The Salvus Hotel Group in Rishikesh has pledged to replace 30% of its animal-based dishes with plant-based alternatives by the end of 2022. This includes replacing dairy-based products and animal-based proteins with sustainable plant-based options.
Humane Society International/India will work with The Salvus Hotel Group to implement changes in their menu and bring sustainability to the table. This plant-based shift will impact and replace approximately one lakh meals served annually by the hotel chain.
“Every year billions of animals are raised and slaughtered for the purpose of food globally and the majority of them are intensively confined in factory farm,” says Ishan Bhandari, owner of Salvus Hotel Group. “The awareness of the normalized cruelty not only saddens us but also makes us more determined to do our bit to minimize it. We, at Salvus, have decreased 30% of meat or animal products from our menu, and we hope that the devastating condition of animal cruelty reduces as more of us join hands to do our bit,” adds Bhandari.
Animal agriculture is one of the leading causes of climate change, environmental deforestation, loss of biodiversity and depletion of water resources. Rearing of animals on farms to produce meat, eggs and dairy accounts for at least 16.5% of global manmade greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, which is on par with the entire transportation sector combined. By choosing to reduce our meat consumption, not only the burden on the environment is alleviated but it also reduces the pain and suffering of millions of farm animals.
“We are delighted with the Salvus Group’s commitment and the initiative they have taken to support reduce animal products and to increase tasty plant-based options as alternatives, we look forward to helping them implement these changes,” says Siddharth Sharma, assistant manager, farm animal protection for HSI/India. “Our food and consumption habits are changing as consumers become more conscious of the impact their diet has on the environment, animals, and public health. Animal-conscious food businesses are working towards a more humane future and meeting the demand for delicious, sustainable plant-based food,” he adds.
Through such initiatives, HSI/India is paving the way towards sustainable dietary practices by partnering with food businesses, schools, colleges, and other institutions to design exciting plant-based menus, provide plant-based culinary training workshops and other promotional activities.
