Vegan society calls for separate office fridge shelf for plant-based food

The Vegan Society has created a booklet that details guidelines for employers after a recent court ruling confirmed that those in the workplace who live on a plant-based diet are protected by law, the Metro Online reports.

One of the guidelines in the booklet, titled 'Supporting veganism in the workplace: A guide for employers', encourages companies to include a shelf in the office fridge intended only for vegan food.

The decision to bring out the booklet was sparked by a case last month that centered around Jordi Casamitjana and ruled that ethical veganism qualifies as a philosophical belief for the purposes of the Equality Act 2010.

Casamitjana was allegedly fired by the League Against Cruel Sports due to his ethical veganism. His former employer denies his claims and says he was dismissed for gross misconduct.

The judge ruled that those who follow ethical veganism should enjoy the same legal protections in UK workplaces as those who hold religious beliefs.

The Vegan Society spokesperson Matt Turner said per The Times: "It’s important that businesses up and down the country take note of these new guidelines and start to include them in their workplace policies and practices as soon as possible."

He continued: "This ruling and the protection it confirms for ethical vegans are long overdue. The Vegan Society is happy to support any company that wants to take steps to improve life in the workplace for the hundreds of thousands of vegans in the UK."

Some of the other guidelines include being exempt from corporate events like horse racing or those that "revolve around animal products" such as barbeques, separate areas in which to prepare food, color-coded kitchen equipment, and the provision of non-dairy milk.

Per iNews, The Vegan Society said the ruling will have “a far-reaching impact on employers” and they will need to “adapt their workplace policies, practices and environment to accommodate ethical vegans”.