Oscars 2020: Academy Awards to be almost entirely vegan

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Kelly Rissman

US News Reporter

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The Oscars is going vegan for 2020, well, almost.

On Monday, nominees for the upcoming Academy Awards on 9 February, gathered for the annual Oscar Nominees Luncheon where the menu was entirely plant-based.

According to a photograph of the menu posted on Twitter by an ABC reporter, dishes at the event attended by Florence Pugh, Brad Pitt and Renee Zellweger, included vegan cheese, roasted maitake mushroom and kumquat pavlova.

The actors, directors and filmmakers in attendance also enjoyed vegan bread, forbidden black rice and winter squash.

Later that day, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science released a statement announcing its commitment to reducing its carbon footprint.

“The Academy is an organisation of storytellers from around the world, and we owe our global membership a commitment to supporting the planet,” it said.

“For the past decade, the Academy has been committed to reducing its carbon footprint. For the past seven years, the Oscars show has had a zero-carbon imprint. We continue to expand our sustainability plan with the ultimate goal of becoming carbon neutral.”

While there is no food served at the Oscars itself, the Academy confirmed that all food served in the lobby prior to the ceremony will be entirely plant-based.

Meanwhile, the menu at the post-ceremony Governors Ball will be 70 per cent vegan, with the remaining 30 per cent made up of vegetarian, fish and meat dishes.

The move comes after the Golden Globes and the Critics Choice Awards both served all-vegan menus.

Actor Joaquin Phoenix thanked the Golden Globes organisers, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, for making the event’s menu plant-based.

“First I would like to thank the Hollywood Foreign Press for recognising and acknowledging the link between animal agriculture and climate change, it’s a very bold move, making tonight plant-based,” he said in his acceptance speech for best actor in a drama.

“We don’t have to take private jets to Palm Springs sometimes or back, please,” he added.