Our organization, VegeProject Japan, originally started as a student group working to introduce vegan menus to the dining halls at Kyoto University. Currently, we continue to support students’ efforts to introduce vegan menus at their universities via our program “VegeProject University”.
One of the student groups we are supporting is the student-led initiative “Kyushu University VegeProject”. In August of last year, this student group held a vegan-friendly menu tasting event for the university co-op in charge of the dining halls, which resulted in a trial introduction of a vegan menu.
Vegan menu promotional poster at Kyushu University dining hall
Vegan Food Tasting Event Featuring “Keema Curry,” “Taco Rice,” and “Chowder-Style Soup”
Kyushu University Vege Project is working to add vegetarian and vegan-friendly options to the university dining halls.
On August 20, 2024, they held a vegan food tasting event. The event aimed to spark interest in the proposal to introduce vegan menus among the representatives of the university co-op which runs the student dining halls.
Students and dining hall personnel joined the event.
The tasting menu included three dishes that were most popular in a survey previously performed by the students: “Keema Curry,” “Taco Rice,” and “Chowder-Style Soup.” For Keema Curry and Taco Rice, soy mince from Cocci Lab Inc., which has received vegan certification from our organization, was used.
After the tasting, participants commented that the tasting had sparked their interest in vegan cooking and in this initiative.
Trial Introduction of “Keema Curry”
After the tasting event, a four-day trial was held in the university dining hall. The dish served during this period was “Keema Curry”.
Kyushu University’s regular Keema Curry is made from scratch with spices. The vegan version offered this time was also prepared without curry roux. By using soy mince, it provided plenty of protein and a satisfying taste.
We hope this trial introduction of a vegan menu leads to the regular introduction of a vegan menu.
We would like to thank the university co-op for making the tasting proposed by the students possible, as well as to everyone who ordered the vegan menu.
Our organization continues to support college students who are willing to introduce vegan menus at their universities. We also welcome interns who want to acquire working experience while working to expand the availability of vegan and plant-based options.
If you want to bring vegan menus to your university or if you’re interested in an internship, please contact us at: saiyou [at] vegeproject.org (replace [at] with “@”).