Plant-Based Campus Take Over Restaurant at Stockholm University
On 22 April, students at Stockholm University took over a restaurant to serve 100% plant-based foods. Students from Plant-Based Campus, in collaboration with the Natural Science Association (Naturvetenskapliga Föreningen), served Tofu Katsu Curry with Rice and Edamame from the restaurant at Gröna Villan. This student-led initiative intends to demonstrate that plant-based food can be cheap, tasty, healthy and sustainable.
Most students at Stockholm University do not regularly eat at restaurants on campus. Plant-Based Campus’ outreach indicates that the main reason for this is price. Warm lunches on campus are regularly sold for more than 100SEK, and even salad options at convenience stores cost in the range of 80SEK. By relying on inexpensive ingredients and student volunteers, Plant-Based Campus was able to sell the meal for only 45 SEK. Lisa Ohlsson, a member of Plant-Based Campus Stockholm, says:
“When we speak to students it’s clear that there is demand for more affordable food on campus. Students expect food served on campus to be sustainable, but current options are too expensive and far from sustainable. Our restaurant takeover shows that affordability and sustainability can go together.”
This initiative also aims to align practices on campus with the university’s own research. A recent article from the Stockholm Resilience Centre shows that “shifting from animal products to plant-based alternatives or whole foods is equally effective in mitigating environmental impact while maintaining nutritional balance and cost competitiveness.” Another article from the Stockholm Resilience Centre found that “structural measures, such as expanding vegetarian options […] have a more significant impact on consumer choices [than informational campaigns].”
The Natural Science Association already operates a vegetarian restaurant on Thursdays. Plant-Based Campus is now planning steps to work with the association to transition their catering to 100% plant-based. Plant-Based Campus is also investigating the possibility of opening a regular student-led restaurant on campus and is working with other university stakeholders to campaign for more sustainable food systems. Kevin Linton, Regional Coordinator for Plant-Based Campus, says:
“Not only would a regular plant-based restaurant provide students with meals at half the price of existing options, but it represents a new strategy to further the adoption of plant-based food systems which we’re currently exploring across our existing campaigns.”
If you are a student or academic at Stockholm University, you can get involved with the campaign here.
Plant-Based Campus is a democratic student-led campaign working with universities and higher education institutions to transition to 100% plant-based catering to address the climate and environmental crises. Plant-Based Campus is currently active at 14 universities across the Nordics.
