Photo Shutterstock Today marks the start of the national Week Without Meat and Dairy, a Dutch campaign that promotes a flexitarian diet and aims to make a significant contribution towards achieving climate ambitions. It provides a great opportunity for WUR to showcase how students can eat sustainable, healthy, and delicious food. Unfortunately, despite WUR claiming to actively participate in the national initiative, the canteens are still serving meat and dairy this week.
We all recognize the urgent need for dietary changes. Livestock farming is one of the main drivers of climate change, accounting for over 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions. WUR’s own researchers calculated that skipping meat and dairy for one day reduces emissions by over 40%. Beyond ecological impacts, in 2023, the Dutch Health Council advised the government that transitioning to a more plant-based diet would also improve public health.
There is widespread consensus in academia on the need of a more plant-based food system. Even the chair of Animal Production Systems, professor Simon Oosting, explicitly stated we must halve our intake of animal protein. It is therefore no surprise that more than 40 WUR academics recently signed our open letter, calling for the university to adopt 100% plant-based catering.
Despite this call to action, the board seems to actively resist the transition. Why would this be? Could this reluctance be linked to the influence of the Supervisory Board, one of whose members is simultaneously on the board of Vion Food Group, the largest meat company in the Netherlands?
Despite WUR flaunting its status as the most sustainable university in the world, falsely claiming to participate in the National Week Without Meat and Dairy is blatant greenwashing. WUR should listen to the knowledge it produces and make it easier for students to eat healthy and sustainable – all year round. Let’s hope the inauguration of Carolien Kroeze can bring about actual change.
Sofie van Knippenberg (masterstudent Economics of Sustainability), Plant Based Universities Wageningen
