Foregoing animal and animal-derived products in catering
As pointed out by Greenpeace, for the benefit of humans and the natural world, it is crucial to reduce meat and dairy consumption by half by 2050. Excessive consumption of meat and animal-derived products has serious consequences for the environment. Greenhouse gases emitted by intensive cattle farming equal the emissions of global transport. The need for systemic solutions to this issue is more and more often raised also at the regulatory level.
When working on the ‘Farm to Fork’  strategy concerning the change in food production, the EU was considering a total ban on meat consumption. Eventually, it agreed to choose a strategy recommending turning towards vegetarian and vegan diets. ‘Farm to Fork’ is to be a preface to the so-called Green Deal, according to which Europe is to become neutral to the environment by 2050.
When we look at the practices of cultural institutions and organisations holistically, it is important that the solutions associated with environmentally friendly catering should not be limited to the individual decisions of the event organiser. As cultural institutions, we have a chance to shape social awareness concerning food ecology. Due to its impact on the environment, foregoing animal and animal-derived products in catering should become an element of organisation-wide strategy and be extended to all events, also those carried out by entities which hire space from us. In order to transfer such practices onto the whole institution, it is necessary to include relevant stipulations on foregoing use of animal and animal-derived products (and stipulations regulating using local products, taking care of short supply chain, etc.) in the contracts signed by the institution and public procurement.