Mercy For Animals India Foundation sent a letter on Thursday to the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC) urging it to introduce vegan food products on train menus to make travel comfortable for its vegan customers and take a step toward becoming a pro-health, climate-conscious company.
This move comes after Indian Railways announced the introduction of an all-vegetarian menu for the journey from Delhi to Katra on the Vande Bharat Express.
“Veganism has seen a sharp rise in India, with the number of vegans growing 360 percent in the past decade and further growth projected,” said Nikunj Sharma, chief executive officer of Mercy For Animals India Foundation. “Having a vegan menu would not only meet the needs of the vegan Indians who travel by train but strengthen IRCTC’s commitment to being a sustainable company that cares for the planet”.
The NGO said that as per the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, meat, egg, and dairy production is responsible for about 14.5 percent of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. And a recent study published in the journal Nature states that meat accounts for nearly 60 percent of greenhouse gas emissions from food production.
“Many railway companies around the world, including Rail Europe and several in the UK, such as Virgin Trains, East Midlands Railway, Greater Anglia, Grand Central, CrossCountry, Great Western Railway, and Hull Trains, have started offering vegan food options on their menus,’’ it said in a statement.
“In India, as more and more companies offer plant-based foods, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India recently introduced a distinct label for vegan food. Such developments signal a shift towards plant-based eating and a need for companies and organisations to satisfy consumer demand,’’ it added.
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