A petition has been launched to try and get Sheffield City Council to go 100% plant based for all their future catering. 

Sheffield City Council has set a goal for the local authority and the city to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 and haven taken many significant steps to get close to this goal.

However, the Plant-Based Councils campaign believes the council should promote a plant-based diet to help reach this goal.

The three main goals to help contribute to the goal include – ensuring food and drink provided at all Council meetings and events is 100% plant based, prioritising plant-based menu options wherever else the council has influenced – such as schools and leisure centres – and removing meat and dairy advertising where the Council has an influence.

The group said: “The carbon footprint of a plant-based diet is substantially lower than one that includes animal products.”

Research from Oxford University helps back up their statement as it has been found that a fully plant-based diet produces 75% fewer greenhouse emissions compared to a diet containing 100 grams of meat daily.

The Plant-Based Councils Campaign have described the issue at hand as “urgent” and a “climate emergency” and are hoping for a positive response from the Council.

Alexi Dimond, The Deputy Chair of the Transport, Regeneration and Climate Policy Committee, commented on the petition: “I would support the council signing up to the plant based treaty, but currently the Green Group is restricted to 4 motions per municipal year, and we have a lot of important issues to cover.”

Due to the restrictions placed on the Green Group, it may take awhile before the council can become 100% plant based, which in turn is a blow to their climate goals.

As of March 2025, 13 UK councils have passed plant-based motions or policies so far thanks to the commitment of the campaign group.

You can find out more about Plant-Based Councils campaign and how to take part via their website:

https://www.plantbasedcouncils.org

In total 5,000 signatures are required for a petition to trigger a full public debate at Full Council.