Ghent Goes Veggie To Lose Weight and Save Planet

Day of the lentil burghers: Ghent goes veggie to lose weight and save planet | Environment | The Guardian
01/12/11 13.37
Day of the lentil burghers: Ghent goes veggie to lose weight and save planet
Belgian city hopes radical experiment will catch on Meat, fish and seafood off the menu every Thursday
Ian Traynor in Ghent The Guardian, Thursday 14 May 2009
Vegetarian delights such as soya fritters, eggless mayo and aubergine caviar will become part of Ghent's diet every Thursday. Photograph: Gianni Barbieux
On the bouncy play platform outside Ghent's 15th century slaughterhouse, the banana was thumping the beefsteak. The two boys battled in the drizzle yesterday, the one in the fruity yellow costume serving up another veggie victory over his rival in bloody scarlet. The parent onlookers laughed and munched another soya fritter. Mmm, yummy, said the man with a heart condition. They queued five-deep in the rain to dip their organic, wholegrain bread in the aubergine caviar, to smear their lips with eggless mayo. Another pure fruit vitamin cocktail under the marquee? "This is pretty special, pretty unique," said Tobias Leenaert, an anti-meat campaigner. "An entire city proclaiming one day a week a veggie day." Ghent embarks on a radical experiment today, seeking to make every Thursday a day free of meat and of the fish and shellfish for which the city is renowned. On the eve of what is being touted as an unprecedented exercise, the biggest queue in the Flemish university town of 200,000 yesterday was for signatures to collect a bag of wholefood goodies and sign up for "Donderdag Veggie Dag", turning the burghers of Ghent into pioneers in the fight against obesity, global warming, cruelty to animals and against the myth that meat-free eating amounts to a diet of soggy lettuce, a slice of tomato, and a foul-tasting bean burger. The city council says it is the first town in Europe and probably the western world to try to make the entire place vegetarian for a day every week. Tom Balthazar, the Labour party councillor pushing the scheme, said: "There's nothing compulsory. We just want
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to be a city that promotes sustainable and healthy living." Every restaurant in the city is to guarantee a vegetarian dish on the menu, with some going fully vegetarian every Thursday. From September, the city's schools are to make a meat-free meal the "default" option every Thursday, although parents can insist on meat for their children. At least one hospital wants to join in. A small, dreamy city of spires, bicycles, and canals, prospering since the Middle Ages, Ghent may be on to something. It appears to be tapping into a zeitgeist awareness of the cost to human health and the environment of intensive meat and dairy farming. Other towns in Belgium and the Netherlands are making inquiries; there has even been one from Canada. "We hope that the university, other institutions, enterprises and other towns will jump on the train," said Leenaert, director of the local branch of Flanders' Ethical Vegetarian Association (EVA). The organisers cite UN data arguing that meat production and consumption are to blame for 18% of greenhouse gases more than cars. "If everyone in Flanders does not eat meat one day a week, we will save as much CO2 in a year as taking half a million cars off the road," said the EVA. "I never touch meat, unless I'm at my grandmother's and I need to be polite," said Karien De Temmermann, a young EVA member. "This is not a plan for everyone to be forced into vegetarianism," said Wim Coenen, a vegan who works as an importer of vegetarian pet food from Italy. "But it will reduce our carbon footprint. The basic premise is to introduce a way of lessening our meat consumption." The revolution starts today with a foodie festival at the vegetable market. Ninety thousand town maps listing the best eateries for the meat-shy are being handed out. Recipe booklets and food samples are being distributed, with fair trade wine to wash down the nibbles. A nearby restaurant is serving a four-course veggie lunch for !12. The kebab house on the market is eschewing the doner for broadbean falafel and haloumi cheese. Ghent boasts a string of outstanding restaurants and is well-known for gourmet vegetarian cuisine. The council reckons it has more veggie eateries per capita than London, Paris or Berlin. The Lib-Lab coalition running the city was persuaded to back the idea when Philippe van den Bulck, an outstanding culinary talent, served up a veggie gastronomic tour de force at the town hall. He is one of Flanders's top chefs and food writers, doing time at El Bulli in Spain, to many the best restaurant in the world. He is also a vegetarian.
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/may/13/ghent-belgium-vegetarian-day
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Comments in chronological order (Total 102 comments)

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mochila 14 May 2009 9:40AM Obviously, the western diet cannot be adopted by the planet's entire population, the land required is simply not available. It is great to see a whole city kick-start what is a debate which is over-due on this scale. It has put Ghent on the map for me, and I'll be paying the place a visit to take in the vibe of a place changing its collective consciousness. I'd love a follow-up report on this in the future. Recommend (23) Responses (0) Report abuse
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gatz 14 May 2009 9:46AM Every restaurant in the city is to guarantee a vegetarian dish on the menu, with some going fully vegetarian every Thursday. Now that's a very different proposition to 'forcing' everyone to go veggie one day a week, as much coverage has suggested, isn't it? Even as a vegeterain of more than 20 years standing (and one who weighs about 90k - a veggie diet doesn't automatically convey sveltness) I know that coercing people into doing anything about their diet is bound to backfire. Oh, and if the point is not to reinforce cliches, why the insistance on refering to the bread as organic wholegrain? Even if it was on this occaision it is not difficult to eat nothing but junk on a vegetarian diet if that is what you wish to do. Recommend (8) Responses (0) Report abuse
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Intersubjective1 14 May 2009 9:51AM It's amazing how most people think that they haven't eaten properly or enough if they don't eat meat, even for a day, when you can swap beef or chicken for a pasta dish or a pizza. Recommend (11) Responses (0) Report abuse
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teaboy 14 May 2009 9:55AM No comments yet? I'll start- it's a great idea! Recommend (5) Responses (0) Report abuse
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ariel3 14 May 2009 9:55AM surprised no flesheater has mentioned extra-methane yet. Recommend (0) Responses (0) Report abuse
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Nattydread69 14 May 2009 9:56AM Ghent is a lovely city, I used to live near there, very vibrant. Unfortunately not all veggie food is healthy. Bet most of you don't know that soya causes brain damage in men. Its not healthy at all. But on a whole less meat can only be a good thing for the world. Recommend (3) Responses (0) Report abuse
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OneForTeam 14 May 2009 10:03AM Ghent is a wonderful city. Now there's an extra reason to visit! Recommend (9) Responses (0) Report abuse
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CandiceMarie 14 May 2009 10:03AM I was thinking of booking a trip to Ghent anyway, this has made up my mind. These are the kind of sacrifices we are going to have to make on an increasing basis. Maybe in a decade they will be leading us to only having meat once a week. Recommend (4) Responses (0) Report abuse
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Intersubjective1 14 May 2009 10:10AM Nattydread: your news is ten years old the most up-to-date research on soya suggest othewise: From the Institute of Food Research Website: Evidence for soya causing breast cancer or reducing the risk of breast cancer is scarce and inconclusive. Conversely, research from the USA supports an inverse relationship between the intake of non-fermented soya products and prostate cancer. Other studies suggest that frequent consumption (> once a day) of soymilk is associated with a reduction in prostate cancer risk For more information on the studies conducted visit the Food Standards Agency (FSA) website. Recommend (9) Responses (0) Report abuse
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languedocienne 14 May 2009 10:12AM One meatless day a week is a great idea, and no loss for those who want a tasty diet. I love meat, but vegetables too and have at least one meatless day per week. Beef is the least sustainable meat and I hardly ever eat that. Pork and chicken, locally produced, can be perfectly sustainable and good for the whole cycle of food production. Local food is important too. Transporting food causes huge amounts of CO2 emissions and it's better to eat eggs and meat produced nearby than fruit and vegetables from the other side of the world. Bananas, for instance, do not grow anywhere near Ghent. Aubergine for the caviar does, but in heated greenhouses. It makes a good news story and it makes people think, but we have to be sensible about the choices we make to save the planet. http://olives-and-artichokes.blogspot.com Recommend (8) Responses (0) Report abuse
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hannaka 14 May 2009 10:15AM Ghent is a great place, as is Belgium. I love how Belgians often surprise me (as an expat) with such excellent measures! Can you imagine not allowing cars into London for a day to allow people to cycle and roller skate across the whole city? And yet Brussels does it every year! I think the article could also have mentioned how unethical it is that the majority of the grain produced in the world goes towards feeding cattle which will be used for meat, when there are people in many parts of the world who cannot afford that grain as a result. There are many reasons to cut down our meat consumption, and this is a great way for a city to set a good example.
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ashie259 14 May 2009 10:16AM Sounds as if they're going about it the right way. Great idea - something entirely positive. Recommend (11) Responses (0) Report abuse
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McMuggins 14 May 2009 10:17AM ..And to think, the only time I had been conscious of Ghent was a poem featuring someone bringing good news to the place ( from Aix? , I think) and flogging his horse to death in the process. Roll on with the good ideas. Cheers. Recommend (2) Responses (0) Report abuse
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juanveron 14 May 2009 10:18AM Imagine the reactions of a starving African or Asian family when they hear that, somewhere in Europe, people will abstain fron eating meat for one day (what a sacrifice!) in order to save the world! Recommend (2) Responses (0) Report abuse
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ciderguard 14 May 2009 10:26AM Right, that's the holiday booked! Ghent here I come! Recommend (3) Responses (0) Report abuse
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Dunnyboy
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14 May 2009 10:27AM At least they are not forcing people to become vegetarians, so children and civil servants won't have to suffer at the hands of the faddists. I liked the line "It appears to be tapping into a zeitgeist awareness of the cost to human health and the environment of intensive meat and dairy farming." It's amazing how a tiny minority of well-organised activists can think of their obsession as the zeitgeist. Recommend (3) Responses (0) Report abuse
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2345678 14 May 2009 10:34AM Excellent! And Brussels has just had another car free day. Public transport is so bad in Uk prob. not possible. Recommend (4) Responses (0) Report abuse
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zubzub 14 May 2009 10:35AM Intersubjective wrote It's amazing how most people think that they haven't eaten properly or enough if they don't eat meat, even for a day, when you can swap beef or chicken for a pasta dish or a pizza. In the nicest way possible, that is quite the most stupid thing I've ever read on CiF. Comparing pasta to meat as like for like - you can't be serious? I'd agree with vegetarians, to a degree, that economically and environmentally a meat based diet can't sustain the planet's population. But physiologically, it's free range meat - with all of the accompanying saturated fat - for me thank you. Recommend (2) Responses (0) Report abuse
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Voluspa 14 May 2009 10:35AM Excellent idea. Anything however small it is that offers an alternative to the diet we in the west are currently killing ourselves with is a good thing. Well done Ghent. Recommend (7) Responses (0) Report abuse
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calumsquire 14 May 2009 10:36AM This is such a great idea! Spreading word such as this is great. Having been vegan for over a year now - can say it's the best thing ever happened to me. Mostly veggie since reaching double figures. Should happen in more places! Very positive outlook! Recommend (8) Responses (0) Report abuse
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RedRicky1 14 May 2009 10:37AM Whether is meat or veggie is irrelevant, it's how the food is produced which causes global warming. Diverting rivers for crops and ploughing up fragile land causes far more damage then grazing in some cases (think Australia). You should eat if possible local ethically produced food the rest of this PC Veggie bollocks like the import of veggie pet food. Just kill and eat the pet and turn the skin into a coat if you want to be really green :-) Recommend (9) Responses (0) Report abuse
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zubzub 14 May 2009 10:47AM Voluspa wrote Excellent idea. Anything however small it is that offers an alternative to the diet we in the west are currently killing ourselves with is a good thing. Well done Ghent. The diet we are currently killing ourselves with? I presume you must mean the carbs with carbs with a big side of extra carbs diet (dessert if still hungry - more carbs). Organic, fairtrade, low GI spelt pasta or a f*%king Mars Bar: it doesn't matter, it all ends up as a shitload of glucose. Do you think your insulin cares whether the glucose comes from grains or a can of Coke? Recommend (1) Responses (0) Report abuse
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MrLondonKiwi 14 May 2009 10:53AM Yet another pointless exercise by unimaginative people who think they are saving the plant -- yawn. I agree with Redricky1 to an extent, however even eating local is not a black and white
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decision. importing product from countries that can grow / raise it more efficiently due to favourable climate for example may offset the freight impact in some cases. We were designed to eat meat and it is yummy. Recommend (4) Responses (0) Report abuse
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Touchy 14 May 2009 10:54AM Hannaka is right - Belgium is AWESOME! Recommend (2) Responses (0) Report abuse
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DianeDrinkwater 14 May 2009 10:59AM I think learning to eat dandelions and chickweed would be more beneficial to the planet. It seems to be what we grow most of around the places we live. I appluad them for trying though. Recommend (0) Responses (0) Report abuse
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Gingecat 14 May 2009 11:04AM Today I shall eat all the (meat) pies. Recommend (1) Responses (0) Report abuse
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Kaz1 14 May 2009 11:15AM These are the kind of sacrifices we are going to have to make on an increasing basis It is great news and hopefully Ghent is just the first of many places to take a similar position. However referring to not eating animal-based products as a 'sacrifice' is an indication of just how far there is to go before we can reverse the meat-dependent culture in which we live. Vegetarian (and preferably vegan) food is not a sacrifice, both literally and metaphorically! Recommend (16) Responses (0) Report abuse
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Sipowicz 14 May 2009 11:18AM Ghent was already pretty cool for veggies. Try the Tasty-World veggieburgers at Hoogpoort 1 and Walpoortstraat 38 for great fast food also Greenway Foods at Nederkouter 42 for salads, pasta, hot baguettes and burgers. For something a bit more special try Panda at Oudburg 38 for great organic food. However be careful at Avalon, Geldmunt 32, which advertises itself as vegetarian but includes fish in some of its dishes. Recommend (3) Responses (0) Report abuse
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defendyourself 14 May 2009 11:21AM Well said zubzub. It seems to be too much to ask that people acquaint themselves with a bit of basic physiology. The diet that is currently killing us? Well that must explain why in the West we are living longer than ever before, growing taller, stronger and have relegated dietary deficiencies to the dustbin of history. There is an ever growing tendency to ignore the gains made in human health and wellbeing by the last one hundred and fifty years of technological and industrial development. That is not to say that there have been no mistakes and that there are not even better ways of doing things waiting to be discovered. Try looking on the positive side for once eh! What you eat should be a matter of choice, sadly for all too many people that is not the case, because there isn't enough food available. Eating less meat will not help them, eating your veg will not help them, buying their produce might. How about we have a mind your own business day. Sounds good to me. Recommend (5) Responses (0) Report abuse
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Robcris 14 May 2009 11:26AM Fantastic, great, well done!! Let all happy and civilized cities and towns follow Ghents lead! Bravo! Recommend (8) Responses (0) Report abuse
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bigeggo
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14 May 2009 11:27AM This comment was removed by a moderator because it didn't abide by our community standards. Replies may also be deleted. For more detail see our FAQs.
Robcris 14 May 2009 11:34AM Hey "defendyourself", have you tried researching the facts? People in the west may be stronger and taller than the poor starving masses, but that doesnt mean that westerners are healthy! Have you any idea of the problems facing the National Health Service in the UK?! We eat too much fatty food, too much sugar and salt, and drink way too much alcohol, and you must know that. Did you know that 1 kilo of beef uses up the resourses for 10 kilos of the equivalent crop foods? Meat production is a very very inefficient use of the worlds resources, and if we cut back, maybe there would be more for the poor. You may think you are a free-eating man of the world, but the fact is that you are talking like a selfish and careless person! Recommend (13) Responses (0) Report abuse
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FFScat 14 May 2009 11:37AM Lentil burghers! Ha-hah! Good one. Recommend (1) Responses (0) Report abuse
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Melkan 14 May 2009 11:41AM It is great news and hopefully Ghent is just the first of many places to take a similar position. However referring to not eating animal-based products as a 'sacrifice' is an indication of just how far there is to go before we can reverse the meat-dependent culture in which we live. Vegetarian (and preferably vegan) food is not a sacrifice, both literally and metaphorically! It is. Its a potentially-extinction-inducing threat. The human body evolved to eat omniverously, and needs both animal and non-animal products to survive and prosper (for example vitamin B12). You can get by short-term on not eating animal products but in the long term, reproductive fitness can only be assured by eating a mixed and balanced diet. This is basic scientic fact. And can I remind any "but I've been a vegan since the year dot and I'm healthy" typeresponders that the plural of "ancedote" is not "data"? And besides, vegans are utterly misable as sin, all of them. As the great Anthony Bourdain said, "My body is an amusement park, not a temple". Recommend (7) Responses (0) Report abuse
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neecheecat 14 May 2009 11:49AM I think it's a great idea. Recommend (1) Responses (0) Report abuse
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aussibum 14 May 2009 12:03PM This comment was removed by a moderator because it didn't abide by our community standards. Replies may also be deleted. For more detail see our FAQs.
steve3742 14 May 2009 12:05PM Whether is meat or veggie is irrelevant, it's how the food is produced which causes global warming. Diverting rivers for crops and ploughing up fragile land causes far more damage then grazing in some cases (think Australia). You should eat if possible local ethically produced food the rest of this PC Veggie bollocks like the import of veggie pet food. Just kill and eat the pet and turn the skin into a coat if you want to be really green :-) OK, but given that the relatively huge amounts of meat in the western diet require intensive farming of animals and that this, in turn, requires intensive farming of veg (between 5-10 times as much land is required to produce enough crops to feed animals to produce the same amount of calories as if you just grew crops to eat), then it seems this "PC Veggie bollocks" micght just have a point? The diet that is currently killing us? Well that must explain why in the West we are living longer than ever before, growing taller, stronger and have relegated dietary deficiencies to the dustbin of history. There is an ever growing tendency to ignore the gains made in human health and wellbeing by the last one hundred and fifty years of technological and industrial development. Perhaps advances in medicine and sanitation in particualar, not to mention increases in general standard of living are responsible for our increased lifespan? The western diet is responsible for a) ever increasing obesity, which is killing people and b) environmental destruction, which is also killing people. What you eat should be a matter of choice, sadly for all too many people that is not the case, because there isn't enough food available. Eating less meat will not help them, eating your veg will not help them, buying their produce might. How about we have a mind your own business day. Sounds good to me. The lack of food is more due to political factors, however when food production is short, going veggie or partially veggie can help feed a larger population because of that 5-10 times factor mentioned earlier. This is, more or less, what we did in WWII. Adolf Hitler was a vegetarian,i say no more. No he wasn't. And even if he was, it would make no difference. Under Godwin's Law, you've just lost this argument. Recommend (6) Responses (0)
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gatz 14 May 2009 12:12PM And can I remind any "but I've been a vegan since the year dot and I'm healthy" typeresponders that the plural of "ancedote" is not "data"? ... And besides, vegans are utterly misable as sin, all of them I trust you'll make the evidence for your scientific research on the effect of a vegan diet on mood available for review, Melkan? Recommend (6) Responses (0) Report abuse
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Bartel 14 May 2009 12:15PM Tried camel for the first time at the weekend; bit like tough roast beef, must be all the sandy seasoning. Still rather chow down on a Ship of the Desert burger than a bloody soya fritter, mind. And how exactly is 'eggless mayo' doing its bit for the global economy? Recommend (3) Responses (0) Report abuse
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reasoning 14 May 2009 12:17PM MrLondonKiwi We were not designed to eat meat! Eating meat we are killing ourselves slowly.... Just check it in some biology books and look at the comparison of the digestive systems of carnivores, omnivores, herbivores, and humans. Ours is closest to herbivores! Many of the present diseases are caused by our eating meat! Recommend (6) Responses (0) Report abuse
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steve3742 14 May 2009 12:21PM It is. Its a potentially-extinction-inducing threat. The human body evolved to eat omniverously, and needs both animal and non-animal products to survive and prosper (for example vitamin B12). You can get by short-term on not eating animal products but in the long term, reproductive fitness can only be assured by eating a mixed and balanced diet. This is basic scientic fact.
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Basic scientific fact my arse. Post a reference, if you can. B12 exists naturally in many vegetarian foods. It exists artificaially in a lot of vegan ones (Marmite, for example.) And can I remind any "but I've been a vegan since the year dot and I'm healthy" typeresponders that the plural of "ancedote" is not "data"? Like to produce some data yourself, as you're so fond of scientific method? Recommend (3) Responses (0) Report abuse
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nairobiny 14 May 2009 12:22PM And can I remind any "but I've been a vegan since the year dot and I'm healthy" typeresponders that the plural of "ancedote" is not "data"? Though your comment was the plural of bollock. Recommend (4) Responses (0) Report abuse
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ASueDenim 14 May 2009 12:31PM I think this a really great idea (and I'll definitely be looking at visiting Ghent). It would be nice if a few towns in the UK could do something similar: e.g. one day a week consuming locally produced food. Oh and Melkan - you forgot to cite the name of the publication, where the research citing vegans are utterly misable as sin, all of them was examined and proved one way or the other..... Recommend (2) Responses (0) Report abuse
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Bartel 14 May 2009 12:32PM And this isn't snottiness but a genuine question: presumably if we stop raising livestock then all those sheep and cattle will be returned to the wild to fend for themselves? No more wasteful expenditure of crops to feed them? Well then, why don't we start by getting rid of all pets? Does anyone know offhand exactly how many tonnes of grain, crops and meat - basic sustenance that surely could be better used feeding the world's hungry - the West goes through every year just keeping their dogs, cats, parrots and rabbits fed? How can we justify devoting so much food to animals that give nothing back? Recommend (4) Responses (0)
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Bartel 14 May 2009 12:35PM "We were not designed to eat meat! Eating meat we are killing ourselves slowly.... Just check it in some biology books and look at the comparison of the digestive systems of carnivores, omnivores, herbivores, and humans. Ours is closest to herbivores! Many of the present diseases are caused by our eating meat!" Twaddle. I'll back my assertion up with facts whenever you do the same. Recommend (0) Responses (0) Report abuse
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HarrocknRoll 14 May 2009 12:50PM Adolf Hitler was a vegetarian,i say no more. Reductio ad Hitlerum Mahatma Gandhi was also vegetarian. (Reductio ad Gandhium) Recommend (1) Responses (0) Report abuse
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keepsmiling 14 May 2009 12:56PM defendyourself There is an ever growing tendency to ignore the gains made in human health and wellbeing by the last one hundred and fifty years of technological and industrial development. There is an ever growing tendency to ignore the facts that (a) the last the last one hundred and fifty years of technological and industrial development are the result of abundant fossil fuels. The scienctific and medical base we take for granted, and which, in addition to clean water and sanitation, are the reason why we live longer, are mainly a
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result of cheap and abundant energy, e.g. mostly oil. This age is coming to an end and agriculture will change with it. Agriculture is 95% fossil-fuel dependent - for fertilizers, pesticides, machinery and transport - if we want to eat, over the next few decades, we need to reduce that dependency. What you eat should be a matter of choice, sadly for all too many people that is not the case, because there isn't enough food available. Eating less meat will not help them, eating your veg will not help them, buying their produce might. Not maintaining spurious debt which transfers vast amounts of wealth from poor to rich countries might help them even more. Then they could feed themselves instead of us which we'll all have to do once the cost of global transport become prohibitive. Oops, we only produce about 40% of our food - what shall we do? Oh, and we need to reduce populations everywhere and quickly. The carrying capacity of the earth before oil was around a quarter of what it is now - also soils were less depleted and less land had been built over with things you can't grow food on, like car parks and runways. Recommend (3) Responses (0) Report abuse
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langley 14 May 2009 1:01PM great, Ghent leads the way once again. In the past they have shown the way with proper community care for those with mental illness. Recommend (0) Responses (0) Report abuse
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