Despite being one of the biggest institutions in the world, Harvard's food options for people with food constraints (e.g. vegan, vegetarian) are limited. Apart from personal reasons, such as health concerns or moral views, people might invest in plant-based diets to support our environment. The extreme use of water and the high emissions of CO2 connected to meat can be very concerning - some estimate that 1kg of beef can use up to 20,000 litres of water!

Despite being one of the most renowned institutions in the world, and claiming to be an inclusive and supportive environment however, Harvard does not do a good job at supporting individuals aiming for a plant-based diet. Oftentimes, the vegan/vegetarian options merely exclude the meat, and present the sides as main dishes. A balanced nutritional intake is also not supported. Many Harvard vegetarians / vegans therefore feel the need to go out to buy food several times a week. Especially for low-income students, this poses an unfair disadvantage.

Therefore, we demand HUDS to invest more time and effort into creating and presenting better plant-based food options for their students! We appreciate HUDS and know that it can be challenging to adapt to these changes, but we will happily meet and help as much as we can to get the change we need!