Portuguese Cafeterias Must Now Offer Vegan Option
A new law mandates that schools, universities, hospitals, and prisons must implement at least one vegan selection on their cafeteria menus.
On March 3, 2017, the Portuguese parliament signed a bill into law that requires all public “cantinas”—or cafeterias in schools, universities, hospitals, and prisons—serve at least one "strictly vegetarian" (vegan) option. Portugal’s vegetarian organization Associação Vegetariana Portuguesa (AVP) launched a petition in 2015 to bring the issue in front of parliament. “The adoption of a vegetarian diet [...] reflects the freedom of choice of each individual, as it is openly declared and defended in the Portuguese Constitution, in accordance with democratic principles,” AVP’s petition states. After gaining more than 15,000 signatures on its petition, AVP’s proposal was approved by political parties Left Bloc (BE), the Green Ecologist Party (ENP), and People-Animals-Nature (PAN), which collectively cited the “freedom of choice in food” as the motivation behind enacting the bill. Public cantinas in Portugal are required to implement the mandate within six months. While no such law exists in the US, public cafeterias across the country—most recently, the Oakland Unified School District in California—have added a growing number of vegetarian and vegan dishes to serve student demand for more ethical and environmentally friendly options.
Cruelty-Free Cosmetics Predicted to Boom by 2023
Market research shows that consumers will increasingly buy beauty products that are not tested on animals.
Read More »
Pamela Anderson Gets "Fattest City" Mayor to Go Vegan
Jackson, MS Mayor Chokwe Lumumba goes vegan for one month to set an example for city residents.
Read More »
Vietnam to Shut Down Bear Bile Farms
The country will release 1,000 bears held captive for their bile thanks to animal-rights group Animals Asia.
Read More »
Vegan Food Truck Donates $500 Mystery Tip to Animals
Wichita's double-decker vegan food bus Kind Kravings passed on an unexpected anonymous tip to benefit local animals.
Read More »
Vegan Chain Veggie Grill Expands to Chicago
The popular West Coast chain will open its first midwest location this fall as part of its plans to expand nationwide.
Read More »
More Flashbacks
- Men's Leather Shoe Brand Debuts Vegan Boot Line
- Vegan Butcher Throws Bottomless BBQ Buffet
- Brazil Will Serve 5 Million Vegan School Lunches
- Rabbi Challenges Synagogues to Go Vegan
- Beyond Burger to Debut at National Movie Theater
- Vegan Ben & Jerry's to Hit UK
- LUSH Donates Nearly $500K to End Animal Testing
- Horse Slaughter Might Become Legal Again in US
- Whole Foods to Stock Mystery Nut Vegan Yogurt
- New Flag Launches to Unite Vegans Across the Globe
- Chloe Coscarelli to Debut New Vegan Cookbook
- Domino's Adds New Vegan Cheese to 55 Locations
- World-Class Steakhouse Adds Vegan Menu
- Canada's New Dietary Guidelines Push for Plant Foods
- Vegan Film About Race, Class, and Gender Debuts in LA
- Gisele Takes a Stance Against Fur on Cover of Vogue
- Stephen Colbert Adopts Vegan Diet
- Germany's Pork Consumption at Record Low
- Vegan Options Keep Millennials in the Workplace
- Vegan Potato-Based Fitness Drink Raises $2 Million
