On 3rd June 2026, a constitutional court in Peru ordered the country’s oldest public university to introduce vegan meal options, recognising the denial of such choices as a breach of fundamental rights.
The Sixth Constitutional Court of Lima ruled in favour of students from the National University of San Marcos (UNMSM), who had filed a constitutional protection claim after being unable to access meals aligned with their ethical convictions. The case, first brought in March 2024 by Derecho Animal Peru and initially dismissed, was later reinstated on appeal before culminating in this decision.
The court found that the absence of plant-based options was not a minor administrative issue but a matter of rights. The Sixth Constitutional Court of Lima said, “the National University of San Marcos’ failure to comply with the petitioners’ request, as well as its refusal to implement a vegan menu option in the university dining hall, constitutes a violation by omission of the fundamental rights to equality, non-discrimination, freedom of conscience, and the free development of the personality of the petitioning students and those who share their ethical convictions.”
As part of the ruling, the university has been instructed to take practical steps to accommodate vegan students in a structured and sustainable way. The Court said, “in order to effectively and sustainably implement the restored right without disrupting the institution’s administrative planning, to immediately conduct an official student survey or census to accurately determine the number of students who choose a vegan lifestyle and diet; this so that the university in question may design the necessary supply and preparation logistics, being obligated to offer the corresponding number of vegan meal options daily to meet such demand, thereby avoiding shortages for this group or the waste of public resources.”
The judgment situates veganism within the broader framework of protected ethical beliefs, placing emphasis on equality and institutional responsibility. It also establishes a legal benchmark that could influence how other public institutions in Peru respond to the needs of ethically motivated students.
