‘Inspire residents’: Activists plead with Hackney Council to commit to fully plant-based catering

Louisa Hillwood, pictured addressing councillors last year. Photograph: Plant-Based Councils

Residents have urged Hackney Council to sign a ‘Plant Based Treaty’ in a bid to reduce carbon emissions and tackle climate change.

The treaty, which has already been signed by a number of councils up and down the country, is a commitment to using plant-based catering at internal events and meetings.

“Hackney Council has a responsibility to champion this change by showing residents that eating plant-based food can be delicious and nutritious,” said Louisa Hillwood, a local resident and representative of campaign group Plant-Based Councils.

“You are our elected representatives, and part of your job is to lead and guide and support the changes that will mean we can see a better, brighter and healthier future,” she told councillors.

“You’re here to champion positive and necessary changes, and to help us, the residents of Hackney, make those changes too.”

The food industry is responsible for one third of emissions in the UK, while 50 per cent of the country’s methane production comes from animal agriculture.

According to the World Economic Forum, methane levels must be brought down by 40 per cent by 2030 to avoid the Earth exceeding a 1.5-degree temperature rise, above which its “systems enter a danger zone”.

“By taking forward-thinking steps, it will inspire residents to eat plant-based foods themselves and demonstrate how serious this issue is,” Hillwood added.

She pointed out that this change “will cost you nothing”, and gives the council an opportunity to support UK farmers and industry.

Hillwood cited the number of plant-based restaurants in Hackney, serving cuisines from across the globe, and emphasised the inclusivity of plant-based eating, noting that it is also “largely halal and kosher”.

Lia Phillips, from Plant Based Treaty, called attention to the council’s role in “public education”.

“We often talk about personal choice, and we should remember that we are always being influenced by our surroundings,” she said.

“Through education and expansion of plant-based food options, it can encourage a shift towards climate-friendly diets across Hackney.”

Mete Coban, speaking before he quit as a Hackney councillor to take up a new role as deputy mayor for the environment at City Hall, said the transition to plant-based catering should be taken “incrementally”.

“Part of the journey of the climate action plan is how we deliver [it]… It’s about working with people and it’s about making sure that every step of the way, we’re taking people with us.”

He stressed the importance of the “journey”, saying it’s not about “shaming” people and “making them feel like they’re not part of our mission”.

Coban highlighted that 60 per cent of meals at the council’s annual general meetings are plant-based, and that Hackney is already part of ‘Eat like a Londoner’, a programme promoting plant-based food and catering.

“The climate action plan can’t just be about what the council is doing,” he continued, “because even if we achieve plant-based catering at Hackney Council, we’ve still got so much to do across the borough.”

Hackney already has “so many community-based organisations doing wonderful things”, he added.

He did not say explicitly whether or not Hackney Council will sign the Plant Based Treaty, but said it is aiming for fully plant-based catering by 2030.

When he had finished, Hillwood replied: “2030 is far too late. We need it to happen as soon as possible.”