Serve only vegan food on campus, PETA tells IIT-Bombay

Serving vegan-only meals will help students consider their own health, the environment,and non-human species, said PETA in the letter

Three days after withdrawing a ban on sale of non-vegetarian items in an eatery within their campus, the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B) has received a letter from the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), requesting them to serve only vegan food.

The letter sent to the director of IIT-B also mentions the poor condition in which animals are kept and the worse conditions in which most of these animals are slaughtered for the sake of consumption. (HT File)

Veganism refers to a diet that excludes meat, eggs, dairy products and all animal-derived ingredients. “The production of meat, eggs and ‘dairy’ products causes the suffering of billions of animals each year, contributing to antibiotic resistance and world hunger, damages the environment, and compromises the health of those who consume animal-derived food,” said a statement by Nikunj Sharma, PETA lead of public policy. “Serving vegan-only meals will help students consider their own health, the environment,and non-human species.”

This issue stems from a recent notice sent out by the civil engineering department of the institute to a café within the campus, asking them to stop serving non-vegetarian and egg items to avoid selling stale food to students. Negative response from the student community to such a diktat forced the management to withdraw this notice earlier this week to avoid further agitation by students.

The letter, which was sent across to the director of IIT-B, Devang Khakhar on Thursday, further mentions the poor condition in which animals are kept and the worse conditions in which most of these animals are slaughtered for the sake of consumption. “The nation needs esteemed institutions like yours to make decisions beneficial to the society based on science, even if it generates debates and discussion, and even if it would temporarily “offend” meat addicts. Protecting the health of the public, animals, and the environment is absolutely the right thing to do,” added Sharma.

By Thursday afternoon, management of IIT-B had released a statement in response to the PETA letter. “The institute does not favour or prefer any one over another or discriminate on vegetarian and non-vegetarian grounds. Students and faculty from across the globe and varied cultural backgrounds come to IIT Bombay as the Institute boasts of an inclusive and assimilating culture and we continue to foster such culture. Residents of a democratic country like India are free to choose what they want to eat,” said a spokesperson for IIT-B..