This conference paper highlights the unanticipated conflicts and pedagogical challenges  arisen in a university 'food course'. Students are active in their critique against the subordinated role of animalsin the Anthropocene. In society, such views are limited to a small share ofthe population (24 % vegetarians and 1 % vegans in Sweden in 2018) and there are few arenas where ‘the vegan point of view’ can be included in the efforts to improve sustainability in the food industry. The course offered anopportunity to understand veganism and how to overcome the lack of dialogue between vegans and non-vegans in society, especially since 30 percent of the students are vegans and the rest are sympathetic to vegan ideals. Our main conclusion is that the challenges experienced during the course, especially concerning the normative aspects of veganism can contribute to the development of better didactic and pedagogical approaches for a changing society in which a higher awareness of ethical andenvironmental aspects are needed.