In most Singaporean schools, the only diet that we make an exception for in canteens is vegetarian. Vegetarian stalls may not be very popular, but there are students who eat there regularly, whether it is because of their diet, or just for the short queues. However, I think that we should take that one step further. I think that we should not only have vegetarian stalls in place, but also have vegan stalls as well, or in place of a vegetarian stall.

As the number of vegans in Singapore are slowly rising, I believe that students should be given the choice of eating vegan food in school, without having to worry whether or not the food is appropriate for their diet. I am an aspiring vegan, and I am aware that some schools don’t even have a vegetarian stall. Thus, I think that the MOE should make a requirement for all schools to at least have a vegetarian stall, or even a vegan stall if they choose. This way, vegan students do not have to worry about packing food to school for lunch every day, and have the option of buying food from the canteen.

Not only will vegan students benefit from this new stall, non-vegan students will also be influenced by it, as they can get to experience eating vegan food first-hand, and this would maybe encourage them to reduce their intake of animal products, and raise their awareness about veganism. Thus, I think that at least having a vegetarian stall or a vegan stall in canteens should be implemented.