Blog 2: Faith (Dietary Accommodation)

In 2020, Jordi Casamitjana, an animal rights advocate, achieved a legal victory when a UK Employment Tribunal ruled that his ethical veganism was a protected belief under the Equality Act 2010. Casamitjana had been dismissed from his job at the League Against Cruel Sports after raising concerns about the organisation’s investment practices, which conflicted with his ethical stance on animal rights. The tribunal clarified that ethical veganism is not merely a dietary choice but a comprehensive belief system that shapes various aspects of life, from food consumption to broader ethical engagement with the world, and therefore qualifies as a philosophical belief under the law. As the BBC reported, the judge found that ethical veganism “satisfies the tests required for it to be a philosophical belief” and is “worthy of respect in a democratic society,” meeting criteria for protection under the Equality Act 2010. The Guardian explained that for a belief to be protected it must be more than an opinion, showing that Casamitjana’s ethical veganism was recognised as a belief “protected by law” rather than a simple lifestyle choice. This recognition means ethical veganism must be protected from discrimination not only in employment but across public life, including education, housing, and public services.

However, the origins of the case complicate how this protection is understood and applied. Recognition of ethical veganism as a belief arose quickly from a specific employment dispute triggered by concerns over pension investments rather than through gradual legal or social development. As a result, clear guidance on how the belief should be accommodated across different areas of society has lagged. Institutions are now attempting to define what ethical veganism means in practice after it has already been granted protected status. This uncertainty leaves room for inconsistency, loopholes, and subjective interpretation.

These ambiguities become particularly significant in the context of education, where consistent policies and shared expectations are essential. Ethical veganism can be practised in highly individual ways for instance, Casamitjana avoided walking on grass to prevent harm to insects, highlighting the wide range of interpretations the belief can involve. Unlike most religions, ethical veganism has no central authority, agreed rituals, or communal rules. As a result, education spaces may struggle to determine what constitutes reasonable accommodation and where appropriate boundaries should be set.

A comparison with religiously motivated dietary beliefs illustrates that belief-based food practices are already widely accommodated within secular educational institutions. Many religions include clear dietary prescriptions that shape adherents’ everyday choices, such as halal requirements in Islam, prohibitions on pork, and vegetarian practices associated with Hinduism and Buddhism. Research on religious dietary guidance shows that these food practices are closely linked to ethical, cultural, and spiritual values rather than individual preference (Sarri, Higgins and Kafatos, 2015). Studies of Muslim students in higher education have also demonstrated a strong relationship between religious commitment and adherence to halal food choices, highlighting how diet functions as an expression of belief and identity within university settings (Rahman and Ghazali, 2025). In practice, higher education institutions routinely accommodate such beliefs through inclusive catering and alternative meal provision, even where those institutions are formally secular. This suggests that ethical veganism does not introduce an entirely new challenge, but instead extends existing frameworks for belief-based accommodation beyond religion.

For ethical veganism to be protected fairly and meaningfully, clearer guidance is needed. Schools and public institutions require frameworks that focus on reasonable adjustments rather than unlimited interpretation. This could include inclusive meal provision, sensitivity in curriculum design, and protection from bullying, without requiring institutions to accommodate every individual interpretation of harm. Education about ethical beliefs, alongside religious literacy, would also help reduce misunderstanding, rebellion and bullying. Without this clarity, ethical veganism risks remaining a legally protected belief that, in practice, only some people are able to access.

References

  • Rahman, R.B.A. and Ghazali, M.A.B. (2025) Understanding the relationship between halal food choices and religious commitment among Muslim students in Malaysian public universities. TPM – Testing, Psychometrics, Methodology in Applied Psychology, 32(S7), pp.760–769.