Vegan option in hospitals and schools 'should be law'

Research by the Vegan Society in 2016 said there was an estimated 540,000 vegans in Great Britain

Vegan options should be on all menus in schools and hospitals by law, campaigners have said.

The Vegan Society wants a new law to ensure plant-based meal options are available in public sector buildings.

Provision is often lacking, it said, claiming vegan hospital patients often rely on family and friends to get the meals they need.

Lesley Griffiths, rural affairs minister, said institutions should be mindful of their customers' demands.

But she encouraged campaigners to take up the issue with the public sector themselves.

A petition of 1,109 names has been handed to the National Assembly, calling for public bodies to guarantee "at least one plant-based food option on every daily menu".

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Ms Griffiths said: "Institutions providing food options within the public sector must be mindful of meeting the demands of their customers, however they are not under any obligation to go further than that required by the law.

"In the case of this petition, it would be a positive step forward for the petitioners to put their case to the decision takers in the various public sector institutions delivering catering services if they feel more should be done, and that this direct engagement and use of guidance will be more beneficial in the long term than further mandation."

The matter will be considered by the National Assembly's petitions committee, which could ask the minister further questions about the issue, on Tuesday.