As much of the Western world struggles with the and we regularly consume, one Flemish city in Belgium has successfully worked out an official answer.
Move aside . In the pretty port city of Ghent, located just under an hour’s drive from Brussels, it’s all about Thursday Veggie Day or as the locals call it, ‘’.
But isn’t just something that carnivores do if they’re motivated enough to eat, cook or order vegetarian dishes once a week. is a movement, where regular meat-eaters give up all meats (fish included) for 24 hours on a Thursday to do their part to fight climate change and be healthier.
The holistic campaign is coordinated by the and backed by the city’s hospitality industry, the government’s health and environment departments, , hospitals, local businesses, universities, .
“If all 243,000 inhabitants of Ghent participate in Thursday Veggie Day, they reach the same effect as when 19,000 cars are taken off the road,” Stad Gent (the City of Ghent) says in an
They’d also eat more vegetables and fruit: “if you do so, you will automatically eat more fibres, vitamins and minerals.”
says around go vegetarian on Thursdays. She adds that around 120 Ghent restaurants currently observe vegetarianism every week by offering at least one exciting vegetarian dish on their Thursday menu.
If all 243,000 inhabitants of Ghent participate in Thursday Veggie Day, they reach the same effect as when 19,000 cars are taken off the road.
The also encourages restaurateurs and hotels to offer discounts or provide customers who eat vegetarian on Thursdays with a .
“Thursday Veggies is well known amongst the inhabitants of Ghent,” Baeyens says. “Four out of five is familiar with the campaign, one out of three participates.”
How did vegetarianism become so popular in Ghent?
Although the EVA started Thursday Veggie Day years ago, the campaign became enshrined in European political history when officially declared ‘Veggie Day’ to be a thing on 13 May 2009.
Since then, Ghent has also gone on to challenge Belgium’s long-held reputation for meat consumption, rejecting the celebration of such national dishes like (mussels and fries), coiled boudin (blood sausage) and (beef stewed in beer) on Thursdays.
Around 15 restaurants in Ghent are now completely vegetarian. It’s for this reason that the city is vying to be crowned the vegetarian capital of Europe, with perhaps than any other city in the world. Across Belgium, the cities of also observe Thursday Veggie Day.
“Thursday Veggies has had a positive impact on the eating habits of its participants since it began,” Baeyens explains.
“Research shows that 43 per cent of Belgians now eat less meat thanks to Thursday Veggies. Around 40 per cent also eat vegetarian on other days of the week. 28 per cent of people became a vegetarian by starting with Thursday Veggies.”
Research shows that 43 per cent of Belgians now eat less meat thanks to Thursday Veggies.
Participation in Thursday Veggie Day is encouraged across the whole lifespan. Free veggie are run in schools for parents and kids. All children aged . Parents of children who do not eat a warm meal at school are .
“Thursday Veggie wants to encourage people to eat vegetarian on Thursdays,” Baeyens says. “Rather than forcing people to eat meat-free, we want to inspire them in a positive way.”
The decrease of local meat consumption will certainly help Ghent to reach its ultimate goal:
“Around 60 per cent of people [in Belgium] believe in the necessity to reduce meat consumption in the future and almost half of the population is willing to eat more vegetarian,” says Baeyens. “We are optimistic towards the future.”
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