This May, Vancouver Humane kicked off the launch of our new Plant-Based Plates program with a culinary workshop and guest chef pop-up at the BC Children’s & Women’s Hospital in Vancouver. Guest chef Andrea Potter of Rooted Nutrition, led the Morrison Healthcare team (the hospital’s food service provider and a division of Compass Group Canada) in making two delicious plant-based dishes – a pad Thai and a pulled BBQ jackfruit burrito. Following the workshop, the items were featured on the lunch menu and VHS staff distributed samples; recipe cards for each dish; and information about the benefits of a plant-based diet.
“The feedback from hospital staff and guests was very positive,” said Emily Pickett, Vancouver Humane’s Campaign Director. “People were excited to see more plant-based options on the menu and were thrilled about using the recipe cards to make the dishes at home too. Both specials were very popular and sold out over the lunch break!”
The new dishes will be added into the hospital café’s menu rotation as part of their larger effort to introduce more healthy and sustainable plant-based meals on their menus.
“With the volume of food that we serve every day, we have an opportunity to make a major impact on the health of our guests and on the wellbeing of our planet,” said a spokesperson for Morrison Healthcare.
Since 2015, Vancouver Humane has worked with schools, businesses, hospitals, food service providers and the general public to encourage a dietary transition toward more plant-based foods. Following a plant-based diet is a powerful way to reduce the demand for animal products that drives factory farming.
Through our Meatless Monday initiative, we’ve supported Metro Vancouver institutions in introducing meatless specials to their menus on Mondays.
Our new Plant-Based Plates initiative aims to help institutions take the next step by expanding plant-based offerings to their daily menu. You can learn more about the new program at www.plantbasedplates.ca