The Cambridge Student’s Union (SU) has scrapped their controversial campaign for 100% vegan catering, deciding to prioritise more “important” sustainability issues.

A motion advocating for a transition to 100% plant-based food in University Cafe was originally passed in 2023, in an attempt to support a “fairer University”. The policy was up for renewal in a meeting of the SU council earlier this week, but the organisation chose to drop it.

The policy will now be scaled back to campaign for 75% plant-based catering across the University.

In justifying their decision to scrap the policy, the SU’s executive committee – a body made up of sabbatical officers and other student representatives – stated there were concerns over accessibility with the policy. They also claimed that the SU should focus on “what is important to work on,” amid a “change in circumstances”.

This comes amid a drop in enthusiasm for veganism across the country with consumer insights platform GWI revealing that the number of people identifying as vegan dropped by 215% in the UK between 2022-2024.

The original policy previously attracted criticism from the SU’s disability campaign, who urged students to vote it down. They said the food provided at the SU should be “as broad as possible,” for people who have autism, sensory issues, or eating disorders, and this would be endangered by going 100% plant-based.

Further criticisms were offered by then-SU president Fergus Kirman, who claimed that the nutritional rules were “probably not supported by the majority of people we are supposed to serve”.

Despite this, the policy was passed by one vote.

The drive towards a 100% plant based menu was supported by Plant-Based Cambridge, a student-led climate campaign calling for the University of Cambridge to follow its own scientific research and transition to 100% plant-based catering.

Varsity understands that Plant-Based Cambridge were not briefed on the planned changes before the vote.

Plant-Based Cambridge is part of the wider Plant-Based Universities campaign, who are pushing for their universities and student unions to adopt fully plant-based catering, and has offshoots at more than 40 institutions.

The decision to scrap the commitment is a blow to their campaign, following a string of high-profile successes cutting back meat consumption across Cambridge.

Plant-Based Cambridge said that it "continues to work with stakeholders at all levels of the university to implement this transition [to plant-based catering] in a just and accessible way".

In 2016 Cambridge launched a campaign to reduce emissions by removing beef and lamb from menus across dining venues. Two years later, colleges agreed to extend the policy to their dining halls. The policy was credited with causing a 33 per cent reduction in carbon emissions from food by the university.

Following this, Magdalene College escalated their beef with meat, and now only serves red meat once a week. The more radical approach came after student demands for action, according to its catering manager Vincent Howard.

In a drive to reduce the carbon footprint at St John’s College, beef dishes are listed beneath plant-based alternatives and have a surcharge.

Multiple Colleges have also introduced a “meat free monday” policy, offering only vegetarian – or in some cases plant-based – options on a Monday.

The University Library’s tea rooms also agreed to stop serving lamb and beef in 2022, and phased out single use plastics. Caterers at the venue were also given mandatory training about sustainable food and the reasons for the policy.

Some May Balls joined the plant-based drive too, with Darwin’s annual Ball having offered only plant-based options since 2022 – labelling their event the “greenest Ball yet”. When explaining their decision, the May Ball Presidents cited earlier SU policies supporting a move toward more plant based catering on campus.

The move was deeply controversial at the time, even attracting criticism from far-right former Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg. The event organisers also acknowledged that some students were disappointed by the change, acknowledging that the decision had prompted criticism, with some students complaining on social media that they found out about the menu only after buying their tickets, which cost over £200.

The policy also affected catering at the SU’s fortnightly council meetings. The SU used to offer attendees pizza, but swapped to soup and bread as part of the plant based drive in 2024, alongside the then-President’s belief that “no one likes vegan cheese”. Varsity was unable to confirm if the most recent vote would trigger the return of pizza to SU council.

Cambridge SU was contacted for comment.