In a significant move highlighting the growing popularity of plant-based cuisine, the city of West Hollywood voted to revamp its entire approach to food. The city enacted a controversial policy on Monday mandating that food and refreshments at city-sponsored events and meetings be plant-based by default.

According to CBS News, the resolution explains how adopting a vegan diet can help reduce global warming, citing research from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which states that the average plant-based meal produces 63% less carbon than meals containing animal products.

“Every aspect of a food system, from production to distribution, intersects with the climate crisis,” the resolution states.

The city aims to promote healthier, more sustainable eating habits by requiring all city-sponsored events to offer plant-based food as the default, with animal products available upon request. Plant-based options will also receive priority at local businesses. However, co-sponsored and privately-held events in West Hollywood are exempt from this requirement.

While this is positive news for the city’s plant-based population, what about non-vegans? Granted, meat can still be requested, but looking at the numbers raises questions about whether there are enough vegans to justify the overhaul. Los Angeles is ranked as the third most vegan-friendly city in the U.S., which pertains not to the number of vegans but rather to the abundance of vegan restaurants.

According to Strategic Market Research, there are only about 9.7 million vegans in the U.S. That’s just 6% of our country's entire population of 341,801,592, per Worldometers. By all metrics, plant-based is still a niche lifestyle.

As a vegan, I support West Hollywood's initiative, but I get why some might find it extreme. I'm curious about how this will shake up local restaurants and their food distribution — it'll be fascinating to see how business owners react.