NB. The APPG is currently de-registered as of April 2024 pending a decision on reformation post-election.

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Vegetarianism and Veganism provides a forum for discussing issues around vegetarianism and veganism. The group is funded by The Vegan Society and Vegetarian for Life. The Vegan Society serves as secretariat.

How to Get Involved

We very much welcome attendees with an interest in vegetarianism, veganism, or special diets; public health; the environment; and animal welfare. Meetings will usually take the form of presentations by speakers and then a Q&A with the floor. However, parliamentarians do have priority in asking questions.

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How the Group Works

We hope that meetings will be attended by a range of parliamentarians and stakeholders. Potential topics for discussion include food and medicine labelling, vegetarianism and veganism as protected beliefs, impact of diet on climate change, and institutional catering provisions. This is not an official website of the House of Commons or the House of Lords. It has not been approved by either House or its committees. All-Party Parliamentary Groups are informal groups of Members of both Houses with a common interest in particular issues. The views expressed in these web pages are those of the group.

Officers

  • Alex Sobel MP – Vice-Chair
  • Seema Malhotra MP – Vice-Chair
  • Kerry McCarthy MP – Vice-Chair
  • Henry Smith MP – Vice-Chair

Chair

  • Christina Rees MP

Previous Meetings

Vegonomics: Celebrating the value of British vegan business, 17 January 2024

17th January 2024

Houses of Parliament

All-Party Parliamentary Group on Vegetarianism and Veganism (VegAPPG), sponsored by The Vegan Society and Vegetarian for Life, held its annual Parliamentary reception to celebrate the economic, environmental, and ethical benefits of the plant-based sector as well as the opportunities it offers to the British economy during Veganuary and beyond. The event was a resounding success with the room at full capacity and well-attended by parliamentarians. The attendees also included representatives from industry leaders such as ASDA, Quorn, Tesco and Planted, as well as celebrity guest speakers including TV personality and founder of vegan brand Candy Kittens, Jamie Laing, and the inspiring world-record-breaking athlete Fiona Oakes. The event showcased the vibrant range of vegan products available in the UK from Vegan Trademark holders such as Walkers, Misfits, Clearspring, Crack’d, Danone, Clive’s Pies, One Planet Pizza, Eat Real Snacks and Lola’s Cupcakes.

Speakers

  • Christina Rees MP, Chair of VegAPPG
  • Steve Hamon, CEO, The Vegan Society
  • Jamie Laing and Edward Williams, Co-founders, Candy Kittens
  • Fiona Oakes, an elite marathon- and ultra- runner, four Guinness World Records holder
  • Toni Vernelli, Head of Policy and Communications, Veganuary

Documents from the meeting

Parliamentary Launch of Vegan Society’s Catering for Everyone Report

8th November 2023

Attlee Room, House of Lords

The meeting introduced The Vegan Society’s new report: ‘Catering for Everyone: How far are councils catering to Vegans?’ The report looked at how far councils across the UK are taking steps to be inclusive of veganism, providing plant-based options on their menus or acting to reduce meat and dairy consumption to meet environmental targets. Using new data gathered from sending Freedom of Information Act requests to 209 local authorities, The Vegan Society has created a heat map which shows which areas are leading the way and which are falling behind.

The session heard from some leading councils and other stakeholders on the importance of the issue and how we can improve public sector catering in a way that is inclusive, environmentally friendly and cost effective.

Speakers

  • Claire Ogley, Head of Policy, Campaigns and Research at The Vegan Society.
  • Councillor Ria Patel, Equalities and Diversities Spokesperson for Croydon Council.
  • Councillor Marisa Heath, Cabinet member for Environment at Surrey County Council and Founder of the Plant-Based Food Alliance.
  • Councillor Ian Middleton, Oxfordshire County Council.
  • Amanda Woodvine, Chief Executive, Vegetarian for Life.

Documents from the meeting

Improving medicine labelling and moving away from animal-derived ingredients July 2023

11th July 2023

Portcullis House

The session heard from a range of speakers including clinicians, patients, and professionals working in medicines labelling and development, exploring why clear labelling of medical products which use animal derived ingredients is important to the vegan & vegetarian community, and members of many of the UK’s largest faith groups. The event also explored what action can be taken to encourage the use of non-animal derived alternatives.

Speakers:

  • Paul Fleming, pharmacist and Technical Director for the British Generic Manufacturers Association (BGMA). Paul has previously worked for the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
  • Dr Ishani Rao, a trainee GP at the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust.
  • Evie Sier, a vegan patient who suffers from a heart condition which requires regular medication.
  • Moussa Haddad, Head of Research and Policy at Vegetarian for Life, about the importance of respecting the protected beliefs of vegans.
  • Yasmin Akter, Community Engagement Manager at the British Islamic Medical Association.

Documents from the meeting

VegAPPG Hairdressing APPG joint event April 2023

25th April 2023

Portcullis House, Westminster

Joint Meeting: All Party Parliamentary Group for Hairdressing, Barbering and Cosmetology and All-Party Parliamentary Group on Vegetarianism and Veganism.

Documents from the meeting

Annual General Meeting February 2023

28th February 2023

Documents from the meeting

Veganuary Parliamentary Reception

11th January 2023

Westminster Hall

Documents from the meeting

Plant-based meals for climate-friendly catering

13th July 2022

APPG Meeting: Climate friendly catering – YouTube

Documents from the meeting

Annual General Meeting Jun 2022

9th June 2022

Documents from the meeting

(Closed meeting) A strategy for protecting dignity through diet in 2022 and beyond

6th December 2021

via MS Teams video-conferencing

Planting value in the food system

15th July 2021

via Zoom video-conferencing

Documents from the meeting

Joint letter to Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, from the officers of the APPG

2nd June 2021

Documents from the meeting

Out of the EU, can the UK now lead on more inclusive medicine development and labelling?

26th April 2021

Documents from the meeting

Annual General Meeting Apr 2021

26th April 2021

Documents from the meeting

Joint letters to George Eustice, Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, and Robert Jenrick, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities & Local Government, from the officers of the APPG

11th February 2021

Documents from the meeting

Is food security an issue for vegetarians and vegans?

7th December 2020

via Zoom video-conferencing

Minutes

Veganism in the workplace

8th September 2020

via Zoom video-conferencing

Documents from the meeting

Inquiry: Respect for religious and philosophical beliefs while eating in care

28th January 2020

Portcullis House

Documents from the meeting

Annual General Meeting Jan 2020

28th January 2020

Houses of Parliament

Documents from the meeting

Veggie Vurger, anyone? EU proposal to restrict plant-based descriptions

17th July 2019

Houses of Parliament

Documents from the meeting

Annual General Meeting July 2019

17th July 2019

Houses of Parliament

Documents from the meeting

Eating away at climate change with negative emissions: Repurposing UK agricultural land to meet climate goals

1st May 2019

A celebration of the growth of veganism and the vegan market

9th January 2019

Houses of Parliament

Joint letter to Minister for Women and Equalities, Penny Mordaunt, from the officers of the APPG

5th December 2018

Documents from the meeting

Public procurement: do public authorities have a duty to supply vegan food?

16th October 2018

Documents from the meeting

Is it time for a legal definition of veganism?

18th July 2018

Houses of Parliament

Documents from the meeting

Joint letter to Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Michael Gove, from the officers of the APPG

5th April 2018

Documents from the meeting

A celebration of the growth of veganism and the vegan market

17th January 2018

Houses of Parliament

The environmental impact of livestock farming

17th October 2017

Houses of Parliament

Documents from the meeting

Annual General Meeting Jul 2017

17th July 2017

Minutes of AGM July 2017

Joint letter to Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, from the officers of the APPG

28th February 2017

Documents from the meeting

Annual General Meeting Jan 2017

18th January 2017

Minutes of AGM January 2017

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