University Of Nottingham In The Running For Title Of Uk’S Most Vegetarian-Friendly University

For Immediate Release:
11 March 2009

Contact:
Sam Glover 020 7357 9229, ext 229; [email protected]

Nottingham – Not that long ago, a vegan meal at many universities in the UK consisted of a salad and a baked potato, but times have changed. To discover the best vegetarian fare on offer to students, peta2 US, the world’s largest youth animal rights organisation, has launched its second annual Most Vegetarian-Friendly Universities competition, and the University of Nottingham is among the top 15 nominees.

This year, the university is offering a mouth-watering selection of creative and colourful dishes, including a spiced-vegetable and mashed-potato bake, Quorn korma with rice and naan bread and courgette, pepper and mushroom curry.

Why are students dropping meat, eggs and dairy products from their diets faster than a hot potato? For one thing, a vegetarian diet can help them drop pounds; vegetarians are, on average, fitter and trimmer than meat-eaters are. They may also be preparing for the future, as the consumption of animal products has been linked to heart disease, diabetes, obesity and other killer diseases in adults.

Eating vegetarian is also great for the environment. According to the United Nations (UN), going pure vegetarian (vegan) is the single best thing that you can do to stop deforestation, pollution and the greenhouse effect. A recent UN report states that raising animals for their flesh produces almost 40 per cent more greenhouse-gas emissions than all the cars, trucks and planes in the world combined. Last but definitely not least, young people are rejecting meat because they’re upset about how animals are abused on the way to the plate.

“The University of Nottingham shows its respect for students by offering them choices that respect their health, animals and the planet”, says peta2’s Sarah Crowhurst. “When it comes to serving delicious meatless options and teaching students a valuable lesson in nutrition, environmentalism and compassion, the University of Nottingham is near the top of the class!”

Other nominees include the University of Glasgow and the University of Bristol. Universities were chosen from student recommendations and feedback from MySpace, Facebook and the popular peta2 US blog. Everyone is eligible to vote. The winning university will be announced on 6 April and will receive certificates to display in campus dining halls.

To view the list of the 15 nominated universities – and to cast your vote – please visit peta2.com.