Veggie Thursdays and vegan surprises! How Ghent became a plant-based paradise
In 2014, 13% of the population of this Belgian city described themselves as flexitarian. This year, 83% did. Here is how everyone was convinced to eat their greens – and love them
TL;DR
- Ghent, Belgium, has a successful "Veggie Day" every Thursday, encouraging meat-free meals across the city.
- The initiative started in 2009 with a grassroots movement and political support, leading to broad adoption.
- School meals have been modified with hybrid meat dishes and taste panels to improve child acceptance.
- The city aims to shift the protein consumption ratio from 60:40 animal to plant to 40:60 by 2030, and has already achieved this.
- Businesses like restaurants and cafes have adopted default plant-based options, like oat milk, which has proven popular.
- Innovations include the biotech lab Those Vegan Cowboys producing animal-free casein for cheese production.
- Ghent's approach focuses on making plant-based food appealing and accessible, rather than solely targeting vegans.
- The city has seen a dramatic increase in flexitarianism, from 13% in 2014 to 83% currently.