Ghent's Veggie Day turns the city green
Veggie Thursdays and vegan surprises! How Ghent became a plant-based paradise
Wednesday, 21 October 2026
Photo by Samuel Isaacs on Unsplash
Warm-up
- How often do you eat meals without meat or fish?
- What is your favourite vegetable dish?
- Do schools or offices in your area offer veggie options?
Vocabulary
- flexitarian
- a person who usually eats plant-based food but sometimes eats meat or fish
- nonprofit
- an organisation that works for a social goal, not to make money for owners
- policy
- a plan or rule made by a government or organisation
- caterer
- a person or company that cooks and serves food for groups
- lentil
- a small round bean used in soups and stews
- hybrid
- a mix of two things; here, part meat and part plant protein
- panel
- a group of people who check or judge something together
- feedback
- opinions or comments that help improve something
Reading
Listen to this story
British EnglishGhent in Belgium is famous for plant-based food. Since 2009 the city has run Veggie Day every Thursday, asking people to skip meat and fish. The change spread to nurseries, care homes, work canteens and restaurants. A strong local movement and the nonprofit ProVeg Belgium helped convince leaders. Vanessa Debruyne says the policy got businesses involved. Deputy mayor Hafsa El-Bazioui says Ghent now prioritises plant protein. In 2014 only 13% of residents called themselves flexitarian; this year 83% did. School caterers also make hybrid dishes, replacing at least half the meat with beans or lentils. A taste panel tests meals and uses feedback to improve recipes. Since 2018 the carbon footprint of school meals has fallen by 38%. Flanders aims for a 40:60 animal-to-plant ratio by 2030; Ghent has already reached it.
Comprehension
- What happens in Ghent every Thursday?
- Who is the nonprofit mentioned in the story?
- Which deputy mayor is named in the article?
- How did school meals change to cut meat?
- What share of residents were flexitarian in 2014 and this year?
Grammar focus
Past continuous
Use the past continuous for actions in progress at a past time. Form: was/were + verb-ing. (Examples constructed.)
- On Thursday, people were skipping meat in Ghent.
- At lunch, pupils were eating plant-based dishes.
Grammar exercise
Complete each sentence with the past continuous (was/were + verb-ing).
- On Thursday at noon, pupils (choose) ___ veggie options when the bell rang.
- While a chef (prepare) ___ a hybrid dish, a visitor asked.
- When the bell rang, caterers (test) ___ new recipes.
- On Thursday, visitors (taste) ___ plant dishes when staff spoke.
- As the panel tasted meals, members (give) ___ feedback.
Discussion
- Would Veggie Day work in your city? Why or why not?
- What plant proteins do you like to cook with?
- How can schools make healthy food tasty for children?
- Should governments set food targets like Ghent's? Why?
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