and Culture, responded to a question at today’s meeting of the Full Council, confirming that a plant-based catering policy will be implemented at all meetings from 30/9/24. Ruby Mucenieks, 31, and a local supporter of the campaign submitted the written question in advance of the meeting [5].
Councillor Sam Lux responded to the public question at today’s meeting saying [6]:
“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.”
Ilana Parrwood, 26, a local supporter that ran a Plant-Based Councils stall at Nottingham Green Festival on Sunday (8/9/24), said:
“I want to thank Councillor Lux and Nottingham City Council for their fantastic announcement today. Plant-Based Councils have been campaigning here for over a year and it has been amazing to see our support grow exponentially. So many people want to get involved and help raise awareness of this vital opportunity we have around our food and drink. It’s widely accepted now that plant-based food and drinks bring so many benefits, particularly around helping our wildlife via emissions reductions and land-use improvements, so it’s great to see Nottingham City Council leading by example. We look forward to continued dialogue with the council to build further on this success.”
This policy comes after lobbying from the Plant-Based Councils campaign [1], requesting that Nottingham City Council follows other local authorities around the country in promoting healthy plant-based eating as the logical and necessary next step after having declared a climate emergency. The 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.
Councils across the country have been debating the issue of plant-based catering. In July, Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council committed to 100% plant-based catering, Dacorum Borough Council committed to default vegetarian internal catering by next year, and a proposal for a plant-based catering policy for North Devon District Council was put forward and debated despite backlash from local farmers [2][7][8].
ENDS.
For more information or further comments, please contact press@plantbasedcouncils.org
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NOTES TO EDITORS:
[2]
[3] https://news.exeter.gov.uk/council-pledges-to-raise-awareness-of-the-benefits-of-plant-based-food/
[5] Written question submitted in advance (PQ3):
“The science is clear that meat and dairy are major contributors to the climate and ecological emergencies. Other councils, for example Oxfordshire County, Oxford City, Cambridge City, Exeter City and Calderdale Borough, are ensuring that all food served at internal events is plant-based, and I’d like Nottingham City to do the same. Therefore, my question is, given the climate emergency and Nottingham’s stated aim to reduce their emissions and be net zero by 2028, will Nottingham City Council ensure that all food and drink provided at internal events is plant-based, as other councils have done? This is the logical and necessary next step after having declared a climate emergency and signals clear intent to protect nature.”
[6] Recording of Councillor Lux’s response to the question: https://youtu.be/8ZgZVmByiu8
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