Canteens are increasingly adding recipes without meat, fish or dairy products.
The German International School in Chennai, one of the first to make a move in this direction, had announced in 2017 that they would serve 100% plant-based meals to their students and avoid using animal products on campus.
“It covered the fundamentals of plant-based cooking, ingredient substitution, menu planning and preparation of dishes without meat, fish, eggs and dairy products,” says Lalitha Shri, vice principal. “We reduced animal products in campus dining and hostels to align practical dining hall practices with classroom learning. ” They are not the only ones. At BITS Pilani, Hyderabad, there is a separate vegan counter within the mess, says Parth Gupta, a third year student, and joint secretary of the Club for Animal Rights and Equality. The mess vendors were willing to prepare vegan alternatives for curries with milk or other dairy products such as soya chunks or cashew-based cream,” says Parth. The dishes are not as bland or unappetising as many imagine, says Sheetal Ahuja, director of Vision International School of Excellence, Ankleshwar, Gujarat, where the canteen went vegan three years ago.
Student chefs at SRM Institute of Hotel Management The institution recently collaborated with Humane World for Animals India, which sent professionals to campus to train faculty in plant-based food preparation. Pondicherry University serves plant-based food in its campus canteens and hostels on Tuesdays, so does Bharath Institute of Higher Education and Research (BIHER), Chennai. “In our case, nearly half the mess menu was plant-based. It took some time to convince the administration, but eventually they agreed to introduce such an alternative. “We worked closely with a nutritionist and put a lot of thought into the menu. We experimented with different combinations and cuisines to ensure that the children received good sources of protein, essential amino acids, fibre and other nutrients. ”