PETA Recognizes Schools Supporting Vegetarians and Vegans
A list compiled by the campaigning group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
(PETA) has put two New England schools among the top ten schools in the U.S. for
supporting a vegetarian or vegan diet, reports just-food.com. Smith and Bowdoin colleges
standard school dinners include dishes such as tempeh cacciatore, vegan shepherd’s
pie and craisin beet cake.
The list recognizes those schools that have catered for the 20 percent of students
in the U.S. that are vegetarian, says Danielle Moore, Peta’s education manager.
Most of the schools in the top 10 offer vegan and vegetarian alternatives at
every meal, and rice and soymilk alongside milk, she adds. At the top of the
list was New York University, which serves only vegan foods on the day of the
Great American Meatout.
Moderator Comment: How do food retailers fully address the needs of vegan
and vegetarian consumers in a store’s trading area?
As Benjamin Disraeli said, “There are three kinds of
lies: lies, damned lies and statistics.”
Perhaps 20 percent of college kids do consider themselves
vegetarian but that number does not easily fit with the picture of a population
of youth that is overweight and super sizing it at the local Mickey D’s.
Still, as some of our youth seem destined to become future
members of Jenny Craig, others are deeply concerned with their health and the
foods they eat. Does the size of the vegan/vegetarian market warrant a greater
emphasis by retailers and therefore increased competition? [George
Anderson – Moderator]