Forest Green Rovers Football Club is celebrating becoming the world’s first vegan football club.
The club hit the headlines four years ago when it removed red meat from the menu, replacing the burgers and pies traditionally associated with the grub sold on football terraces with locally sourced vegetarian food and sustainably sourced fish.
The club has now stopped the sale of fish and has replaced cow’s milk, meaning FGR’s menu is now all-vegan.
‘As a football club, we stopped serving meat to our players, fans and staff about four seasons ago. We’ve been on a mission since then to introduce our fans to this new world. When you drop the meat and two veg approach, a whole new world of food options opens up.
‘The gap between vegetarian and vegan food is actually quite small; it’s a step rather than a leap to take. A lot of our food has been vegan for some time now, and this season we’ve taken the last small step.’
Dale Vince, Forest Green Rovers Chairman
The menu features a specially produced Q-Pie, created with ingredients supplied by club partners Quorn, alongside veggie burgers, Mexican fajitas, sweet potato burgers, pizza and lots more.
‘The meat and dairy industry is responsible for more emissions than all the world’s planes, trains, cars and boats put together. It involves incredible animal cruelty and staggering numbers: in Britain alone, over 1 billion animals are eaten each year – 3 million per day – and that’s not even counting fish. Each of these animals lives a short and awful life, and each of them consumes more food than their bodies provide us with.
‘Cows, for example, can take up to ten times more high quality plant protein – grains and soya – than they produce – 10kg goes in, 1kg comes out – which is madness. And, of course, as the WHO report this week makes plain, meat is bad for human health, being a major cause of cancer.
‘Making these facts plain and demonstrating what a plant-based diet looks – and tastes – like is an important part of our work.’
Dale Vince, Forest Green Rovers Chairman
Even the beer and cider on sale at FGR on matchdays is completely vegan, with the Cotswold Brewing Company offering popular vegan lager and cider from the bars at The New Lawn.
The club’s environmental initiatives have already captured the attention of football followers around the world. The all-vegan menu is the latest step in FGR’s attempts to lead the way as the world’s most sustainable football club.
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