Denmark’s “City of Smiles” to Offer Vegan Food at Public Institutions

The majority of city council members in Aarhus, Denmark support a motion to make vegan food an option at all public institutions, including nursing homes and pre-school daycare centers. Under the proposal, city-run institutions would be mandated to offer a vegan option but would still be permitted to serve meals with meat and dairy. Councilors believe serving plant-based meals is an important step in the city’s goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030. “Meat plays a major role in climate considerations so we naturally want to make a statement as a municipality by offering our residents plant-based food,” Aarhus City Councillor Liv Gro Jensen told media outlet Politiken. Governments around the world are considering legislation that places emphasis on plant-based meal options. Earlier this year, California passed legislation that mandates state facilities such as nursing homes, prisons, and hospitals must provide at least one plant-based option. The city council of Berkeley, CA recently passed a resolution that requires all city-run institutions to provide only vegan food one day each week. And in Canada, citizens have formed a Vegan Option Canada lobby group that aims to amend the country’s laws to provide vegan meal options in all public facilities.