Amsterdam Pledges to Serve Meatless Meals at Government Meetings

Starting next year, all government-catered events in Amsterdam will serve vegetarian food by default with meat options available only upon request. Johnas van Lammeren—who represents the Party for the Animals—proposed the “Carnivore? Let Us Know” initiative, which initially pushed for vegan food as the default but was changed by politicians to include animal products as a transitional first step. “We are turning the norms upside down. The question is no longer, ‘Are you vegetarian?’ but ‘Do you eat meat or fish?’” Rutger Groot Wassink, the head of operational management, said. “This government is making sustainable choices and I think that we should also make them for ourselves. This is about [setting] a good example.” The city’s four ruling parties, which hold the majority of government seats, have adopted the initiative which will be officially voted upon by the entire governing body in June. In 2017, meat-heavy Argentina adopted a similar policy and began to serve only vegan food on Mondays at the Casa Rosada (the Argentine equivalent of the White House).