Alia Bennett / Contributing Writer
For quite some time, the thought of a meatless meal has been considered absurd by most, even though the diet can be traced back hundreds of years. Now, recent data shows that the amount of people that choose to remove meat from their diets has grown considerably over the years. The Vegetarian Resource Group conducted multiple surveys in 2008 and 2011, which led to the realization that meat is not as popular as it once was. The survey found that five percent of Americans never eat meat, including seafood.
The Huffington Post has also claimed that the number of vegans has essentially doubled over the last three years. While the number of vegans and vegetarians has grown, many people are also choosing to incorporate more vegetables and less meat into their diet instead of cutting it out completely. Multiple celebrities such as Bill Clinton and even Beyoncé continue to come out, praising their change in diet as the cause for the turnaround in their overall health.
The idea that the people who stop eating meat are usually animal lovers has been left in the past. Eating less meat has been linked to numerous health benefits, such as weight loss and lowering the risk of heart disease. Consuming less meat is considered to be better for the environment as well.
This brings to question that if consuming little to no meat has become more mainstream, why don’t we see more meatless options on college campuses? After all, Florida International University has a huge student population with people coming from all walks of life. Surely there has to be a need for such restaurants.
However, when you take a look around the Modesto A. Maidique campus, the closest thing you see to a reduced meat option is Salad Creations, Juice Blendz and Jamba Juice. While these restaurants have some options that are devoid of meat, their menus are usually centered around meat. As for the Biscayne Bay Campus, you’re better off cooking for yourself or leaving the campus altogether. Why do you think that is? Why is money not being devoted to fulfilling the needs of those who simply don’t eat the same way a lot of others do?
While I do love meat, I do see a need that is currently unfulfilled. In my eyes, this is a growing market segment that isn’t being considered. With a campus as diverse as ours, a restaurant that caters to those who want to avoid meat would undoubtedly thrive. Perhaps there isn’t a university that has such an option for its students, so it’s much bigger than just only our campus.
Those who don’t eat meat are being left to fend for themselves. Having a restaurant that is geared towards little to no meat would make FIU stand out tremendously. Students might even be motivated to consider the school as a viable school choice, since they know it would meet the often forgotten need for diverse cuisine options. Our school is one of the best and largest in the nation.
It is only right that we set the standard for how a university should be, whether it be our top of the line gym facilities or wide range of food choices (since we know that college students love to eat, right?). What better way to do this than to have a significant amount of meatless options available? It’s a decision that would show that no part of our student body is left out. We all are Panthers and we deserve to be treated as the premier students we are.
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