In its activities, GYVI GALI aims to make delicious, animal-friendly, sustainable and healthy plant-based food accessible to everyone in Lithuania. To ensure this, we decided to direct our activities in three main directions. We were active in the first year of the organization's existence educating the public and in cooperation with businesses. We will continue this further, but in the second half of this year we took on a particularly relevant third direction - we seek to initiate legal and institutional changes. We will pay a lot of attention to this issue in 2024 as well.
Legal changes are an important part of increasing accessibility
Despite the fact that scientific arguments regarding the environmental problems created by animal husbandry, the negative impact of animal food consumption (especially excess) on human health, or the related ethical issues are discussed in the public sphere, the culture, stereotypes and eating habits of our society are strongly formed. Therefore, if we want plant-based food to become a priority choice for people, businesses and institutions in Lithuania, state legal regulation must create a positive incentive for this change.
With legal changes, we aim not only to make specific changes, but also to create a favorable space for the development of the entire plant-based nutrition ecosystem - from ensuring supply to the formation of new daily consumer habits. Together with the implemented changes, we can also ensure greater awareness of decision-makers, so that the choices of both public institutions and businesses become more responsible and sustainable.
Since the solutions must be long-term, GYVI GALI's essential goal in achieving legal changes is building and maintaining positive relations with representatives of all major parties. Once this is achieved, we can create an informal coalition of politicians who understand the topic and support the changes. Along with political action, it is necessary to form business relations with the responsible state institutions, provide proposals for the main strategic documents, action plans, measures and programs in order to raise the promotion of the availability of plant-based food as one of the agenda topics. We have started these actions and will continue them in 2024.
Changes are sought
In addition to strategic action, GYVI GALI has set specific tasks with which we aim to promote plant-based nutrition in Lithuania:
- Changes in the regulation of public procurement: less meat and more plant-based food must be purchased with state money.
- Milk and fruit programs for children changes - the inclusion of plant-based milk alternatives.
- Promoting and popularizing the availability of plant-based food through the events and initiatives of the city of Vilnius as the Green European Capital 2025.
- Consolidation of the aspiration for systemic changes in party and state program documents:
- To initiate the emergence of the topic of promoting the availability of plant-based nutrition in the programs of political parties.
- In the program of the Government formed after the 2024 Seimas elections, the obligation to prepare A roadmap for promoting plant-based food availability and other provisions promoting the availability of plant-based food.
- Update the topic of promoting the availability of plant-based nutrition in other state strategic documents.
1. Initiating changes in public procurement practices
Purpose of change: reduce the purchase of meat and other food products of animal origin with state budget funds and replace them with plant-based food alternatives.
The current situation: according to the currently valid requirements, in principle, all public procurements of a normal nature carried out in Lithuania must meet environmental criteria. This also applies to food purchases. However, according to the current definition, any purchase of food or catering services is considered to meet the environmental criteria if at least 30% of the % purchase (by quantity) consists of food products that meet organic production and packaging requirements or are recognized as traditional.
Desired result: to change the environmental criteria so that purchases that fully comply with environmental requirements cannot contain meat or food products of animal origin. In order to find a consensus on the implementation of the change, it is possible to agree to set a transition period and a sufficiently high tolerance limit for the scope of application of the new regulation. Introduce monitoring: measure the distribution of purchases and monitor its change.
The main authority responsible for the implementation of this change: Ministry of the Environment. The main legal act by which change can be achieved is approved by order of the Minister of the Environment Description of the procedure for applying environmental protection criteria in green procurement.
What has already been done: the topic was brought up to date for representatives of the Ministry of Environment, members of the Seimas.
2. Programs Milk and fruit for children change of rules
Purpose of change: according to new programs Milk and fruit for children rules to allow the purchase of plant-based alternatives to milk (and its products).
The current situation: according to the currently valid programs implemented by the European Commission School scheme description, project implementers can supply milk, milk products and fruits to children attending educational institutions for EC and member state budget funds. The current description does not include any plant-based milk alternatives among the available products. A procedure is currently underway to consider an amendment to this description. The position of the Lithuanian state is represented by the Ministry of Agriculture, which evaluates such a change moderately.
Desired result: seek changes to the rules of the Ministry of Agriculture's support program, which would allow the financing of the purchase of plant-based milk alternatives and its products with the funds of this program.
The main authority responsible for the implementation of this change: Ministry of Agriculture.
What has already been done: the topic was brought up to date for representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, members of the Seimas.
3. The emergence of the topic of plant-based nutrition promotion in the political agenda of the city of Vilnius
The current situation: Vilnius is included in the special program European Green Capital 2025, also since 2022 the public agency "Climate neutral city" has been operating, but more sustainable nutrition, promoting the availability of plant-based food, etc. are not mentioned among the topics of the agenda.
Desired result: actualize the topic of more sustainable nutrition and include it in the political agenda of the city of Vilnius. To strive for the city of Vilnius to take the lead and become a good example in Lithuania in implementing programs to promote the availability of plant-based food in schools, kindergartens, and hospitals. To use the events of the Green European Capital as a platform for public education, to seek to establish not only changes in institutions, but also to promote the formation of new social habits.
The main institutions responsible for the implementation of this change: Vilnius City Municipality, VšĮ "Climate Neutral City".
4. Actualization of promoting the availability of plant-based nutrition in the election programs of parties and candidates and in the program of the future Government, the topic of promoting the availability of plant-based nutrition is updated in state strategic documents
The current situation: although proposals addressing environmental protection, sustainability, animal rights, and the promotion of a healthier lifestyle have been reflected in the election programs of a large number of political parties and politicians for several years, no one speaks directly about measures to promote plant-based nutrition. And the program of this Government also does not talk about the availability of plant-based nutrition and its promotion.
Desired result: achieve that the topic of sustainable, healthy and ethical nutrition is actualized in the programs of the main parties of the country and the candidates nominated by them. If, after the Seimas elections, the new government is formed by parties whose programs include these provisions, we aim to achieve that the future program of the government includes a commitment to prepare a roadmap for the availability of plant-based food and its promotion, as well as other proposals that would promote the availability of plant-based nutrition.
Further changes: after achieving the above-mentioned changes, seek to actualize the topic of promoting plant-based nutrition in lower-level state planning documents or plans, such as: National Climate Change Management Agenda, National Energy and Climate Action Plan, Climate-Neutral Government, etc. At the same time, seek to provide specific measures for the implementation of changes.
You can also contribute to the changes
Helping to achieve all these goals requires your involvement. You can get plant-based issues higher on the political agenda. Support institutional change activities with regular support: www.gyvigali.lt/parama
Institutional change activities in the organization are financed by the project "NGO Gyvi Gali Institutional Strengthening" from the Ministry of Social Security and Labour.
