We are students calling upon our universities to upgrade their dining. Given the ongoing impact of climate change and the strain that American food consumption plays on the global food supply, we must hold our universities accountable.

Signing this petition is a vote to urge universities to replace 50% of their animal product purchasing with plant-based options by 2030. This shift would encourage universities to offer sustainable, healthy and ethical meals that are accessible to everyone regardless of religion, allergies or dietary restrictions. It would also hold universities accountable to revamping their menus in order to provide tastier options for everyone. Additional benefits are outlined below: 

Benefits to Students and the University: 

• Increasing affordability: By directly replacing animal-based products with plants, universities can save hundreds of thousands of dollars annually on food costs, increasing affordability for students
• Expanding inclusivity: 14 percent of college students nationwide identify as vegan or vegetarian. Limited plant-based options restrict access to nutritious and diverse food sources for people with dietary restrictions, allergies, or religious differences. Expanding plant-based options can benefit everyone by bringing more culturally relevant, flavorful and nutritionally abundant foods. 
• Reducing food safety risks: By reducing animal-based procurement, universities will face less food safety concerns and students are less likely to run the risk of catching food-borne illnesses. With avian flu on the rise and increasing rates of food-borne illnesses (salmonella, e coli), this ensures a safer experience for future students while also holding universities accountable to source their animal-based products more responsibly. 

Benefits to Humanity and the Planet: 

• Curbing climate change: By cutting leading sources of greenhouse gas emissions like red meat and dairy, universities can reduce their total emissions by nearly 50 percent making a significant dent in climate change. 
• Reducing animal suffering: Universities serve anywhere from hundreds of thousands to tens of millions of meals annually. By cutting down animal purchasing by 50 percent (on a national scale), hundreds of millions of animal deaths can be averted. 
• Reducing global hunger: Global hunger is on the rise. With limited land and resources, animal-based food production must urgently be reduced. The widespread demand for meat products in the US results in more land and resources in the Global South being shifted to exporting meat to the US, directly trading off with resources to feed vulnerable populations. By replacing animal-based foods with plant-based foods, universities could be part of the solution, feeding an additional 350 million people. 
• Improving public health: In response to growing disease risks, the use of antibiotics in animal agriculture has increased, accounting for 80 percent of antibiotic use. Antibiotic resistance is now the leading cause of death worldwide, making this an imminent public health emergency. With less animal-based procurement, universities can reduce the excess demand for animals, minimize cramped conditions and inhumane treatments for animals, reduce disease risks, and curb antibiotic usage and resistance. 

It's time to taste the future!