WSU Dining Services has committed to making 40% of its menu plant-based by 2024.

The university will partner with Forward Food, an organization committed to making at least 50% of the total meal offered by dining programs plant-based, according to the organization’s website. Forward Food is sponsored by Humane Society International.

Forward Food evaluates dining center’s environmental impact and recommends ways dining centers can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption, according to a WSU Insider article.

In January, dining staff participated in a Forward Food training where they prepared a variety of plant-based meals including lentil meatloaf, a taco with baked chorizo tofu and a tofu parmesan dish, according to the article.

The plant-based recipes help chefs experiment and further develop their professional skills, said WSU dietitian Alice Ma, in the article. 

“Our goal is always to source our food more sustainably, and part of that is sourcing less meat and more plants,” Ma said in the article. “The idea with the pledge and us increasing plant-based options is that you don’t have to completely give up meat or other things you like. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing.”