National Veg Week dates confirmed

It has been confirmed that the 2023 National Vegetarian Week will take place between 15 and 21 May.

The week will highlight how switching to veggie meals can help care home caterers reduce their carbon footprint. 

“The very first National Vegetarian Week ran in 1992, the same year as the Rio Earth Summit which saw the creation of the first ever UN Framework Convention on Climate Change," says Richard McIlwain, chief executive of the Vegetarian Society. "Thirty years later, we are still battling to reduce emissions and yet every single one of us can take meaningful action by simply reducing or cutting out meat from our diets.

“In 2022’s campaign, we inspired people to switch over 70,000 meat-based meals for veggie and plant-based dishes, saving over 100 tons of carbon, equivalent to the emissions released by driving a car around the earth’s equator over 16 times!

“For 2023 we want to reach out to even more people encouraging a greater number of businesses, schools, local authorities, supermarkets and individuals taking part in the week. People often don’t think their own actions can make much of a difference. But by joining the many thousands of people signing up for the week, we aim to demonstrate how, together, individual efforts can lead to real and meaningful change.”

The National Food Strategy says the UK should eat 30% less meat by 2030. For people who eat meat every day, this can be achieved by going meat-free on just two days a week.

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