As a vegan advocacy organization fighting tirelessly to overhaul the meat-centric, cheese-heavy National School Lunch Program by getting daily vegan entrée options in an increasing number of public-school cafeterias across the U.S., Friends of Animals sends a hearty Salud! to the two students in Lima, Peru, who are suing their university for not offering a plant-based meal option in their university dining hall.

The case will see students Gabriela Santos Tacuri and Luis Nitai Syam Florian Andrade argue that the absence of a plant-based option at their university violates their rights to freedom of conscience, equality and non-discrimination, personal identity, and freedom of expression, and jeopardizes their right to health and sustenance, reports plantbasedtreaty.org.

This case will set a legal precedent in Peru, as the first constitutional lawsuit to address veganism as a possible ground for discrimination. A similar landmark case succeeded in the UK in 2020 when a judge ruled that ethical veganism is a protected philosophical belief under the 2010 Equality Act, the website adds.

Plant Based Treaty, part of the Animal Save Movement, has launched a petition urging the National Major University of San Marcos to endorse the Plant Based Treaty and support a transition to plant-based catering on campus. FoA asks you to sign the petition ahead of the Sept. 9 court hearing. (Note that an English translation appears below Spanish version.)

Having daily vegan lunches available is astoundingly good news for animals and the environment. A vegan Beyond Burger generates 90% fewer greenhouse gas emissions, requires 46% less energy, has 99% less impact on water scarcity and 93% less impact on land use than a quarter pound of U.S. beef. That means a 41-square-foot plot of land can produce just one beef burger for every 15 Beyond Burgers.

Not to mention, vegan food is healthier and more inclusive.

Students, families and advocates can affect change. Because of the clear regulatory hurdles that discourage U.S. schools from offering vegan lunches, earlier this year Friends of Animals filed a legal petition asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture to change its regulations.

Following FoA’s petition, the USDA issued new regulations that make it easier for schools involved in the National School Lunch Program to offer daily vegan lunch entrées.

“We’re applauding this significant step that follows the excellence of our persuasive legal rulemaking petition,” said Priscilla Feral, president of Friends of Animals. “This is what change looks like. This is proof you can move mountains. The USDA, which is notoriously in lockstep with the meat industry, has opened the door to progress and it’s gratifying.”