It all started with a petition circulated by the Portuguese
Vegetarian Society.
Garnering more than 15,000 signatures, the petition urged
the Portuguese government to mandate that vegan meals be offered in all public
canteens, including hospitals, schools, and prisons.
After discussion by the country’s parliament, the petition
was drafted into a new
law that recently took effect.
Nuno Alvim, a spokesperson for Associação Vegetariana Portuguesa, said of this huge success:
It will promote diversity of eating habits and encourage more people to choose the veggie option as it becomes more widely available. This is, of course, predicted to have a significant impact on the population’s health foremost, but also on animals and the environment in the long run. Promoting the rights of the vegan population is as important as campaigning and informing people to adopt veganism, in our view.
If this were standard in all countries
(as it very well should be), it would have far-reaching benefits. Consider what
millions more people could do to help curb climate change, for
example, by choosing plant-based options.
It’s high time world governments stopped
supporting an industry that exploits animals, harms our health, and ravages the
planet. Requiring that vegan options be served at public institutions would be
a great first step in that direction.
Countries other than Portugal are also making
progress. Germany recently announced that it
would ban meat from official government functions to set a good example.
Become part of the global movement against the destructive
and cruel meat industry. Check out all the free resources we have available to
help you transition to a humane vegan diet. Go
now.