A leaked Green Party proposal to make vegan food options a legal requirement for hospitality venues has been pitched by members, citing the Equality Act.
The proposal is to be debated by members at the party’s autumn conference, as part of plans that would reshape food provision across the public and private sectors.
Documents seen by The Telegraph reveal party members will consider a motion calling for the use of the Equality Act to require “services” to provide “plant-based, vegan foods and cruelty-free products”.
Although the proposal does not define which organisations would be covered, it would likely extend to businesses such as restaurants, cafes, and any other business serving food.
The motion also calls for the introduction of legal sustainability standards for food procurement, including measuring the average carbon emissions of meals and prioritising plant-based food on environmental grounds.
If adopted as party policy and later implemented in government, the proposals could require thousands of hospitality businesses and public bodies to expand their vegan offerings.
Supporters are also seeking to introduce plant-based-only catering across the public sector, and promote vegan diets through diversity, equity and inclusion strategies.
The plans would also replace current school food standards, which require schools to provide at least three meat-based meals each week, with greater emphasis on vegetarian and vegan alternatives.
The proposals have prompted criticism from campaign groups on behalf of rural communities and food producers.
Mo Metcalf-Fisher, director of external affairs at the Countryside Alliance, said: “The public overwhelmingly enjoy eating meat and dairy as part of a balanced diet.
“It would be utterly absurd for anyone vying to govern to be seen as promoting any one diet over another, or to attempt to enforce veganism through the back door.”The food proposals form part of a wider package of motions due to be considered at the Green Party’s three-day conference in Brighton, beginning on October 2.
Not all motions submitted by members will be selected for debate, and only those approved by delegates become official party policy.
Among the other proposals is a “basic income for artists” pilot scheme, modelled on the Covid furlough programme, which would provide regular government payments to arts workers while they develop their work.
Members will also debate raising the minimum wage to £15 an hour for workers of all ages, with the rate reviewed twice a year by a body made up of workers’ representatives and government officials.
Delegates are also expected to consider a motion opposing blanket restrictions on transgender participation in sport and backing trans-inclusive sporting initiatives.
The proposal follows this year’s Supreme Court ruling that references to sex in the Equality Act relate to biological sex, and subsequent guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission stating that public bodies should base access to single-sex facilities and sports categories on biological sex.
A Green Party spokesman said conference was still months away, and that members had only recently begun submitting motions.
The spokesman said: “There is a prioritisation process, and not every motion submitted will be debated. Only motions passed by conference become Green Party policy.”
