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The Vegan Society is 80!
Whether you’ve been part of the movement for decades or are newly on board, thank you for your support in helping us to reach this incredible milestone. This edition of our magazine is very special, as it kicks off a whole year of anniversary celebrations. Learn more about our 80th in our highlights pages.
I’m very lucky to say that this year marks my tenth anniversary as Editor of this magazine. I feel very fortunate to have a job that aligns so closely with my values and allows me to work with such wonderful people towards a cause we all care so much about. But what other opportunities are there for those who want to make a career in veganism? Heena Malhotra explores this topic on page 6. Along with this issue, we have sent you a beautiful
publication drawing together some of our best recipes –including a delicious anniversary cake recipe created by Domestic Gothess. The recipes inside this issue are also particularly celebratory. We’ve picked three of the best from Gaz Oakley’s new title Plants Only Holidays
Kim Stallwood has written a brilliant account of 80 years of The Vegan for our Deep Dive feature this issue (page 30). You can also find a round-up of plant-based wins at the Paris Olympics on page 16 and a review of our latest research report – the ‘Empathy Index’, which is the first in a series of reports to chart the UK public’s attitudes towards different kinds of animal use.
Find all of this plus our usual highlights, member updates, nutrition feature and more. How are you celebrating 80 years of The Vegan Society? Email editor@vegansociety.com to let us know!
Elena Orde, Editor
FROM THE CHAIR OF COUNCIL
For those of you who haven't heard, The Vegan Society’s CEO, Steve Hamon, has left the society. In the short term the society is being managed by the society’s Heads of Departments and senior managers, and all day-to-day operations will be unaffected.
The society will be recruiting a new CEO, and we will provide updates as soon as there is any more information to share.
I'd like to thank Steve for all his work on behalf of The Vegan Society and wish him every success in the future.
I’m wishing a happy World Vegan Month to each and every one of you. This World Vegan Month is particularly special, as it marks The Vegan Society’s 80th anniversary! We have a full year of exciting plans lined up to celebrate this milestone, and we can’t wait to share these with you.
We kick off with The Future is Vegan, our new campaign
Sustainable Printing
The Vegan Society cares deeply about the future of our planet and all those we share it with. We are committed to operating as a responsible, sustainable organisation which means we are conscious of the social, economic and environmental impact in all that we do. With this in mind, we are very pleased to announce that we work with Seacourt to print and distribute The Vegan Seacourt are the UK’s leading environmental printing company and work closely with their clients to ensure that all material is produced with the lightest environmental footprint possible. In fact:
• Their presses are 100% free from water, alcohol and harmful chemicals
to visualise the vegan world we are all working to bring to fruition. This project uses virtual reality technology to help users inhabit what a vegan world could look like – bringing to life new farming methods, land use, healthcare, biodiversity and more. Read more on this innovative project on page 3.
The Vegan Society’s annual Research Day took place in September, bringing together academics from many different areas of research relating to veganism. The theme, in keeping with our anniversary, was ‘Vegan Pasts, Presents and Futures’. As an organisation priding itself on a strong evidence base, it’s important to us to champion and support vegan scholars in their pursuit of groundbreaking research.
Although it's over six months to the AGM, I'd urge all members to consider becoming a trustee. Please see page 25 for more details.
Thank you for your support as members. Together we are taking steps to bring the vegan future we all want to see into a reality.
Jenifer Vinell, Chair of Council
• They use inks that are vegan and free from volatile organic compounds
• They are powered by 100% renewable energy
• They send zero waste to landfill
As a result, they are Net Positive (beyond carbon neutral including the entire supply chain). Every time they produce a piece of print, they take responsibility for more carbon than they are generating – what they call Planet Positive Printing
We hope you enjoy reading this issue, knowing that it has been produced in line with ethical, sustainable principles.
The views expressed in The Vegan do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor or of The Vegan Society Council. Nothing printed should be construed to be The Vegan Society’s policy unless so stated. The society accepts no liability for any matter in the magazine. The acceptance of advertisements (including inserts) does not imply endorsement. Complaints should be made in writing to chair@vegansociety.com or ceo@vegansociety.com or by post. Visit vegansociety.com/complaints-procedure to find out more.
Editor Elena Orde Designer Violeta Pereira
Cover image From Plants Only Holidays by Gaz Oakley, Photography by Simon Smith
To celebrate our 80th anniversary, we are launching a brandnew campaign – The Future is Vegan. This campaign will answer the question ‘what will a vegan world look like?’ with a positive visualisation that brings to life all of the benefits that would come with a vegan world – from animal freedom to climate regeneration, biodiversity, healthcare and more. Be sure to follow us on socials to stay up to date!
To celebrate the launch of The Future Is Vegan we are hosting an exclusive event in London in November. Here you will have the chance to take a virtual reality tour of a future vegan world. Members of The Vegan Society will have received an email invitation. If you don't use email, please contact us on our usual channels.
As part of the celebrations, we have commissioned an anniversary cake recipe from the wonderful Hannah at Domestic Gothess. You can find this in the booklet accompanying this magazine, along with several of our most popular recipes from the past couple of years. If you make the anniversary cake, or any of the other recipes in the booklet, please take a pic and send it to editor@vegansociety. com – we may feature it in a future issue. Keep a lookout on our social channels and in our newsletter for more updates on our anniversary celebrations as we keep the festivities going.
so far reached over three million people online. We have had almost one million views of our campaign films, and over 5000 people have downloaded or viewed our handy shopper’s guide.
We would like to say a huge thank you for your continued support in viewing, sharing and engaging with Conscious Choices. Please continue to encourage non-vegans in your network to support our campaign and download our materials to help them on their vegan journey.
Nutrition highlights
onsci ousChoicesarethose which are kindertoanimals
Conscious Choices
Conscious Choices launched this year and has been a huge success so far. The campaign helps animal lovers to opt
e were very excited to launch our Nutrition Network in August. The network brings together experts with the shared aim of normalising vegan and plant-based diets across all public sectors, while promoting vegan-inclusive health messaging in inpatient, outpatient and public health settings. We are keen to welcome HCPC registered dietitians, AfN registered nutritionists and student dietitians on HCPC-accredited courses to the network – please email nutrition@ vegansociety.com to find out more.
The Nutrition Team also recently launched a series of online nutrition sessions for Vegan Society members. The first session focused on nutrition and wellbeing and was attended by over one hundred people. We were so pleased by the audience's engagement, including a Q&A session where we discussed queries relating to supplementation, fuelling an active lifestyle, intuitive eating and more.
Explore a virtual reality vegan world this World Vegan Month
Vegan Towns
This summer, we refreshed and relaunched our Vegan Towns pack. The pack is full of great resources to help kick-start change in your area, from an easy vegan catering guide and calling cards to window stickers and tips for talking to local
if you would like to
Research highlights n July we published our second report on veganism publication unpacked the views of both vegan and nonvegan men on the barriers preventing many from going vegan and how these can be overcome. The report, titled Veganism and Masculinity: Challenging Stereotypes and , is a deep dive into this complex topic. This is the most comprehensive research the society has undertaken into this topic to date and will be a valuable resource as we work to encourage more
Our annual conference championing vegan research took place in early September. In line with The Vegan Society’s 80th anniversary, this year’s theme was ‘Vegan Pasts, Presents and Futures’. Topics covered included: vegan versus plant-based by Dr Jack Waverley; vegan advocacy in healthcare by Dr Shireen Kassam and men and masculinities by Cameron Dunnett.
Recordings of the presentations can be found under the research section of our website.
Order a Vegan Towns pack on our website
Political engagement
Shortly after the general election was called, we published our Vegan Manifesto for a Sustainable Plant-Based Transition This document builds on a decade of work by the society developing policies that promote the switch to veganism. The manifesto contains five key asks for policymakers on topics including the climate emergency, business, health and farming. With the help of our Community Network, we distributed the manifesto to candidates across the country.
Establishing productive relationships with the new MPs and government is a top priority for the Policy Team, and we are monitoring political developments to identify and develop the opportunities which the new political era represents.
As part of our ongoing outreach to policymakers and the government, we attended several party conferences in September. At the Labour Party Conference, we staged a panel discussion on the role of veganism and plant-based diets in promoting health, a priority the new government has committed to.
Media
Dietitian Emily McKee made a TV appearance on GB News in July, off the back of a news story linking veganism with increased longevity. Emily made the point that everyone can benefit from upping their intake of health-promoting plant foods and was a fantastic spokesperson for the health benefits of veganism.
A recent episode of our podcast, The Vegan Pod, asked ‘Are ultra-processed vegan foods bad for you?’ Ultra-processed vegan foods have been a hot topic in the media recently and have been called out for having negative health implications. Emily McKee and biologist Jenny Chapman dove into the topic and offered a nuanced and practical view.
You can listen to The Vegan Pod on Podbean, Spotify and Apple. Think you’d make a good guest or want to let us know
your thoughts on the latest episode? Email podcast@vegansociety.com with your views.
Best of the blogs
Have you been keeping up with the latest articles at vegansociety.com/blogs? We recently shared a piece about how to deter insects without the use of pesticides, as well as a blog on our festival essentials for your packing list.
In July we shared a piece by Jazmine Bennett entitled ‘What being a non-binary vegan means to me on International Non-Binary People’s Day’. This thoughtful piece reflects on the author’s relationship with two aspects of their identity – queerness and veganism – and is essential reading for anyone in the movement.
Recent recipes
In September we shared some delicious new recipes from Ngwafu Tansie, who created a savoury pudding featuring steamed black beans and a shawarma wrap with a seasonal slaw.
Livhuwani Ravele also created some flavour-packed recipes for our website – a sorghum apple crumble and roasted butternut and mealie (maize meal) porridge. We shared Livhuwani’s recipes during Black History Month in October, where we celebrated Black vegans in the movement. Check out our social media channels for content shared throughout the month.
Livhuwani Ravele created some fantastic recipes for Black History Month
The food business is a difficult space; have patience and do not get disheartened.
Chef Naimita Jagasia, founder and owner of Ode to Gaia bakery
CAREERS FOR A VEGAN WORLD
Heena Malhotra shares how vegans can align their job with their values
When I turned vegan, I wanted to make sure that I aligned all my actions ethically, that is, not just to prevent harm to animals but also to further the cause of veganism. I felt that the moral baseline isn’t just in going vegan but in activism. We give 80,000 hours of our lives approximately to our careers. To me, working for the cause professionally sounded ideal. But is there really a career path other than volunteering at animal shelters or being a full-time activist?
This question used to bug me until I was selected for Cambridge University’s Alternative Proteins Fundamentals Programme where I met people across different backgrounds – sciences, business and humanities – working towards a common goal: to reduce dependence on animals for our source of food and clothing. That is when I realised there are no limitations to working towards a vegan world.
A food scientist’s quest to create lasting impact
Shardul Dabir's journey on a non-conventional career path began at the age of 17. He had been contemplating psychological and existential questions such as the purpose of life. It sounded like a mid-life crisis hitting early. But here’s the thing – he did something about it! When doing some research, Shardul stumbled upon the concept of ‘effective altruism’ coined by philosophers at Oxford University, which is founded on the principles of empathy and rationality. It includes working on issues which are big in scale and unfairly neglected but tractable.
Stemming from a food sciences background with a degree in liberal arts, Shardul chose to dedicate his career to addressing food sustainability and, thereby, beginning his journey of leaving a lasting impact on the world.
Shardul says, “I learned about the link between animal agriculture and food scarcity and observed that animal products are just a bunch of chemicals that can be replicated without involving the animal.” He joined the India operations of the Good Food Institute or GFI, a non-profit organisation with the aim of promoting alternatives to animal products (or alternative protein, as they call it).
“Providing these alternatives at the same taste, cost and convenience was a challenge that excited me,” says Shardul. His role at GFI was that of an operations specialist, then evolving to an innovations specialist, bringing together people and organisations with the same mission, from startups to non-profits and investors.
When asked if working in the alternative protein space is only reserved for scientists, Shardul replies, “No industry or
No industry or impact is created in a vacuum, and it is a coming together of people of all professions sharing a common passion for the goal.
impact is created in a vacuum, and it is a coming together of people of all professions sharing a common passion for the goal.” For scientists, the space can benefit from microbiologists, food technologists and biotechnologists. For business professionals and others, the space can benefit from marketing professionals, communication specialists, policy specialists and more.
Shardul believes that aptitude and passion are equally as important as experience and education. He recommends reading up about a non-profit organisation called 80,000 Hours which conducts research on careers that have the largest positive social impact and provides career advice based on that research.
A baker’s dream
Naimita Jagasia, a footwear designer turned vegan chef, runs a successful bakery and pastry school in Mumbai, India. She completed her degree at the London College of Fashion and returned to India to work in sustainable men’s footwear, but life had other plans for her.
To make up for a lack of choice as a vegan, Naimita would often bake at home for her family and the local vegan potluck community. The word about her baking spread, and people started commissioning her for their birthday and wedding cakes.
“A woman came up to me to thank me for her child’s birthday cake, mentioning he hasn’t tasted a cake in eight years!” recounts Naimita. This melted her heart. She hired her first employee and went all in to start Ode to Gaia, India's first luxury plant-based patisserie.
Naimita says, “I noticed a mental block within non-vegans to try out vegan desserts and made a conscious choice not to market my bakery as ‘vegan’. I knew vegans would be drawn to my wide range of offerings, but I derived joy from seeing non-vegans chomping incredulously on the vegan desserts. I instead focused on marketing my brand as sustainable and ethical.”
Being growth-oriented, Naimita successfully upscaled her bakery, which now boasts 30 employees delivering all over Mumbai. She simultaneously launched courses on plantbased baking to help bakers all over the world to include vegan desserts in their menus, making them more accessible and cost-effective. Her pastry school receives enrolments from all over the world, and she has taught 1000 students to date. This is how she believes she takes her impact far and wide.
Naimita believes in the top-down approach to advocating for veganism. “I used to be part of protests where we’d talk to people on the streets to transition to veganism, but I felt it was unfair to ask the taxi driver to use almond milk for his tea when a carton of almond milk is about a quarter of his daily allowance,” she says. She believes that those who can afford it are more amenable to making conscious choices.
Naimita kindly shared a few pieces of advice for those vegans looking to venture into the food business. “1. The food business is a difficult space; have patience and do not get disheartened. 2. Don’t shy away from having non-vegans in your food-tasting panel to help you create dishes that taste as close as possible to non-vegan dishes: a revolution
begins only when the non-vegans are convinced. 3. Make marketing appealing to non-vegans. 4. Lastly, having a brand story does not just help you sell but also helps maintain customer loyalty.”
Beyond veganism, Naimita is proud of her bakery’s ethical supply chain. From sourcing flour to almonds, the chain is dominated by farm-to-table models and women-owned businesses.
A lawyer and animal lover’s journey
Aditi Bardia is a lawyer working as a research analyst at the prestigious Humane Society International, India. Her work includes researching the on-ground realities and impact of animal laws in the country. During her law school days, she co-founded the Animal Liberation Committee at her law school for which she received the Millennium Fellowship from the United Nations Academic Impact initiative.
“I joined law school to set out to be a corporate lawyer, but I could not unsee the injustices towards animals and not do something about it. While being gainfully employed was important, doing something I love was equally so,” recounts Aditi.
Along the way Aditi faced many obstacles, including the lack of jobs in the animal rights space and insistence from her well-wishers to give up. Her persistence paid off when she networked through her participation at the Good Food Institute, India’s Smart Protein Innovation Challenge. “Although alternative proteins as a space was not my first preference to work in, I met a lot of people along the way who were directly involved in animal rights and policy.”
She mentions that her current job was (and still is) her dream job. Here she can be her most authentic self, she enjoys a great work-life balance and her colleagues have a heightened sense of empathy. “Working with people who share the same passion and personal goals makes professional life easier and more sustainable,” says Aditi.
A new direction
While it may seem that the people featured here have it all figured out, as Steve Jobs said: “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking
backwards.” One common phenomenon in the journeys of those featured here is the magnetic pull they felt when setting out to look for a role where they could be their most authentic selves.
Each one of us has unique skills to offer to the movement, and if you, too, are someone who wishes to either pivot or embark on a career that resonates with you and creates impact, it may be worth considering exploring a good match by using the advice mentioned here. All of the interviewees have graciously offered to connect over LinkedIn should anyone in the same boat need any advice for their careers.
While it's not practical or easy for everyone to change their job, there may be more possibilities out there than you realise. Finding a career that you truly identify with is a joy – and one which benefits the animals, as well as future generations.
My own career journey began with a desire to use my working life to further the vegan movement in the most effective way possible, which seemed to me to be through influencing the political conversation. Postgraduation, I set out to work in a political consultancy where I advised corporate clients on how to influence policymakers to achieve their long-term strategic goals. I always planned to take these useful skills back into the movement and I am grateful to be able to do that now.
There are many ways vegans can pursue careers that will make a change for animals. For example, our movement needs more allies within the areas of government, policymaking and the news media, to make the political landscape and conversation receptive to vegan ideas long-term. Anyone interested should check out the resource by Animal Advocacy Careers at animaladvocacycareers.org. You can also send me a message at claire.ogley@vegansociety.com
While being gainfully employed was important, doing something I love was equally so.
Aditi Bardia, lawyer
Claire Ogley, Head of Campaigns, Policy and Research at The Vegan Society
PLANTS ONLY HOLIDAYS
Three delicious recipes from the wonderful Gaz Oakley’s latest title
Serves 6
Ingredients
For the smoked 'salmon'
440 ml (scant 2 cups) vegetable stock
1 tbsp miso paste
3 tbsp sweet smoked paprika
1 large sheet of nori
2 tbsp maple syrup
2 tbsp smoked sea salt (or regular sea salt)
Juice of 1 lemon
5 large carrots, peeled
For the 'cream cheese'
125 g (1⁄2 cup) raw cashew nuts
2 tbsp lemon juice
Pinch of sea salt and white pepper
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
110 ml (1⁄2 cup) filtered water
To serve
6 slices of toasted rye bread (or a gluten-free bread), cut into small pieces for canapés
Lemon slices
3 tbsp capers
Small handful of fresh dill
CARROT 'LOX' WITH 'CREAM CHEESE', CAPERS AND DILL CANAPÉS
Can be GF, if GF bread is used Cooks in 20 minutes Difficulty 2/10
Preparing the carrot this way surprisingly emulates smoked salmon, harnessing the taste-of-the-sea flavour of nori seaweed. A delicious canapé that’ll please everyone.
Directions
Place all the smoked 'salmon' ingredients, except the carrots, into a medium saucepan, bring to the boil, then lower to a simmer for 10 minutes to let the flavours infuse.
While the broth is cooking, use a peeler to slice the carrots into long ribbons and place them in a large heatproof bowl.
Pour the broth through a sieve directly over the carrots into the bowl. This will lightly cook them. When the broth has cooled, cover the bowl with cling film or place the mixture into sterilised jars. Refrigerate this for at least a day (or up to seven days). The broth acts as a marinade.
To make the 'cream cheese', soak the nuts in boiling water for 15 minutes. Drain away the soaking water and tip the nuts into a blender cup with the rest of the ingredients. Simply blitz everything until it is smooth, then use it straight away or store it in the fridge for 3–4 days.
To serve, generously spread the 'cream cheese' onto pieces of toasted bread, top with the smoked 'salmon' (drained of marinade), then top with lemon, capers and dill.
Plants Only Holidays by Gaz Oakley (Quadrille, £18.99)
480 g (3 3⁄4 cups) strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
2 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp dried rosemary
1 tbsp smoked chilli flakes
For the glaze
2 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp non-dairy milk
4 tsp maple syrup or agave nectar
Toppings
1 tbsp sea salt
1 tbsp dried garlic flakes
1 tbsp smoked chilli flakes
A few sprigs of fresh lemon thyme and rosemary, leaves picked
For the 'cheese' fondue
120 g (1⁄2 cup) raw cashew nuts
250 ml (1 cup) filtered cold water
1 tbsp tapioca starch
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp English mustard
1 tsp white miso
Pinch of sea salt and white pepper
1⁄4 tsp onion powder
This is a showstopper – light, fluffy dough balls flavoured with beautiful smoky chilli and rosemary. Simple to make and, paired with my 'cheese' sauce, they are divine.
Directions
First make the dough balls: mix the lukewarm water with the yeast and olive oil and leave it for around 10 minutes until it is slightly bubbly.
Combine the flour, salt, rosemary and chilli flakes in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the middle, add the water and yeast mixture and stir it until the mixture starts to form a dough.
Use your hands to form the dough, then tip it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Now it’s time to knead. Knead the dough for around eight minutes, when the dough should be smooth and quite elastic. Add minimal flour while kneading, if required. Lightly oil the bowl and put the dough back in, then place a clean, damp tea towel over the top of the bowl and leave it somewhere warm for around one hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.
After an hour, remove the dough from the bowl, knock the dough back and knead it for three minutes. Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and place a lightly greased ramekin in the middle. This will eventually be the place for your “cheese” sauce/fondue to sit.
Cut the dough into approximately 25 even pieces – each piece should be about 35 g. Use kitchen scales to weigh them. Roll each piece into a ball.
Neatly place the balls around the ramekin as you go. Once you’ve rolled all the balls, place the damp tea towel over the top and leave them somewhere warm to double in size. This should take around 30 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 200 °C (400 °F). Mix the ingredients for the glaze in a small bowl and prepare the toppings.
When the dough balls have risen, use a pastry brush to brush some glaze over each one and sprinkle over the toppings. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes on the bottom shelf.
While the dough balls are baking, make the 'cheese' sauce/fondue. Soak the cashew nuts for around 10 minutes in boiling water, then drain away the water and add the softened nuts to a high-speed blender with all the other ingredients. Blend on full speed until you have a smooth mixture.
Pour the mixture into a non-stick saucepan and stir with a spatula over a medium heat. Be patient – you will be stirring for around eight minutes. Stir until it has thickened but is still pourable.
Remove the dough balls from the oven and let them cool slightly. When they’re cool enough to handle, pour the 'cheese' sauce into the ramekin in the middle of the tray, sprinkle over a few extra chilli flakes, if you like, and serve.
TIRAMISU
(shown on the cover)
Ingredients
For the sponge
250 ml (1 cup) almond milk
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
50 g (1⁄4 cup) plant butter
215 g (1 3⁄4 cups) self-raising flour (or glutenfree flour)
230 g (generous 1 cup) unrefined caster (superfine) sugar
Pinch of sea salt
For the cream
2 x 400 g (14 oz) cans of coconut cream
170 g (6 oz) vegan cream cheese
1 tbsp cacao powder
3 tbsp icing (confectioner’s) sugar
120 ml (1⁄2 cup) good-quality coffee, brewed over ice, or to taste
4 tbsp rum, or to taste
Toppings
Grated dark chocolate
Coffee beans
Making this Italian classic plant-based was surprisingly easy. It’s the perfect festive dessert and even more show-stopping when you serve it with a sparkler!
Directions
Preheat your oven to 180 °C (350 °F) and line a 5 cm (2 in) deep 20 x 30 cm (8 x 12 in) baking tray with non-stick baking paper.
First up, the sponge! Put the almond milk, apple cider vinegar, vanilla paste and plant butter into a small saucepan over a low heat. Measure the flour, sugar and salt into a large mixing bowl. When the spread has melted, pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and fold it together. Scrape the batter into your lined baking tray and level it out. Place the tray into the oven to bake for 12–15 minutes, or until it is golden and springy to the touch, then turn out the sponge onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Whisk the coconut cream, cream cheese, cacao powder and icing sugar together in a large mixing bowl until fully incorporated. Add a few tablespoons of the coffee and the rum, then taste. Adjust the flavours according to how you like it.
Cut 12 discs of sponge to fit into your serving glasses. Pop a sponge disc in the base of each glass, then a spoonful of the cream, then another sponge disc. Drizzle in a little more coffee and spoon in another layer of cream. Top each tiramisu with chocolate shavings and a couple of coffee beans. Eat the dessert straight away or chill it in the fridge for up to one day.
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It has become a matter of course for every restaurateur to offer at least one vegan or vegetarian option on their menu.
Oraine Spitzberg, Chief of Projects Marketing at vegan French patisserie Land&Monkeys
OLYMPICS ROUND-UP
Ursula Watson highlights vegan wins and the legacy the games may have on Paris, in the wake of this year’s Olympics
The 2024 Olympics have shone a spotlight on the vegan diet. Paris 2024 committed to halving the carbon footprint of the games this year. To achieve this, Tony Estanguet, president of Paris 2024, declared the catering would be “More plantbased, more local, more sustainable and just as delicious.” Plant-based was defined as “100% plant-based recipes, as well as recipes including certain animal products, such as eggs and dairy products.”
Over the four weeks of the games, 60% of all food served to spectators was plant-based. La Concorde, an iconic site in the centre of Paris, made history as the first Olympic venue ever to offer a 100% vegetarian menu throughout the games. Philip Würz, head of food for Paris 2024, said “It is with immense pride that we can announce that all the food options at La Concorde will be 100% vegetarian. It is a first in the history of the games and the result of four years of work.”
Vegan wins
Adopting a vegan diet as an athlete has become increasingly popular. In recent years more and more well-known names have publicly stated the health benefits they have noticed since becoming vegan.
This year’s Olympics saw seven medals awarded to vegan athletes with three gold, one silver and three bronze medals won.
Novak Djokovic won gold in tennis for Serbia. Djokovic featured in the 2018 documentary The Game Changers, where research showed a diet based around plant protein can yield significant performance advantages.
Representing Hong Kong, Vivian Kong won a gold in fencing. Speaking on a video posted by the International Fencing Federation, Vivian said, “I am recovering a lot faster. I get muscle pain, but it goes away really quickly. I have become so much stronger after turning vegan.”
Diana Taurasi won gold in basketball this year, which was not only her sixth medal but also made her the only American basketball player, in men’s and women’s, to compete in six Olympics.
Anna Henderson, who proudly lists being vegan on her Instagram page, won a silver medal in cycling for Great Britain. This was her first Olympic games.
Two members of the Brazilian volleyball team, Macris
Carneiro and Ana Carolina da Silva, won a bronze medal. Ana became vegan after she saw the effect it had on teammate Macris Carneiro’s performance.
Bringing the vegan medal haul to a close, Eleanor Harvey won bronze in fencing for Canada.
Promoting veganism
Interestingly, for some athletes the vegan lifestyle isn’t just about performance. Kendrick Farris, who is a three-time Olympian, became vegan for both health and humanitarian reasons. “People ask me why I went plant-based and I said it’s for the people. People ultimately make the decisions. We have control of everything on the Earth, and I need to respect how I act in the world. Whatever decision you make, whatever reason you have to go plant-based, it needs to be rooted in humanitarianism.”
Farris became vegan in 2014. Competing in the 2016 Rio games he broke the US record in lifting. He says being vegan helped his performance: “It’s less stressful on my mind and that helps me compete better.” He is a full-time coach now and the founder of Bless The Gym Forever (blessthegymforever.com).
“I’m teaching people vegan options,” Kendrick says. “So, what we do is we make plant-based kosher meals. This is how we educate people. We work with them. I’m a plantbased advocate. If they ask me about nutrition, they know
about what I really care about and what the message is that I want to support. One aspect of my life that I want to show is that I am vegan.”
2024 Olympics legacy
The city of Paris is increasingly sensitive to people adopting a vegan lifestyle. “More and more customers are looking for vegan options in restaurants, bakeries and coffee shops,” says Oraine Spitzberg, Chief of Projects Marketing at vegan French patisserie Land&Monkeys. “It has become a matter of course for every restaurateur to offer at least one vegan or vegetarian option on their menu. We've seen this most clearly with coffee in Paris, where customers are delighted to find their favourite beverages with oat milk at no extra charge.”
As a country, France is moving towards a more plant-based diet. A 2023 EU-funded Smart Protein report found that people in France had reduced their consumption of animal protein during the previous year, with 18% reducing their consumption by 50% or more.
Based in the city where the Paris 2015 Agreement on climate change was drawn up, it would seem only fitting that the Paris games would align with positive changes to mitigate the climate crisis. “Serving 13 million meals in four weeks at over 40 sites – it’s the largest event catering operation in the world,” said Etienne Thobois, CEO of Paris 2024.
To make the majority of the food plant-based during such
The city of Paris is increasingly sensitive to people adopting a vegan lifestyle.
VOLUNTEER OF THE SEASON
Meet Georgina, a dedicated and talented volunteer
Tell us about your volunteering role.
I first volunteered for The Vegan Society in 2019 as a communications volunteer in the summer after my first year at university. I didn’t have a clear career path mapped out, but knew I wanted to use my time to help the cause, so I applied for a two-week placement.
My main task then was to help relaunch the recipe section of the website, so I was searching for recipes online and emailing content creators to ask for permission to include their work. I also conducted some research about the society’s six founders for a founders’ plaque, which was probably the most interesting part of the experience. It was all new information to me at the time, and I felt that it was important to learn about the history of the movement I was now part of.
Currently, I contribute as a proofreader and PR and media volunteer. The best part of proofreading is the wide range of copy I get to read; I’ve come across many delicious recipes and interesting research papers.
What is something about you that surprises people?
This is a difficult one! Maybe that I aim to read at least 50 books per year. I work part-time in a library, which is very useful for finding new reading material.
What vegan events have you enjoyed attending?
April’s Vegan and Animal Rights Conference (VARC) has definitely been the highlight of my year in activism. It was inspiring to see the many organisations working to end animal exploitation and how they’re each making progress. There was a great sense of unity and cooperation between groups, despite their different approaches. This is something I feel is crucial in the movement generally; united we stand a much greater chance of succeeding. A particular
highlight was Animal Think Tank’s talk about narrative and the effectiveness of different types of presentation in communicating the vegan message. I learned an awful lot and met so many people over that weekend. It really confirmed for me that I want to work in the sector long-term.
How has volunteering with The Vegan Society helped with your chosen career path?
Volunteering with The Vegan Society and other organisations has made clear to me that I want a career within the animal advocacy movement. Although I’m yet to find paid work within the sector, I know that volunteering has developed my communication and research skills and helped me build connections and learn about the movement in ways I couldn’t without it.
Why is volunteering important to you?
Volunteering is one way of contributing to a cause I really care about. If there’s something I can easily do that will meaningfully help non-human animals (and hopefully make the lives of the humans at The Vegan Society a little easier too), then why not do it!
As well as helping The Vegan Society, I also volunteer for other animal advocacy organisations and have recently set up a Plant-Based Councils campaign in my local borough, Bromley. Discovering and forming new connections and communities is invaluable.
What do you like doing in your spare time?
The rest of my spare time I spend reading, painting, drawing and experimenting in the kitchen. I’m about to undertake a master’s degree in painting, so I’m sure I’ll spend a lot of the next 12 months doing that!
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SHOPAROUND
QuirkyMonkey
Shop with confidence for products registered with the trusted Vegan Trademark
The Tofoo Co.
Leading UK tofu brand The Tofoo Co. has expanded its plant-based protein range with the launch of two new seitan products. Seitan is a versatile protein with a meatier texture that you can use in a variety of recipes. The products were developed in collaboration with the London-based vegan restaurant chain, Temple of Seitan. The new offerings, which are all certified by the Vegan Trademark, include Original Seitan, a chicken-flavoured seitan block, and Pepperoni Seitan, a smoky, spicy pepperoni alternative. Why not find some inspiration in the ‘recipes’ section of the Tofoo Co. website? Available in Tesco and Waitrose.
QuirkyMonkey has launched an exciting new range of three nootropic mushroom coffee blends and raw cacao mushroom hot chocolate. The mushroom coffee blends are carefully crafted with RFA-certified Arabica coffee from Brazil and are infused with pure mushroom extracts such as Lion's Mane, Reishi or Cordyceps, along with Ashwagandha, Raw Cacao, Maca Root and MCT Oil. The raw cacao mushroom hot chocolate offers an indulgent way to unwind after a long day, blending raw cacao from the Ivory Coast with pure mushroom extracts, MCT Oil, Maca Root, Cinnamon and Rosehip. Available at quirkymonkey.com
Silvan Skincare
Andermatt
Many gardening and plant-care products contain animal ingredients, but you won’t find any in products certified by the Vegan Trademark. GroPure is a new kind of organic fertiliser from Andermatt that uses a breakthrough extraction process, giving it all the power of a chemical fertiliser but from an organic source. There’s no odour or sludge and it’s almost colourless, meaning happy gardeners and even happier plants! To top it off, it’s made from plant waste in a circular system – it’s made by plants, for plants. Available at andermattgarden.co.uk
Silvan Skincare Scar Oil is a certified vegan nourishing blend of botanical oils, designed to support skin regeneration and healing. This formula includes organic calendula, known for its healing properties; organic rosehip, a rich source of vitamin A that aids in repairing damaged skin; and organic palmarosa, which helps regenerate scarred tissue. Suitable for use on both the face and body, this oil is ideal for addressing scars from acne, stretch marks, wounds and surgery. For best results, gently massage it into the skin twice daily for at least six months. Available at silvanskincare.com
Helm London
Helm London is a premium lifestyle brand that brings together traditional craftsmanship and modern design in their range of handcrafted, eco-conscious products. Known for their luxury candles, home fragrances, reed diffusers and personalised accessories, Helm London uses only sustainable vegan materials and ethically sourced ingredients. Their commitment to quality and sustainability is reflected in every product, all of which are made by in-house artisans in the UK. You can shop globally through their online store and in select boutique shops across London, Paris, Hong Kong and New York. Try the Pumpkin Spice seasonal favourite this autumn. Available at helmlondon.com
King of Shaves
The Advanced Sensitive Shaving range offers a superior shaving experience for those who value precision and comfort. Whether using the Sensitive Shave Oil, the refreshing Sensitive Shave Gel or the versatile two-in-one Shave Cream & Moisturiser, each product is carefully crafted to deliver a close, irritation-free shave. Certified by The Vegan Society, this range ensures skin is left smooth, hydrated and free from razor burn. With clear, low-foam formulas, users can see exactly where they’re shaving, making it ideal for shaping and avoiding problem areas. All products come in recyclable packaging and are not tested on animals. Available at kingofshaves.com
Hurraw!
The Lemon Lip Balm from Hurraw! is a simple, natural choice for keeping your lips soft and hydrated. Made with certified organic and vegan ingredients, this balm is free from synthetic additives and artificial fragrances. It’s also bee-free, shea-free, soy-free and palm-free. The zesty lemon scent is refreshing without being overpowering, and the smooth, non-greasy formula glides on easily, providing lasting moisture. Hurraw! Lip Balms are certified by The Vegan Society and made in small batches to ensure quality. Check out the whole range to find your favourite scent. Available at hurrawbalm.com
Fresh & Dry
Fresh & Dry® Talc-Free Baby Powder prioritises the safety and care of delicate skin by eliminating talc, preservatives and other harmful substances. With growing concerns about the link between talc and asbestos – a known carcinogen – this UK-made baby powder provides a safe alternative for parents. Crafted from natural corn powder, it is 100% talc-free, non-allergenic and independently tested for use on newborns. Approved by The Vegan Society, Fresh & Dry® ensures that "no nasties" truly means no worries. It's the gentle, worry-free choice for keeping your baby's skin fresh and dry. Available at freshanddry.com
MEMBERSHIP
Star Letter Vegan Towns success
I am so happy to be part of The Vegan Society, and I feel privileged to be part of such a wonderful community. It is almost five years now and the best decision I’ve ever made.
Every day I make a point of talking to at least one person about the benefits of going vegan. My husband, sister and daughter are vegan, and now my friend Pat who was vegetarian is vegan.
I live in Nottingham, and today my friend and I visited a little cafe in Kimberley, No 18, which has improved since we started visiting once a week. They have a few more vegan options now.
The Manager Sabrina was very helpful and was happy to put the ‘vegan friendly’ sticker on the door.
Thank you for your kind words and your support of our Vegan Towns campaign! Congratulations to Patricia, who has won a Green People Scent-Free SPF30 Sun Cream (200 ml, worth £31). Next issue’s winner will receive a copy of the Scrappy Cooking recipe book, reviewed on page 39. Send your letters to editor@vegansociety.com or our usual postal address.
Membership news Events
It’s been a busy time for us at events across the country over the last few months. Since the summer, members of the Supporter Services Team have attended:
• Vegan Camp Out, Bicester, 26–28 July
• Benjamin Zephaniah: A Celebration, Birmingham, 1 September
• Vegan Party Conference, London, 28–29 September
• Birmingham Vegan Festival, 12 October
• Vegan Life Live, London, 18–20 October
The team has enjoyed meeting old and new members and chatting to the general public about The Vegan Society's work.
You'll also find us at London Vegan Fayre from 7–8 December. Please come and say hello and pick up a trademarked freebie when you take our quiz.
Barcelona VeganFest, 14–15 September
Members of the Supporter Services Team and the VEG 1 Team were delighted to attend the largest outdoor vegan
Patricia Finucane
festival in Europe for the first time, organised by Associació Vegana de Catalunya. We are excited to continue to extend interest in our membership internationally.
Discounts
Members of The Vegan Society can receive 10% off our multivitamin VEG 1. In addition to this, there are over 100 third-party discounts, including the ever-popular 10% off at Holland & Barrett by showing your membership card in-store or using code vegan10 online and 20% off at The Body Shop quoting code 11861 at the till or online.
This winter why not:
• Switch to bamboo household products with 15% off at both The Cheeky Panda and Bumboo.
• Treat a loved one to a vegan hamper with 10% off at The Goodness Project.
• Try the delicious snacks at Nibble with 15% off.
You can explore all the member discounts in the Members’ Area of our website at vegansociety.com/my-account/ shop-discounts. Please contact us if you have any problems accessing your account.
Annual General Meeting 2025
The 2025 AGM will be held at 1pm on Saturday 17 May. We are considering holding the AGM either online only or as an in-person AGM only, as the cost of hosting a hybrid AGM is prohibitive. If we hold an in-person AGM, the intention would be to hold an online AGM in 2026 so that members who are not able to participate in one form of AGM or another would have the option to be involved. An in-person AGM might include a complimentary buffet lunch for members and a talk, workshop or other activity. We would be very interested in hearing from members about their preference for either an online or in-person AGM. Please contact membership@vegansociety.com with your thoughts.
Members’ proposals
We welcome members’ proposals to the AGM. These should:
• Be proposed and seconded by full members
• Not exceed 300 words, including any supporting material
• Propose a single form of action (not be a composite
proposal nor simply a statement of opinion). Proposals must be submitted by Friday 3 January 2025
For a candidate pack or further information about becoming a trustee or submitting a proposal, please email the Chair of Council at chair@vegansociety.com or send a letter to Donald Watson House, 21 Hylton St, Birmingham, B18 6HJ. Visit vegansociety.com/candidate-pack to download the candidate pack.
Election of Council members
Applications for membership of the governing Council (board of directors) of The Vegan Society are invited by Monday 3 March 2025. The role is voluntary but reasonable expenses can be claimed.
Key qualities for all trustees are commitment, enthusiasm and the ability to consider issues thoughtfully, communicate effectively and work well with others. To ensure effectiveness and diversity, members from a wide range of backgrounds and with a broad base of skills and experience are sought. Currently, the time commitment is monthly meetings usually lasting three hours. Training would be approximately one to two days per year. Reading emails and documents may take several hours per week, particularly in the approach to a Council meeting or AGM. Candidates must have been full members of the society for at least a year and be aged 16 or over on the date of appointment. Candidates should support the society’s objectives and mission (vegansociety.com/ society/strategy/our-vision-and-mission) and be committed to a vegan lifestyle.
If you are considering standing for election to Council, we would encourage you to attend one of two online Q&A sessions we'll be holding on 9 and 28 January 2025 (details to be confirmed) to find out more.
We strongly encourage anyone thinking of proposing a resolution or standing as a candidate for Council to get in touch with the Chair, Jenifer Vinell, at chair@vegansociety. com as soon as possible to discuss their idea/application. The Chair can provide guidance to ensure that a resolution can go forward to the membership and can ensure that all the requirements for a valid proposal or application are met, such as proposers and seconders being valid members of the society. Proposals or applications made at the last minute which do not meet the requirements under the Articles must be rejected.
FERMENTED FOODS
What are fermented foods?
Fermentation uses the action of microorganisms, usually bacteria, to produce food and drinks that have different properties to their original ingredients. Examples include vegetable-based products such as kimchi and sauerkraut, soya-based foods including miso, tempeh and natto, sourdough bread and drinks such as kefir and kombucha. Each fermented food contains a diverse, individual profile of microorganisms depending on the properties of the original foods, the individual recipe or the ‘starter’ culture used for fermentation.
Whilst fermentation was originally used to preserve and increase the shelf life of foods, it also leads to nutritionally beneficial changes. The action of bacteria in the fermenting process increases the digestibility of the food and the availability of nutrients for us to absorb, reduces its glycaemic index and produces new compounds which are then found in the final food product. The bacteria themselves are also consumed as part of the final product and are then able to act in our bodies by interacting with, or becoming part of, our gut microbiome.
Fermented foods can be considered ‘functional foods’ because they have benefits to our health beyond their original nutritional content.
The gut microbiome
Our gut microbiome is made up of thousands of bacteria species that live in our intestines – mainly in our large intestine, which is also known as the colon. Everyone has a unique ‘community’ of bacteria living inside them, which varies in both the type and number of bacteria. Each species of bacteria has different functions, and the balance of the different types of bacteria regulates many aspects of our health.
As well as more obvious roles in the intestine such as helping keep our bowel movements regular, protecting us from infectious diseases and affecting gastrointestinal symptoms such as bloating, bacteria in our microbiome digest fibre and other nutrients that are otherwise indigestible to humans. During this process they produce substances such as vitamins, anti-inflammatory molecules, small proteins, short-chain fatty acids and neurotransmitters that have direct effects on our gut and signal out to the rest of
our body to help regulate several aspects of health such as immunity, our metabolism, body weight and even our mental health.
A healthy microbiome also reduces the risk of infectious gastrointestinal diseases, by ‘outcompeting’ pathogens that enter our system.
Probiotics and prebiotics
Prebiotics are defined as “a non-digestible carbohydrate substance used by the microorganisms in the gut to produce a health benefit” – essentially, they are fibre compounds that provide food for our gut bacteria. These substances cannot be broken down by the human digestive system, but our gut bacteria can digest them to make helpful substances our bodies can then use.
Probiotics are defined as “live micro-organisms that confer a health benefit on the host.” These are usually bacteria species, and to class as a probiotic they must be still alive in the food and able to survive the journey through our bodies to reach the colon. Some foods and drinks, such as beer and sourdough bread, whilst fermented, do not contain live bacteria due to the heating or pasteurisation process. Others such as unpasteurised kimchi and sauerkraut or kombucha still contain live microbes, so are probiotic products. Probiotics are beneficial to health, as they can help to increase the diversity and alter the ratio of species in our microbiome.
The popularity and proposed health benefits of fermented foods are largely due to the fact they provide us with both prebiotics and probiotics.
What are the health benefits of fermented foods?
Observational evidence that looks at the health of different global populations suggests that diets rich in fermented foods reduce overall disease risk and increase longevity.
interventional studies, but so far research has found that both kimchi and sauerkraut modify our gut bacteria and that regular consumption likely helps to improve glucose metabolism, promote maintenance of a healthy body weight, reduce IBS symptoms and even alter mood and brain activity.
Fermented dairy products such as kefir have been the main subject of dietary research. Consumption of these foods has been linked with improved muscle recovery after exercise, reduced cardiovascular disease and improved glucose metabolism. Thankfully, new options for kefir and other fermented dairy products have now been developed with plant-based ingredients, but studies have not yet been conducted to confirm whether their effects are the same as their dairy-based counterparts.
Further scientific studies into different fermented foods are needed to understand the specific benefits of each individual product and the unique mixture of nutrients and microbes it contains.
Take-home points
It is likely that fermented foods have a beneficial effect on human health beyond their nutritional content via the gut microbiome. Interventional studies so far have shown improved glucose and lipid metabolism, benefits to muscle recovery and reduction of IBS symptoms such as bloating and constipation.
• Fermented foods also have the potential to modify mood and brain function via the ‘gut-brain’ axis, reduce risk of gastrointestinal infectious disease, reduce systemic inflammation and modify immune function thanks to their interaction with the microbiome.
• Further research is needed to quantify the effects of fermented foods and currently there is not enough evidence to recommend them as treatment for specific diseases.
• No current dietary recommendations exist regarding fermented foods, but they are safe to include in your diet and
Tempeh is made from fermented soybeans
KIMCHI FRIED RICE
This super simple recipe incorporates kimchi, a traditional Korean side dish made from fermented vegetables, most often cabbage.
Ingredients
1 tbsp sesame oil
150 g jasmine rice (uncooked weight)
140 g firm tofu, cubed
115 g kimchi
60 ml liquid from the kimchi jar
60 ml water
1 tbsp gochujang paste*
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 spring onion, thinly sliced
* You can replace the gochujang paste with half a tbsp miso paste and your desired amount of red chilli flakes, depending on how much spice you enjoy.
Directions
Cook the rice according to the packet instructions.
Heat the sesame oil in a large pan on medium heat. Add the cubes of firm tofu to the oil and cook them for 5–7 minutes, turning them regularly. Add the kimchi and continue to cook for a further minute.
Add the rice, kimchi liquid, water and gochujang paste and cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring regularly.
In a separate pan, toast the sesame seeds using dry heat (without oil).
Serve the kimchi fried rice between two bowls and top with sesame seeds and sliced spring onion.
Nutritional information per portion
Article and recipe by Emily McKee Photography by Hannah Hossack-Lodge domesticgothess.com
80 YEARS OF THE VEGAN
Kim Stallwood examines The Vegan through the ages
Beginnings
“As this first issue of our periodical had to be named,” wrote Vegan Society founder and editor Donald Watson in 1944, “I have used the title The Vegan News.”
“Our diet will soon become known as a VEGAN diet and we should aspire to the rank of VEGANS,” Watson (1910–2005) explained. “We need a name that suggests what we do eat and if possible one that conveys the idea that even with all animal foods taboo, Nature still offers us a bewildering assortment from which to choose.”
Watson and the society’s founding members constructed the word ‘vegan’ from the first and last letters of the word ‘vegetarian’. A lot has happened in the 80 years since our foundation and the publication of our first issue, although many of the same reasons to go vegan are as relevant today as 80 years ago.
Veganism emerged from the fringes of society when Britain fought against fascism in World War Two and reached today’s mainstream as the climate emergency threatens the future of life on Earth.
The Vegan News went to 20 members in 1944. Today, The Vegan Society has thousands of members. The magazine is now called The Vegan and has an estimated circulation of more than 15,000.
Watson called for The Vegan News to publish “articles, letters, recipes, diet charts, health records, press cuttings, gardening hints, advice on baby culture, advertisements […] and letters of criticism from those who disagree with us.” This is familiar content for today’s readers of The Vegan
But veganism is changing, as is society. A gloriously happy photo of Lisa and Bekky kissing in white wedding dresses on a cover feature of vegan weddings in issue 2 of 2020 shows positive change is possible.
In 1976 I was one of 9000 people who wrote to The Vegan Society after watching a television programme it produced as part of the BBC’s innovative series called Open Door. In 1974 I became a vegetarian after working for the summer in a chicken slaughterhouse. Two years later, I waited for an envelope of leaflets and a copy of The Vegan magazine to arrive by post. I subsequently became one of 1000 new
vegans who joined the society as members.
Today, anyone with access to the Internet can watch Open Door for free on YouTube. When I recently rewatched it, I was surprised by how little the arguments for veganism had changed. There are some differences in explanations and emphasis and an omission of issues considered to be important now, but essentially it is the case for veganism as stated today.
Once an exclusive source of information, The Vegan Society no longer has the monopoly it had in its first decades. Our relationship with information – how it is produced and consumed – has fundamentally changed and continues to develop as new technologies emerge.
Reflecting veganism’s rapid expansion in public interest and the emerging market in products and services, there are far more vegan voices and many more ways to learn how to live as a vegan. This, I think, is to be welcomed but begs the question: why aren’t there many more vegans, given the availability of free information in the digital age?
As The Vegan Society turns 80, I explore how our magazine has evolved, re attitudes and understanding towards veganism. I conclude with some thoughts about the challenges The Vegan Society and The Vegan face in the next 80 years and into the 21st century.
Content
Back copies of The Vegan the latest issue published to the first edited by Donald Watson in 1944 are available to read for free at The Vegan Society’s page on the website Issuu (issuu.com/vegan_society
This online archive is an incredible resource. It reveals what matters most to practising vegans, aspiring vegans and those seeking answers. It chronicles the evolution of veganism and The Vegan Society as an educational charity, responding to the increasing needs of vegans and growing public interest. Reports and minutes related to the society’s Annual General Meetings are regularly published in the magazine.
with the publication of the fifth issue.
The first published vegan recipe, Mrs O’Brien’s rice pudding, appeared in the second issue. “For those of us who lose our childish instincts slowly the great drawback with this pudding is that it has no skin!” A prize was offered to anyone whose recipe “made good this discrepancy.”
The magazine experienced its first redesign with the Spring 1946 (Vol 2 No 1) issue. This look lasted for eight issues until the Winter 1947 issue. Front and back covers were printed on coloured paper with folded white pages stapled inside. The front cover listed the contents of that issue.
A second redesign quickly followed with the publication of the Spring 1948 issue. The cover and the masthead, The Vegan, were now in complementary colours, and a new strapline declared “Advocating Living Without Exploitation”. This design lasted until the third redesign in 1954. The fourth redesign, first featured in the Summer 1957 (Vol X No 5) issue, lasted until the Winter 1970 (Vol 17 No 4) issue.
Familiar, recurring themes and topics are apparent throughout the 1940s to the 1960s. Some of the more intriguing headlines include: Twenty-four years of Veganism, Diet of a Vegan Baby, Eating Out in London and Spring Salads from the Hedgerows.
70s witnessed the challenge to the common prejudice that vegans ate brown rice and wore open-toed sandals. The shattering of the vegan stereotype related to the emergence of the animal rights movement and the increasing number of activists who embraced
In came a younger generation of vegan animal rights activists who wore black, sabotaged fox hunts, protested against Harrods’ fur department and lived on Sosmix – the vegan sausage mix hydrated with water and fried.
Like many non-governmental organisations, The Vegan Society responded to new challenges as it transitioned from an all-volunteer charity to an organisation run by employees with professional qualifications and extensive experience.
The magazine progressed through several redesigns over the years, making it possible to grow its audience reach and improve its appearance significantly – from a simple blackand-white newsletter to today’s full-colour, professionally produced magazine.
The first five issues were edited by Watson and published in 1944 and 1945, progressing from four to 12 pages of dense text with no illustrations. The 500 copies published were most likely hand-printed from original artwork produced on a typewriter. The magazine’s name changed to The Vegan
In the 1980s, the animal rights movement gained greater prominence and media interest. The number of vegan activists skyrocketed. The Vegan Society learnt it had to change with the times. It was not alone, as charities and organisations often are forced to evolve from how they began around a kitchen table to a conference room.
Starting in 1985 and throughout the 1990s as the digital revolution gained traction, The Vegan was significantly redesigned, becoming a four-colour production with professionally drawn illustrations. Photographs required gelatine (boiled animal bones) to develop and fix images. This non-vegan product became redundant when photographs became digital images as part of the desktop revolution. It became possible for The Vegan Society to publish photos in all its publications. Email, websites, online shopping and social media became the new way to organise.
As veganism grew, and the vegan population became more diverse, The Vegan reflected this in a new generation of
articles. These included Womenspeak: The Need for a Forum for Vegan Women, Veganism and Fitness, Being a GlutenFree Vegan and Lab Animal Suffering Exposed: A Vegan Society Member Goes Undercover.
Audience
Decades of education, publicity and campaigning climaxed in the 2000s with an explosion of interest in all things vegan. Celebrities became vegan. High Street supermarkets launched their vegan product ranges. Fast food outlets sold vegan burgers. Newspapers, magazines, radio and television discovered veganism, particularly the Veganuary campaign. There was much talk about plant-based and cultured meats. Excited vegans ate Greggs' vegan sausage rolls.
Looking through copies of The Vegan published in the last 20 years, I see the magazine craft its presentation and content to attract a wider audience, inviting interest from vegans and non-vegans alike.
Further, all this popular media coverage, commercial interest and public attention to veganism made it even more important for The Vegan Society to publish a professional magazine and take advantage of the opportunities to reach a mainstream audience. Recent articles that attracted a wider readership included:
• Sanctuaries and Safaris: Ethically Encountering Animals Abroad
• Vegan and Neurodivergent: Sharing Individuals’ Experiences
• Humane Wildlife Solutions: A Kind Alternative to ‘Pest Control’
• Going Viral: Activism on TikTok
• Vegan Punks: When Two Subcultures Collide
• Veganism and Islam: Refl and Animal Rights
Challenges
“A common criticism,” Donald Watson observed in the first issue, “is that the time is not yet ripe for our reform. Can time ever be ripe for any reform unless it is ripened by human determination?”
What is meant by “ripened by human determination”? And what has it to do with a vegan target audience? Surely Watson is referring to the challenge of informing and persuading people to embrace veganism, making it easy and acceptable for everyone to be vegan and making veganism attractive to a mainstream audience.
The target audience for The Vegan is a spectrum of people ranging from dedicated vegans to those who are interested in learning more about how to live as a vegan. This is presently a minority of the population.
The majority are those whose lives have had little or no interaction with veganism. Their understanding may be non-existent, confused or ill-informed. They may hold prejudicial ideas against vegans, seeing them as people who want to deprive them of their favourite foods. They are resistant to change. For this group, the “ripening by human determination” will need to be – to put it politely – tenacious and persistent but welcoming and encouraging. Looking to the next 80 years and into the 21st century, the challenges to The Vegan Society and for The Vegan to serve the target audience become even more complicated.
• Chronic Illness: Vegans Navigating Health Conditions
• Vegan Interior Design: Tips and Ideas
The Vegan Society, with many other like-minded organisations and campaigns, succeeded in championing the progress of veganism. Of course, there is still much outstanding work to be done.
The increasing popularity of The Vegan Society’s Trademark certifying vegan products testifies to how a wider audience can be reached. The growing number of vegan products is welcomed by those busy raising a family, studying, working or preoccupied with other commitments. Every consumer buying a certified vegan product may not be vegan, but they may be taking steps towards becoming one.
Launched in 1990, The Vegan Trademark is now on more than 70,000 certified products. They range from food and drink to cosmetics and clothing, household items and many more, including those available outside the United Kingdom. Newly certified products are regularly featured in The Vegan
There can be no doubt that the climate emergency, threats to endangered species and the environment and awareness of industrialised animal exploitation will continue to direct people’s attention to veganism as a viable and necessary response to all these crises.
Veganism will be seen, however, by the public and the media as one of many solutions to the present global crises. Further, the present proliferation of voices advocating veganism, from like-minded organisations and companies offering products and services, will continue to grow. The public’s understanding and the media’s coverage of what it means to be vegan will continue to be fed by a combination of voices. Confusion about veganism will grow and expand beyond whether it is an ethical way of life or just a fashionable diet.
Consequently, The Vegan Society will need to continue its good work in further enhancing its reputation as the globally respected authority on veganism.
This means that the society’s message and that of The Vegan will need to consistently show that veganism is a philosophy and a way of life that excludes – as far as is possible and practicable – all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals.
THE EMPATHY INDEX
Charting the UK’s attitudes towards different forms of animal use
At The Vegan Society we’re committed to challenging speciesism and advocating for a better world in which animals are not exploited for our use or entertainment.
At The Vegan Society we’re committed to challenging speciesism and advocating for a better world in which animals are not exploited for our use or entertainment. To effectively advocate on behalf of non-human animals, we need to understand how people think about different forms of non-human animal use. We want to know which forms of animal use people consider unacceptable and the forms they consider the most acceptable.
To do this, we’ve established a new research project that we’re calling the Empathy Index. The index is based on data gathered from a survey of 2000 UK adults. The respondents were asked the following question – “How far are the following activities acceptable or unacceptable to you personally?” They were then shown 27 different forms of animal use (excluding the use of animals for food, as this is covered by other areas of our research).
The data from our Empathy Index shows a mixed picture with certain forms of animal use such as different forms of animal fighting, hunting and animal testing being amongst the most unacceptable. The data from the index also shows certain forms of animal use such as horse riding, wearing wool and certain types of animal-
based entertainment to be more acceptable. As vegans, we believe that all forms of animal use are unacceptable, but it’s our responsibility to understand what the general population believe and work to build a more compassionate world.
The top five most unacceptable forms of animal use according to UK adults are dog fighting, bull fighting, fox hunting, animal testing for cosmetics and hunting animals using traps.
of adults in the UK think that testing cosmetic ingredients on animals is unacceptable. 84%
The top five most acceptable forms of animal use according to UK adults are riding a horse, using animals in TV/films, wearing clothes made from sheep's wool, going to a zoo and horses used in policing.
The most divisive form of animal use is riding an elephant with 50% considering this an acceptable form of animal use and 50% considering this unacceptable.
There are some interesting findings on animal testing, which are encouraging for anti-animal testing campaigns:
• 84% of adults in the UK think that testing cosmetic ingredients on animals is unacceptable.
• 68% of adults in the UK think that testing medicine on animals is unacceptable.
At The Vegan Society we’ve done a lot of work on the topic of fashion, and we’ve worked with brands to offer vegan alternatives to typically animal-based textiles such as leather. These are some statistics from the Empathy Index that fashion brands or those working on fashion-related campaigns will find useful:
• 71% of adults in the UK think that wearing clothes made from animal fur is unacceptable.
• 41% of adults in the UK think that wearing leather made from a cow’s skin is unacceptable.
• 16% of adults in the UK think that wearing clothes made from sheep’s wool is unacceptable.
For those opposed to hunting such as anti-hunting/snaring campaign groups, the index contains useful data:
• 86% of adults in the UK think that hunting foxes with dogs is unacceptable.
of adults in the UK think that wearing leather made from a cow’s skin is unacceptable.
• 83% of adults in the UK think that hunting an animal using traps or snares is unacceptable.
• 74% of adults in the UK think that hunting a deer with a gun is unacceptable.
Our intention behind this project is that the Empathy
compassionate people across the UK are to non-human animals in different scenarios. We can use the data to identify the forms of non-human animal use that we can focus our attention on and move the dial in a positive direction. We can also use the data to support our work on
Our intention is to repeat this research over the coming years so that the Empathy Index works to track changes in British attitudes over time. For now, this is our first year conducting this research, providing to learn
of adults in the UK think that hunting a deer with a gun is unacceptable.
EVENTS
Essex Vegan Festival
Sunday 3 November (10.30am–4.30pm)
Southend Leisure and Tennis Centre, Garon Park, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, SS2 4FA facebook.com/EssexVeganFestival
High Street, Guildford, Surrey, GU1 ethicalveganevents.com/event-calendar
London Vegan Fayre 2024
Saturday 7 – Sunday 8 December (11am–6pm)
Kensington Town Hall, Hornton St, London, W8 7NX vegfest.co.uk/london-vegan-fayre-24
Wokingham Vegan Market (Christmas Special)
Sunday 8 December (11am–3pm)
Market Place (around the Wokingham Town Hall), RG40 1AS sparkleveganevents.com/wokingham
REVIEWS
Cooking, bestselling author Carleigh Bodrug invites us to make the best of what we’ve got in the fridge and improvise with our scraps.
On a mission to reduce food waste and following on from her Scrappy Cooking social media series, self-taught cook Carleigh taps into topical themes by using generally accessible and affordable ingredients that are plant-based and not heavily processed.
The book begins with a comprehensive introduction, written with passion by Carleigh, summarising her aims and including some jaw-dropping facts and figures about food waste, as well as some common problems and suggested solutions.
There is a useful ‘Got This? Make That!’ index, after which the book continues with over 140 recipes, divided into 11 chapters: Scrappy Sunrises; Scrappetisers & Sides; Souperb Soups; Sustainable Sammies; Wraps & Salads; No-Waste Noodles; The Main Bowl; Eco Entrées; Sustainable Sweets; Dressings, Dips & Saucy Things and finally Preserves, Powders & Other Fun Stuff.
I tried the Death by Chocolate Flapjacks, which were a chocolatey twist on the traditional treat. They were delicious and easy to make, with an optional Citrus Peel Powder, made from orange and lemon peels.
I am always on the lookout for healthy and easy quick lunch options, so I also tried the Life-Altering Mediterranean Wraps, along with the Vegan Tzatziki. It was easy to source all the ingredients, the instructions were clear and simple and the result was flavoursome and zesty.
Pignorant, documentary directed by Joey Carbstrong, reviewed by Zuleka Waldman
Pignorant begins with a thoughtprovoking question for all who stand for animal rights: if I'm not willing to risk my life to expose what is happening to them, do I care about it enough? This introspective question is brought forward by Joey Carbstrong, a former gang member turned animal rights activist. To answer this, he came up with a plan to capture footage of what is considered the industry standard and the most humane way to kill animals – gas chambers – and how they are nowhere close to what people imagine.
Although the initial question felt a bit jarring, Pignorant did a good job of quickly shifting the direction of the documentary to a lighter note as it began to explore Joey’s childhood love for pigs, then shifted to lively street interviews, expert opinions on the pig industry and the high stakes covert operation the documentary is all about. The documentary's tone is reminiscent of a spy movie, with each stage showcasing a mission sequence that takes viewers on a thrilling ride from planning to execution. This behindthe-scenes immersion made me feel like I was a part of the team. In the end, I found myself having a greater appreciation for activists who take these risks. I went vegan as a result
of watching this kind of footage myself, so I understand its importance and impact on a personal level.
The street interviews were particularly impactful. Pignorant included different demographics and tackled the difficult topic of slaughter with those who are still eating meat, without being judgemental. Expert opinions were also very informative and broad, as they explored the experiences of a vet who has worked in the field, a forensic psychologist, an ex-employee of a slaughterhouse who turned vegan after his experience and more. It covered various interconnected topics including legalities and explored food labels by institutions such as the RSPCA and free-range farms to see whether they live up to their promise of humane treatment of animals.
The 1 hour 45 minute documentary then ends with a haunting statistic for us all to consider, as it is dedicated to the memory of the 200 million sentient beings slaughtered in the time it takes to watch the film. While Pignorant begins by asking if one would die for what they believe in, it ends by encouraging viewers to make a simpler choice: using their purchasing power to stop supporting animal agriculture industries and help put an end to the use of gas chambers.
Cow Hug Therapy by Ellie Laks, reviewed by
Ursula Watson
Ellie Laks has three sanctuaries for animals rescued from animal agriculture and neglect. They are home to many different species, but the focus of this book is cows and the use of ‘cow hug therapy’ for people in distress. The term itself troubled me, and my fears of animal exploitation grew
when in the first chapter Ellie states that Karma the cow had ‘voluntarily chosen’ to take part in cow hug therapy.
However, the more I read, the more I could see what a force for good Ellie is in the lives of animals. Each chapter tells how a new resident came to live at the sanctuary and all the work undertaken to allow them to be healthy, happy and thrive. It was heart-warming to read about female cows being reunited with their calves and the young cows bonking each other’s heads in play. Yet these stories were interspersed with moments I couldn’t relate to, such as holding a wedding ceremony for two cows and recounting how Chico the cow was showing forgiveness for the slaughterhouse by taking a cookie from her hand. I found Ellie’s accounts of being able to communicate with animals hard to believe. This was compounded by her website where she makes money from communicating with companion animals, including those bereaved.
Overall, I found the book an enjoyable – if challenging –read. The author doesn’t mention being vegan until a number of chapters in, and the lives of the cows at the sanctuary expose the brutality of the meat and dairy industry seamlessly as part of their story. Its strength is in how it gently reveals how humans treat other animals and the way it repeatedly shows how all animals are very much the same in their response to love and care.
Ellie Laks and Love
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