Schools and the council offer a racist menu because it includes dairy food when an “estimated 65 per cent of the world’s population are lactose intolerant”, according to an Extinction Rebellion campaigner.
The claim was made by Alison Plaumer, who led a deputation to a Brighton and Hove City Council meeting and is co-presenting a petition to councillors next week.
Ms Plaumer and a fellow climate change campaigner Anna Cole are calling on the council to drop meat from the menu at council events.
And they want schools to serve only food derived from plants on at least two days a week.
Their petition – signed by more than 300 people – is due to be considered by the council’s Children, Young People and Skills Committee next Monday (14 June).
In their supporting evidence, they said: “It is estimated 65 per cent of the world’s population are lactose intolerant, the majority of whom are of BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) descent.
“As such, there is an inherent racism to have national food standards that, if followed, would make the majority of people of colour ill.
“Plant-based foods suit all diet types, as well as religious dietary guidelines, eg, halal.”
When Ms Plaumer spoke at the full council meeting in March, Green councillor Elaine Hills said: “Plant-based food certainly has a much lower carbon footprint than a conventional diet. I agree it is something we should focus on to meet our carbon neutrality goals.
“The Green group has for a long-time campaigned for healthier and more environmentally friendly options being made available to support the health of pupils and the planet.”
She said that schools across Brighton and Hove currently have two meat-free days every three weeks.
A vegan option was available every day for those children who are registered as vegans and a meat-free option was always available in schools.
The Children, Young People and Skills Committee is due to meet at 4pm next Monday (14 June). The meeting is scheduled to be webcast on the council’s website.
Current system gives some options to those that want it, but we obviously need to do more to reduce our carbon emissions.
Giving all students a couple of meat free days seems like a great way to make it an easy habit to keep in later life if they so desire.
By all means let there be choice, but students, especially growing children, should not be denied necessary nutrients. How will the students obtain the necessary protein on a mainly plant based diet? Yet more nonsense put out by the crazy Greens. It is time they were shut up and kicked out before they damage the lives of young people, in the same way they are damaging the character of Brighton and Hove. If Ms Plaumer (no, I’ve never heard of her either) wishes to stick to her vegan diet, then that is her business, but she has no right to interfere into those of other people.
I’m not firmly on any side here, but both children and adults can absolutely get all the nutrients they need without eating meat. It would be sensible for there to be more meat-free options on the menu, even more frequently than currently offered.
It is easy to have enough protein in a plant based diet. A balanced diet is *always* important for any kind of diet. As long as a plant based diet is balanced, it provides plenty of protein.
The protein needed for children and adults are based on body weight.
“The Reference Nutrient Intake (RNI) is set at 0.75g of protein per kilogram bodyweight per day in adults. This equates to approximately 56g/day and 45g/day for men and women aged 19-50 years respectively.” – British Nutrition Foundation
So at 74kg, I should eat 55kg/day of protein. In fact I eat about 70g or more most days. That is from things like lentils, chickpeas, beans, nut and seeds. It is easily supplied in things like vegan burgers, or baking potato and baked beans, curries, you name it, as long as it is balanced it will have enough protein.
So yes children are growing and need extra protein but that is very easy with a plant based diet, you appear to be ignorant of the facts on this subject.
The important thing is do children want to eat a plant based diet? Evidence suggests the majority of children are willing to be flexitarian and enjoy eating plant based meals at least some days of the week. So as long as they are happy, who are you to stop them eating the food that they would like to eat!
If you eat “55KG” a day, I don’t think that you’ll stay at 74kg for long!!!
Ha ha, fair point. 🙂
I meant 55g
What do lactose intolerant, of any ethnic group, eat on the remaining 3 days?
Should foods that offend any religious group, or cause a potential allergic reaction, also be banned?
I do love XR/Green evangelical activists wanting to impose their schemes on others – I wonder what percentage of the UK rather then worldwide can’t eat dairy?
By all means offer students a choice but certainly do not force anything upon them. For many free school meals are a very important part of their diet and one they cannot skip. If you force a vegan meal upon them then you are now discriminating against some of the poorest and most vulnerable in society. I am sick to the back teeth of individuals who choose a certain lifestyle and wish to impose it on others, do what you want but let everyone else choose what they want.
A quick tour around Google reveals that it’s liquid milk that lactose intolerant people have to avoid. Other dairy products, such as butter, cheese, cream and yoghurt have such low levels of lactose that most lactose intolerant people eat them without any ill effects. Dairy products have been an important part of the diet in Northern Europe for centuries. The nutrients in milk were considered so important to children’s health in the UK that for decades it was distributed free through schools. People may choose to avoid or limit their consumption of dairy poducts for all sorts of perfectly good reasons, but the idea that menus with dairy products are ‘racist’, ie prejudiced or antagonistic to a person based on their ethnic origin, seems ill-informed and unhelpful. This habit of applying the racist tag to every subject makes it harder to stamp out real racism.
Choice ok but children need dairy and calcium. Allergies are encouraged by omission in a varied diet for children. Dieticians are best to decide a menu not environmentalist and campaigners.