Vilnius starts 2025 as the European Green Capital. The first month of the year, January, is celebrated worldwide as Veganuary, the month of a vegan diet. On this occasion, in a discussion with experts on nutrition, health, and the environment, Vilnius City raises questions about the impact of a vegan diet on human health, nature, and food waste.

During the discussion ‘Menu for the Future: Can our Choices Save the Planet?’ hosted by Vilnius City, participants first of all challenged the false myth that vegan diets are unsatisfying, unsavoury, lacking in protein, minerals, omega acids, etc. However, Aistė Aužbikavičiūtė, a representative of the organisation ‘Gyvi Gali’, claims that plant products do not lack these substances.

So what is a source of iron, omega acids, and protein?

Examples of protein-packed legumes include beans and lentils, as well as quinoa and tofu. Omega acids can be found in chia and hemp seeds, flax seeds and walnuts. Green leafy vegetables, spinach, dried fruits (apricots, figs), tofu, dark chocolate, chickpeas, lentils, and pearl barley are rich in iron.

‘For four years, we have been running an event similar to Veganuary in Lithuania, encouraging people for 22 days to get to know and discover plant-based diets. The ‘Plant Discovery’ programme starts in January and is free of charge, but participants can register all year round,’ says A. Aužbikavičiūtė, a representative of ‘Gyvi Gali’.

Becoming vegan is not required

Deimantė Kisielienė, Head of ‘Vilnius sveikiau’ Education Institutions Public Health Care Department, agrees with A. Aužbikavičiūtė that it is not necessary, or even advisable, to make a radical change in diet immediately. According to her, eating a plant-based diet does not mean going vegan in a day.

Žymantas Morkvėnas, Nature Conservation Expert and Head of the Baltic Environmental Forum, stresses that humanity should eat more vegetables, fruit and groats, both for health reasons and because of the CO₂ footprint. However, he points out that a nature-friendly diet does not have to be exclusively plant-based.

‘Our nature needs large herbivores who maintain biodiversity by grazing in the fields. That’s why animal products should be bought from extensive farms where farm animals graze freely in the fields,’ says Ž. Morkvėnas.

A European wastes a tub of food every year

 

When we talk about sustainability in nutrition, food waste remains an equally pressing issue. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, almost a third of the world’s food is lost or thrown away. Worldwide, food waste amounts to 1.6 billion tonnes every year. In the European Union, it comprises 88 million tonnes. Preliminary estimates suggest that each person in the EU throws away around 173 kg of food per year, which equals to approximately a tub of food every year.

Agnė Gaisrė, co-founder of the community centre and café ‘Miesto laboratorija’, talks about her initiatives to fight food waste.  For example, the community fridge in Sapieha Palace Park in Antakalnis, Vilnius, which has been operating successfully for six months and where anyone can bring and pick up products that are still good, but are nearing their expiry date. Another measure in the café is a special scale, which both customers and staff use to weigh the leftover uneaten food and see how much of a footprint it leaves in terms of money, water consumption, and CO₂.

Anton Nikitin, Head of Sustainability of Vilnius City, mentions that the initiative of orange bags for food waste, which started last year, has helped recycle 300 tonnes of food waste to date. This compares to around 120 heavy trucks.