UZH Canteens Go Meat-Free on Mondays: First Results
In February 2025, the University of Zurich (UZH) introduced a "No Butcher" policy in its canteens, replacing one of its main meat menus with a vegetarian alternative every Monday. A new study evaluating the initiative's first six months offers an encouraging picture.
Analysing sales data from February to June 2025 and comparing them to the same period in 2024, researchers found no significant decline in overall Monday sales. This suggests that guests adapted to the change rather than eating elsewhere. At the main Uni Zentrum canteen, the No Butcher menu sold around 25 percentage points less than the former meat option, but guests largely shifted to other vegetarian and vegan lines (Garden/Farm, +12pp) or other meat dishes (+7pp).
An accompanying survey of 2,511 canteen users reinforced the picture: 76% of respondents support UZH's efforts to reduce meat consumption, and 74% already report eating meat no more than twice a week. More than half (56%) expressed a desire to reduce their meat intake further, and 65% described their eating habits as flexible or already changing.
Dr. Radu Tanase, Lecturer at the Chair of Marketing for Social Impact and the Chair of Marketing, was among the researchers involved in the study.
The full news in German is available via the link below:https://www.mensa.uzh.ch/de/ZFV-und-Nachhaltigkeit/Menü-Wechsel-zum-Kulturwandel0.html