Dale’s Vince’s Ecotricity has opened what it claims to be the UK’s first fully plant-based workplace canteen. The energy company said the move was part of its aim to combat climate change, protect nature and promote healthy eating.
Plant-based meals are served to Ecotricity staff based in Stroud, Gloucestershire, with plans to expand the menu to include breakfast options.
Mr Vince said: “We think our new plant-based cafeteria is a first and proves that there’s another way to do things.
“Plant-based eating can be affordable, healthy, tasty, and good for the planet. The future is plant-based, and the sooner we get there, the better for us all.”
The news comes just days after the green energy industrialist waded into a row over cow’s milk. West Country farmers were left fuming after Gloucestershire County Council launched its ‘Swaps in Seconds’ campaign suggesting residents could consider using plant-based milk to tackle climate change.
The ad highlighted that ”small, sustainable swaps can lead to a reduction in our carbon footprints”. But following a backlash among the farming community, the local authority issued a clarification on its campaign. It said plant-based milk was a just a suggestion as part of a series of ideas for people to consider.
Mr Vince hit back at the complaints, however, saying he was “surprised” to see people getting stirred up. He said: “It seems like sensible advice from the council. Countries such as Denmark and Portugal already have strategies to help people to eat and drink more sustainably, so why can’t we?”
Mr Vince, who is also the owner of Forest Green Rovers Football Club, founded Ecotricity in 1995 in a bid to replace fossil fuels with green electricity and green gas.
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