The Vegan Spring 2012

£2.50 The magazine of The Vegan Society Spring 2012

news * events * recipes * reviews * articles * and much more

One world. Many lives. Our choice. vegansociety.com

Naturally delicious, naturally meat & dairy free

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editorial

in this issue 2 4 7 9 10 13 14 19 21 23 24 27 29 31 33 34 37 39 41 42 44 45 47 48

Highlights Shoparound Vegan Advocacy International News Photo Competition Winners Extreme Ironing Active Vegans News and Information Vegan Runners Great Book Offers!

Recipe Recipe Youth and Education Postbag Natto: Japan’s Secret Vegan Diets and Deforestation Reviews Grow Vegan Events Local Contacts & Groups Staff/Council Listings Classifieds Letter Writing to the Press Crosswords

The Vegan Society

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Donald Watson House

Welcome to our new Chair of Council, Dr Matthew Cole, and our new Vice Chair, Dr Karen Morgan, who have both been Trustees of The Vegan Society for some time and bring a great deal of knowledge and experience to the roles. George Rodger who has been Chair of Council for many years had wanted to have more time for his humanist ceremonies and other activities and was very happy to find a capable Chair to take his place.

In this issue we feature the winners of our photography competition: I hope you will agree that they are great photos. We also feature many of the excellent World Vegan Month activities including our work in raising the profile of veganism in Westminster (see page 2). Vegan vet Andrew Knight seized the opportunity to try some extreme ironing in Snowdonia and Stephen Walsh considers issues relating to vegan diets and deforestation.

Rosamund Raha Editor

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21 Hylton Street

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Hockley

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Birmingham

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B18 6HJ

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UK

Local rate 0845 45 88244 l Tel. 0121 523 1730 l Fax. 0121 523 1749 l e-mail: info@vegansociety.com l www.vegansociety.com

Editor Rosamund Raha Design www.doughnutdesign.co.uk Printed on Recycled paper Cover image by Justyna Grzybek

© The Vegan Society Registered Charity no. 279228 Company Registration no. 1468880 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 Vegan Society 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.

All contributions sent in for publication are considered, however, because more materials are received by the Vegan Society than there is space available in the magazine not all will be published. Contributions intended for publication are welcomed, but unsolicited materials will not be returned. Contributions will usually be edited.

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highlights

Chris Williamson (vegan Labour MP), Jasmijn de Boo (Vegan Society CEO) and Kerry McCarthy (vegan Labour MP).

Photo by Vicky Alhadeff ©

VEGANISM FIRST IN WESTMINSTER Labour MP Kerry McCarthy spoke about vegan solutions to global food security, healthy diet and cutting climate change at an adjournment debate at about 10pm on World Vegan Day (November 1 2011). It was shown live on BBC Parliament TV and Parliament live TV. Kerry McCarthy and Vegan Society staff Jasmijn de Boo, George Gill, Amanda Baker and Rebecca Henderson also hosted an event at 2pm on World Vegan Day at Portcullis House where roughly 15 MPs and 65 others (including the Parliamentary Assistants of numerous MPs) and representatives from NGOs saw our film Making the Connection and took home free vegan cupcakes and Vegan Society literature.

Vegan Society Head of Information Rosamund Raha took the opportunity to mention the World Vegan Day adjournment debate when she spoke for fifteen minutes on the Hannah Murray Show (Talk Radio Europe) on 1 November.

Kerry McCarthy MP has already invited The Vegan Society to run a bigger UK House of Commons event for World Vegan Day 2012.

FACEBOOK UPDATE Engagement through Facebook continues to go from strength to strength with The Vegan Society having nearly 80,000 fans. Many experienced vegans regularly check our pages and help those trying out veganism for the first time: swapping recipes or discussing vegan issues.

THE VEGAN PLEDGE We are receiving large numbers of requests to take The Vegan Pledge with over 2,000 new pledges in 2011. A significant number of those people are staying vegan. We plan to increase this number in 2012 by giving the pledge more publicity.

THE VEGAN TRADEMARK In December 2011 Vegan Society Business Development Department reached the landmark of 400 Trademark holders.

This means that over twelve thousand products now carry The Vegan Society Trademark and the number is increasing year on year.

CATERING IN PARLIAMENT Arrangements were made for House of Commons restaurants to put on vegan options during the week beginning Monday 31 October and, helped by the information posters that we supplied, five House of Commons restaurants averaged 12% vegan meals sold. The chefs received very positive feedback.

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SPONSORSHIP We continue to sponsor events throughout the UK and elsewhere. Some events are local food fairs held in village halls and others are large events such as Vegfest in Bristol.

We also sponsored activities such as a vegan category at Hospitality at the NEC where competitors are invited to prepare, cook and present an imaginative, nutritionally balanced vegan main course in 30 minutes.

MAKING THE CONNECTION Tens of thousands of people have viewed The Vegan Society film (made with Environment Films) Making the Connection online. The film is now available with subtitles in eight different languages.

If you have not seen it yet please do view it here: www.vegansociety.com/resources/making-the-connection.aspx

WORKING CLOSELY WITH THE VEGAN PRISONER SUPPORT GROUP (VPSG) Our Advocacy Officer, Rebecca Henderson, has worked with VPSG to produce joint publications such as prison caterers’ newsletters and guides for caterers and vegan prisoners. Our joint efforts mean that catering provision in prisons around the UK is of a high standard with prison caterers actively competing with each other to win the VPSG/Vegan Society awards.

None of these achievements could have been done without the generosity of our members and supporters.

We would like to thank all of those who support our vital work. You can find out more about supporting us at: www.vegansociety.com/support-us

from the chief executive

The raised profile of veganism on World Vegan Day in Westminster was a first for both politicians and The Vegan Society.

Vegan MP, Kerry McCarthy, and The Vegan Society successfully hosted a ‘Making the Connection’ event in Portcullis House. Armed with delicious, award-winning cupcakes by Ms Cupcake, and reports about global food security, we answered questions and encouraged MPs to raise questions in Parliament.

In the evening, Kerry had managed to secure an Adjournment Debate about vegan agriculture and diet and asked questions to the Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Mr James Paice).

All week, vegan dishes were on offer in all 5 parliamentary restaurants.

See more about this event on the previous page.

On 19 November our AGM was held in Cardiff. Voting by proxy has become increasingly popular with over 270 votes cast by post. The palm oil proposals were discussed, and while members generally sympathised with the suggestion of encouraging manufacturers to remove palm oil from their products, both motions were rejected overall. We cannot know whether vegans increase demand for palm oil but the debate continues in this issue on pages 31 and 34-35.

Vegan Society Honorary Patron and President of The American Vegan Society, Freya Dinshah, visited our offices in September 2011. It was great to meet Freya and we hope to work more closely with The American Vegan Society in future.

We are currently planning our projects for 2012 and have several interesting events and exciting ideas lined up.

For example, The Vegan Society will be part of a vegan pavilion at a major trade show (watch this space), and the earlier mentioned viral marketing campaign will be rolled out in March. The number of people taking the vegan pledge, and those ‘liking’ us on facebook are increasing. Just before Christmas, the Business Development Department had secured the 400th Trademark holder, and this number is also set to grow in 2012.

On behalf of The Vegan Society, I would like to thank you for your continued support. Please consider making a donation and sponsor someone taking the vegan pledge. This is a successful method that helps to change behaviour, and shows that following a vegan lifestyle is easy, rewarding and beneficial for all.

Jasmijn de Boo

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All of these wonderful products now carry The Vegan Society Trademark Logo so you can see at a glance that they are truly vegan.

n Bohemian Chic Minerals

n Evolve Organic Anti-Ageing Treatments

Bohemian Chic Minerals offer an extensive range of handcrafted mineral make-up designed to complement different ethnicities and lifestyles. Composed solely of rock minerals and free from possible skin irritants such as oils and talc, they are intended to be suitable for most skins, including acne, eczema and rosacea sufferers.

Prices normally range from £6.50 for an eyeliner to £18.00 for foundation.

Currently a 20% discount is being offered. www.bohemianchicminerals.co.uk

Award-winning organic beauty brand, evolve, has launched two new moisturisers - Multi Peptide Single Cream and Multi Peptide Double Cream. The single cream is designed for normal/oily skin, the double cream for normal/dry skin. Both creams use a naturally hypoallergenic fragrance and are packaged in 100% recycled bottles. Both single and double creams retail for £19.99 for 50ml.

n My Homemade Biscuits My Homemade Biscuits bake an interesting variety of vegan biscuits not usually found on local supermarket shelves. Products range from simple traditional ginger homemade biscuits to fresh fruit, oat and mixed nut biscuits as well as new varieties coming soon. Beautifully prepared and excellent to eat.

Prices start from £2.50 for 250 grams Call them - 07970815028 Email - order@myhomemadebiscuits.com Website - www.myhomemadebiscuits.com Facebook - www.facebook.com/myhomemadebiscuits Twitter - www.twitter.com/veganbiscuits

Available from www.evolvebeauty.co.uk and other high street and online stores nationwide.

n Jardé Jardé mineral cosmetics contain no complex chemicals, additives, oil or synthetic fragrances. They are made from natural, pure ingredients, sourced from suppliers around the world to ensure high quality, and carefully selected so as not to cause skin irritation. www.jarde.co.uk

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n Natures’ Whey Natures' Whey produces nutritional supplements made solely from vegan ingredients and is ISO 9001 quality certified.

A 60 gram serving of Ignite Ultra-V contains 40 grams of plantderived protein whilst providing 156 calories.

Designed for use with health fitness, weight loss and weight gain programmes, it is available in several flavours and is shortly to be available in a convenient GymPak size.

n PrimeShield PrimeShield’s innovative hand solution acts as a liquid glove to protect skin from oil, dirt, grease and grime. Developed to be quick to apply, forming an invisible second skin, inhibiting germs and bacteria.

It is free of alcohol solvents and provides an interesting and effective vegan alternative to latex gloves. www.primeshield.co.uk

Ignite Ultra-V has an RRP of £50.00 for a 2.25kg tub containing 37 servings over 18 days.

Contact details at www.natures-whey.co.uk

n One Village With absolutely no animal content, One Village soap features oils like neem. No artificial fragrances or compounds are used.

Two different soaps are made: neem, considered highly beneficial for the skin, and sandalwood, described as “a natural energizer,” both made at a community enterprise rural centre in southern India.

n Titbits Catering Titbits Catering is a 100% vegan catering company based in Brighton, run by vegan chef duo Paula Young and Sammy Gill, using local, ethically sourced and organic ingredients where possible. Titbits cater for functions and events, run cookery workshops and are available for private tuition and cookery parties.

Under the name of Gourmet Girls they also host a regular Friday night Pop Up restaurant and a monthly Secret restaurant.

For more details please visit www.titbitscatering.co.uk

More information is online at onevillage.org/soap.htm, where you can also order 4 generous-size bars for only £10 including free delivery in UK. Or send a cheque for £10 (payable to One Village) to: One Village Vegan Soap Charlbury OX7 3SQ (telephone 01608 811811).

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All of these wonderful products now carry The Vegan Society Trademark Logo so you can see at a glance that they are truly vegan.

n V-dog Vegan Pet Food V-dog from Judges Choice is produced as a high quality, British-made pet food, guaranteed by the manufacturers to be free from meat and meat by-products.

This vegan alternative is designed to meet the health needs of active dogs and uses only natural and wholesome ingredients without the use of artificial colours or preservatives.

Traditional Flakes RRP: £27.99 (15kg) Crunchy Nuggets RRP: £33.99 (15kg) Wheat Gluten Free Mixer RRP: £18.99 (10kg) Find out more and order online at www.v-dog.co.uk or call Judges Choice on 01953 714 648

n Vegusto n WithNature Skincare WithNature Skincare carefully blend active plant butters and aromatherapy oils to create British, handmade products designed to leave skins toned, hydrated and balanced. Made in small batches, they produce a range of skincare products which customers are welcome to try before they buy with a 30-day money back policy.

"Just cut a corner off of the bag and pour it over your pizza and cook to perfection,” write the all-vegan company Vegusto about their No-Moo Sauce, ideal also for macaroni cheese, cauliflower cheese and lasagnes.

One of over 40 Swiss, plant-based meat and cheese alternatives, with prices from £2.95.

Available to order from www.vegusto.co.uk or call 01273 93 6010.

Prices range from £2.95 to £14.75 Their products can be purchased at www.withnatureskincare.co.uk or call 020 8144 6417 Also stocked at Charlie’s in Shepherd Bush 020 8743 6868

n Atlantic Kelp Co. Sea vegetables boast a broad spectrum of vitamins, minerals and micronutrients necessary for health and well-being. Atlantic Kelp Co.’s new dried Organic Seaweed supplies kelp in a convenient 180g spice shaker jar specifically designed for the busy health-conscious vegan kitchen.

Available direct from www.atlantickelp.com now or coming to your healthfood store soon.

Dried Organic Seaweed 180g £5.69

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vegan advocacy Rebecca Henderson

VEGAN CATERING GUIDE

While this has raised some awareness of the booklet, we are keen for it to be even more widely used. Some of our more active Local Contacts have already begun helping us with this.

We have sent out copies of the booklet to them, which they have then distributed to various institutional caterers in their area. They have then asked the caterers whether they found the booklet helpful and encouraged them to start offering more vegan items on their menus. We have found that caterers are very happy to engage in this way with people from their local area and feedback has been good.

If you too would like to promote veganism in the institutional sector, then you could help by distributing this booklet. To receive twenty five or more booklets email advocacy@vegansociety.com or telephone 0121 523 1742.

You may not be aware of our Vegan Catering Guide for hospitals and care homes.

It explains veganism to caterers, suggests ways for them to “veganise” their menus and outlines the reasons for being vegan. It also contains larger quantity recipes complete with nutritional analysis.

You can view an electronic copy here: http://vegansociety.com/downloads/Hosp italCateringBooklet.pdf The booklet is not only suitable for use in hospitals and care homes, but can also be used by any larger scale caterers who need to produce nutritious meals on a tight budget, such as schools or social groups.

MEETING THE NEEDS OF OLDER VEGANS

When the booklet was first produced, we worked with the Hospital Caterers Association to distribute it. Since then, vegans who are entering hospital have been encouraged to send a copy in advance to the hospital so that they would be able to cater for them properly.

The Vegan Society currently holds dedicated funds to be used in projects for the relief of elderly vegans who are in conditions of need, hardship or distress. I have a number of ideas for projects with the potential to assist many older vegans now and in the

future, but it has not been possible for us to say that the needs of any actual elderly vegans would be being met by these projects. We have had great difficulty in identifying any of the people that the fund is intended to benefit. Most recently, I made freedom of information requests to local authorities across the UK, asking for information on older vegans using care services in their area. Many local authorities are involved in the provision of services (such as home delivered meals or care homes) where users have the facility to indicate vegan meals.

None of the local authorities that I contacted knew of any vegans using these services.

If we are to use the fund in a way that will benefit existing older vegans, we must first know what their needs are.

If you are a vegan over 65 (even if you would not think of yourself as being in need, hardship or distress) then please get in contact with me. I am interested not only in any services that you already use, but also in those services that you would like to use, but are unable to due to lack of vegan provision. If we know which services vegans are using, or would like to use, we will then be in a position to tailor our programmes so that they best meet the needs of older vegans, so please get in touch.

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international news The Internet is immensely valuable in allowing animal and human rights activists to cooperate effectively around the world. The European Court’s acceptance of veganism as a deeply held belief attracting the same rights as religious faith recently formed the basis of a successful challenge to the refusal of vegan food in Turkish prisons. Vegan activist and lawyer Marek Voršilka not only researched a strong case for all of us to make (politely, of course) but organised a demonstration outside the Turkish embassy in his home town of Prague.

Paragraph 22.1 of Council of Ministers recommendation (2006)2 states: “Prisoners shall be provided with a nutritious diet that takes into account their age, health, physical condition, religion, culture and the nature of their work.” The denial of appropriate food to vegan prisoner Osman Evcan was challenged as a violation of Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights, citing European Court decisions in Jakobski v. Poland (application 18429/06) and C. W. v. United Kingdom (18187/91).

In the latter case the court found that “vegan convictions with regard to animal products fall within the scope of Article 9” (Freedom of thought, conscience and religion).

The requirement to respect deeply held beliefs in all aspects of public life forms a major part of the work of the second veggie group in the European Union’s Grundtvig adult education programme. Nicknamed the Grundtvegans, the group is pursuing a project on diet, climate change and social inclusion which should result in a useful public resource on the benefits of a vegan diet for health, sustainability and social cohesion.

Members rent a house for their meetings and invite representatives of a wide range of cultural groups to eat with them, educating others about veganism while identifying areas of common interest with communities whose support helps to increase visibility and respect for the vegan lifestyle.

Sharing food is a deeply symbolic activity, bringing people together far more effectively than plastic-wrapped “special meals”. In this context, veganism is well ahead of almost any other human dietary system in creating delicious healthy meals that everyone, or nearly everyone, can share. Now add the further requirements of specific cultural groups with regard to vegetable foods, plus the need to ensure that meals are healthy and sustainable as well as delicious, and it becomes clear how much we rely on advice from Vegan Society stalwarts such as Stephen Walsh and the ever popular Shambhu’s Catering team.

It is a hugely complex undertaking, but immensely rewarding in terms of increased understanding and friendship among all concerned. And what a lively debate ensues when it comes to devising suitably festive menus for Christmas, Chinese new year, Diwali, Eid, World Vegan Day and the many other festivals that beckon as we move through another year.

On the world veg*n scene, Marly Winckler from Brazil has succeeded George Jacobs of Singapore as chair of the International Veg Union governing council. Like most of the council, Marly is a vegan activist of many years standing.

Do consider subscribing to the IVU monthly newsletter www.ivu.org/onlinenews.ph for a window on some of the many developments taking place around the world. Instead of biennial congresses there will be a major IVU Vegfest every year, still all vegan and rotating through the continents of the world.

This year’s festival (see Events page 41) in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park is fast taking shape, with an optional followon event in Los Angeles, and groups of people are discussing travel arrangements. There is no eco-friendly way of getting across the pond, but once on the east coast of North America there are all sorts of plans for getting to the west – from cycling the whole way to booking an entire railway carriage with communal vegan catering. In 2013, the flagship event will be in Malaysia with add-ons in Thailand and Bali, followed hopefully by Kenya in 2014. There will also be less formal vegan events around the world, including Europe - more details when we have them.

A highly successful new year vegan festival in India was organised by Shankar Narayan and the Indian Vegan Society while in the UK Nitin Mehta of the Young Indian Vegetarians secured a top level meeting to discuss meat consumption and climate change with the Director General of the Department of Energy and Climate Change. Vegan Society nutrition and health spokesperson Stephen Walsh showed how official figures underestimate the impact of UK diet in terms of imports, overseas deforestation and the higher short-term impact of methane (The Vegan, winter 2009). Officials seemed generally aware of the issues but reluctant to say anything that might be construed as telling people what to eat. Within the department, however, a card stamped for a certain number of veggie meals entitles the bearer to entry in a prize draw!

Finally, I must thank all who take the trouble to contact me in response to this column. Even if you don’t get individual replies, your comments are much valued – please keep them coming.

With good wishes to all, Vanessa Clarke

THE VEGAN PASSPORT The Vegan Passport is available from The Vegan Society for just £2.50. It is a pocket-sized book, with a simple message explaining what vegans do and don't eat, and why in seventythree different languages.

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photography competition winners We had so many wonderful photographs sent in that it was hard to find winners.

However these are the ones that we chose in the end.

Humans with non-human animals Winner

By Sagar Shah

Humans with non-human animals Runner up

By Don Clingan This is a wild possum who sometimes comes into Don’s hut at night from the surrounding forest.

People eating vegan food Winner

By Helga Duwendag-Strecker

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People eating vegan food Runner up

By Sarah Gordon

Vegan Festivals Winner

By Sagar Shah

Vegan Festivals Runner up

By Claire-Lise

Vegan Food Winner

By Lyra Alves

Vegan Food Runner up

By Kylie Claude

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world vegan month: celebrating the hard way T

he freezing gusts hammered into me yet again, lifting me from my feet. Although I was sheltered from the full force of the 70 mph gale hitting the other side of the pass, the ironing board strapped to my back was acting like a sail. Desperately hanging onto tufts of grass I wondered whether it would act like a glider if I was blown off the mountainside. At least I would have discovered a novel way to celebrate World Vegan Month.

rising from Tryfan’s near-vertical summit ridge, hoping the lightning forecast would make the experience more memorable, and power the iron. Unfortunately however, only the water lifted 50 feet from the lake below appeared able to make any upward progress through the gale.

That was, after all, what the Extreme Vegan Sporting Association (EVSA) was for: to showcase vegan fitness through novel means of risking life and limb. Too many seem to think vegans must endure grim and joyless lives of selfdenial. Lack of animal proteins make us pale and unfit, they believe. The EVSA exists to prove how wrong they are, and to show how much fun the vegan lifestyle can be.

Seriously fun, I told myself once again through teeth gritted against the cold. And although not as domesticated as I could be, I’ve always had a bit of a thing for ironing. What better way to celebrate the 67th anniversary of The Vegan Society’s founding than an extreme vegan ironing expedition, I reasoned?

I was luckier the next day, when the gusts dropped to 50 mph. For a few brief seconds I was able to stagger onto the summit of Mt Snowdon. At 1,085m I was the highest ironer in all of Wales and England.

Combining ‘the thrill of a danger sport with the satisfaction of a well-pressed shirt’, the popularity of extreme ironing has risen spectacularly. International championships now exist, with the English recently beating the Australians by having the greatest number of people ironing underwater at the same time, in a flooded quarry. The waters were so freezing they desperately hoped they’d never have to win back the title. As a native Australian though, I rather hoped otherwise. Maybe I could make the Aussie team someday with sufficient training. But Aussies are tough, so I knew this would need to be hard-core.

For more on this extreme vegan adventure and others, see www.ExtremeVeganSports.org.

And so I headed to Snowdonia with my trusty ironing board last November. I planned to iron on the narrow rock pillars

Andrew Knight is the founder of the Extreme Vegan Sporting Association, but is really a softie at heart.

My failure on Tryfan continues to haunt me, however. I hope to return in winter, when ice-axes and crampons should help me triumph against the wind.

VEG 1 (£4.99 for three months’ adult supply) Specifically designed to benefit vegans. Taken daily, VEG 1 ensures adequate supplies of selenium, iodine, vitamin D, folic acid, vitamins B2, B6 and, of course, B12.

Based on extensive research by Vegan Society health and nutrition spokesperson Stephen Walsh, author of Plant Based Nutrition and Health.

Adults: chew one tablet per day. Children aged 2-12: half a tablet per day chewed or crushed.

Available only from The Vegan Society

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active vegans n Vegan Pledge

n World Vegan Day/Month

Vegans just like you are already getting ready for World Vegan Month 2012. We would like you to tell people about our free vegan mentoring service for new vegans: The Vegan Pledge. Please do get involved by handing out Vegan Pledge leaflets, sharing the sign-up page online: www.vegansociety.com/veganpledge/ or organising a vegan food tasting with a local community group, for example.

From a World Vegan Day debate on stock-free vegan farming in the UK Parliament, to vegan festivals large and small, vegan living was thoroughly celebrated and shared in 2011.

Globally, we heard of regional World Vegan Month celebrations and outreach in: Thailand, China, Iran, Ghana, Ethiopia, South Africa, Eire, France, Spain, Switzerland, UK, USA, Brazil, Australia and more countries besides.

Here are a few highlights from those activities.

n Vegan Outreach in Iran Mohammad Qaempanah runs a small chain of vegan restaurants in Mashhad, Iran. He reports that the President of the Vegetarian Union of Iran, Dr Abdol Ghaffar Ebadi, is vegan.

Mohammad’s vegan group collaborates with the Pure Human, Clean Earth vegan-run group in Tehran, which is active in translating vegan outreach films and leaflets into Persian. The Tehran group runs a large vegan outreach event each month, and shares vegan news and recipes through their website. Mohammad uses Facebook to keep in touch with vegan friends in other Iranian cities and around the world.

Every few weeks, Mohammad holds a vegan outreach event at his restaurant.

For World Vegan Day, he held a debate and screening of the film, Food Inc. for an audience of about 30 people.

Mohammad’s vegan group also advocated vegan living at the Green Lifestyle Festival in Mashhad in the autumn.

Next, they are thinking about running a free vegan food fair.

Mohammad says, “In Iran being vegan … is like being an extremist. You are in the front line ... There is much for an Iranian vegan to explore in society, and lessons of flexibility, respect, sticking to principles and wisely spreading information.” World Vegan Day this year fell on the Persian date of 10 Aban 1390.

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n Didsbury Dinners: budget vegan cooking for all Earlier this year, Amanda Woodvine helped her local community to produce a glossy vegan cookery book, Didsbury Dinners: The Low‑Carbon Community Cookbook. Now, she is taking delicious, nutritious and affordable vegan food across Manchester, using the proceeds from the sale of the book.

Amanda is working with the Council ward coordinators and Sure Start Children’s Centre to invite locals to free four-week vegan cooking courses. To reach out across the community, Amanda got posters into the job centre, charity shops, the library and (in Arabic) the local mosque.

The strong ‘word-of-mouth’ propelled the course into the Didsbury Life e-paper headlines.

After the four weeks, all the students rated their vegan cookery skills as good to excellent. One participant, Mario, said: “The course has made me more aware of environmental issues, and the importance of eating healthy foods rather than ready-meals. I will now cook more vegetarian foods at home. I’d recommend the course to everyone I know!” Another student, Jo, said the course was "such a great opportunity to cook with different ingredients that I had not used before."

Amanda is helping 'graduate' cooks to teach vegan cookery to local children and teens, so the project will be socially sustainable too.

n World Vegan Month Snapshots n Here are just a few snapshots from the rest of this whirl of vegan outreach: n Cork Vegans gave out very popular cake samples, along with vegan leaflets, in Cork, Èire, on World Vegan Day. Then they celebrated with a pot-luck party. Local Contact Bronwyn Slater says, “There was a really good atmosphere and everyone really enjoyed themselves.” n Jane reports that the first World Vegan Day event in the city of Nice, France, included four cooking demonstrations, a debate on animal ethics, and a slide show on veganism. They have bigger plans for World Vegan Day 2012. n Poppy told us she showed our film, Making the Connection, three times at the Vegan Fair in Truro, UK. Our Local Contact, Neil Williams, ran a stall brimming with vegan recipes and information, too. Poppy says, “Fabulous time, gorgeous food and lots of vegan curious people!” n Mavis says visitors enjoyed a cornucopia of international vegan cuisine at the free food fair in Hampton, UK. Volunteers also took free food and leaflets to shoppers and passers-by. She thanks local restaurants for supporting them with vegan food and raffle prizes. Our Local Contact, Leslie Dove, distributed lists of vegan-friendly places to shop and eat in the local area. Mavis seized the chance for coverage in the local Richmond and Twickenham Times, with a report on their online ‘Your Neighbourhood’ pages.

n Vegan Action, Ethiopia Vegan Action, Ethiopia has a vision of a flourishing, well-fed community of people who avoid exploiting other animals by embracing stock-free farming and wholesome vegan diets.

Mesfin Hailemariam reports that Vegan Action was founded in 2011 in the city of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital. The founders’ aim is to play ‘an epic role’ in the struggle to rid Ethiopia of hunger.

VA aims to persuade farmers to adopt stock-free agriculture. Its key work is carried out by volunteers, who train hungry small-scale farmers in vegan farming and nutrition. The work is largely financed by the volunteers, too. So far, they have focused on nutritious local food plants and household gardens in wet tropical climates.

The volunteers hold workshops such as how to create a kitchen garden, how to make ‘fertiliser teas’, and how to store green leafy vegetables.

n Local Contact Clare co-ran a stall distributing potato and vegan cheese pie, vegan pizza, and chocolate fudge and lemony vanilla cake samples in Exeter, UK. They gave out 120 vegan recipe sheets to non-vegan passers-by. n Local Contact Lauren co-ran a World Vegan Burger Challenge in Southend, UK, which attracted nine non-vegan competitors and a large vegan-curious audience. It was a tasty and fun outreach opportunity, and during the evening the three vegan competitors enjoyed answering lots of questions about vegan living. n Local Contact Kirsch Bowker says it was a very busy World Vegan Month in North Wales, UK from a celebratory vegan cake walk, to a free vegan food stall in Llandudno. She says, “People who’d never heard of veganism before were trying things, loving them and going straight out to buy more.” n Local Contact Linda Wardale says that the Veggie Fair in Lincoln, UK, attracted more than 700 visitors, including Benjamin Zephaniah, one of our Honorary Patrons. Linda was interviewed live on BBC Radio Lincolnshire on the morning of the fair. The group is delighted to have raised £165 for an animal rescue.

n Christmas with Vegan Bodybuilders Vegan Bodybuilders held two Christmas competitions in London this year.

One contest was to close The Vulcan Gripper – used for the World’s Strongest Hands (WSH). This proved to be an extremely tough challenge.

Oak managed six on the WSH scale – well above average – and Kyle ‘mashed up’ to nine. The second contest was push-ups: Lily achieved 28 reps to take the women’s crown and Matt managed 56 to win in the men’s class.

VA volunteers have already reached 110 farmers in a remote, rural part of Kenbata Tenbaro region. The farmers are finding the vegan farming techniques very interesting and straightforward to adopt.

There is considerable demand for the vegan training programme in rural, urban and suburban parts of Ethiopia. VA has also set up ‘Animal Kindness’ clubs for school children in Addis Ababa.

VA has many plans. They wish to train more farmers in vegan techniques, such as urban agriculture, intensive agro-forestry and seed saving. They hope to run workshops on ‘smart food processing’, to improve the contribution of fruit and vegetables to the health of Ethiopians.

They aim to train local development workers in the benefits of plant-based farming and nutrition, and also plan to set up community gardens to help homeless people in the cities to feed themselves.

So VA is now seeking more people to support them with time, other resources and the technical advice they will need for these projects. Contact Mesfin Hailemariam on meshagem@yahoo.com to find out more.

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n Tampa Bay VegFest

n World Vegan celebrations in Zagreb, Croatia

The all-vegan Tampa Bay VegFest in Florida attracted around 3,000 visitors in 2011.

Highlights ranged from detailed advice on affordable healthy vegan eating, to vegan Ethiopian food.

The date is already set for the third annual Tampa Bay VegFest on Saturday, 13 October 2012.

In October, Animal Friends went to the annual Croatian ZeGeVege ‘Green Vegan’ Festival of Sustainable Living, which is supported by the Croatian President, Ivo Josipovic, and the Mayor of Zagreb, Milan Bandic.

Animal Friends handed out brochures on vegan living to more than half of the 30,000 festival visitors. Animal Friends also invited Zagreb citizens to mark World Vegan Day with public showings of our film, Making the Connection, and a free plant-milk-tasting event. Bernard from Animal Freedom reports that the film was shown at the main railway and tram stations, reaching around 1,500 people.

n West Midlands Vegan Festival "Lovely atmosphere – buzzing."

"Very impressed at how busy and successful it was."

"Full marks to the organisers."

And that’s just the enthusiastic feedback from meateaters!

The fourth West Midlands Vegan Festival was the largest yet, attracting an estimated 250 meat-eaters, nearly 600 other nonvegans, and 1700 visitors overall. Because the festival was so crowded, the 2012 event (on Saturday 27 October) will expand into a second extra-large hall to let visitors spread out.

Around 300 people queued up for the start. The festival was officially opened by Adrian Ramsay, the vegan deputy leader of The Green Party. Some 90 stalls packed the huge Civic Hall in Wolverhampton, offering hot and cold vegan food, clothing and cosmetics, and information about sanctuaries and vegan outreach. A further six rooms housed talks, cookery demonstrations and live entertainment.

Daniel Therkelsen (your Education Officer) ran a workshop on 'Overcoming Hurdles' to be a teenage vegan (with free jump-start packs), Amanda Baker (your PR Officer) ran a 'Plant-Based Nutrition' session, and Rebecca Henderson (your Advocacy Officer) gave an overview of how we can effectively advocate for vegans in vulnerable situations.

Local Contact and co-organiser Kevin White made sure that more than 300 visitors completed a short feedback questionnaire.

That is how we know the festival was so successful in attracting non-vegans. This kind of information is invaluable when Midlands Vegan Campaigns applies for sponsorship, such as from The Vegan Society small grants scheme.

Volunteers needed! Please contact Kevin at Midlands Vegan Campaigns if you can help with anything from planning to publicity, even if you can spare only one hour on the day – see www.midlandsveganfestival.org.uk or email info@veganmidlands.org.uk or call 01527 458395.

Animal Friends runs the Croatian-language www.vegan.hr website, offering support and information to anyone interested in veganism.

The group is also linking up vegan-curious people with Vegan Buddies, experienced vegans who offer one-toone support to help people make an easier transition to vegan living.

n VegFest UK Bristol Taking over the Bristol Amphitheatre and Waterfront Square for three days, VegFest UK Bristol 2011 attracted an estimated 5000 vegan-curious visitors.

They were very impressed by the delicious vegan food. With help from thousands of vegan visitors too, many stallholders completely sold out.

VegFestUK Fringe Week built up the interest in the run-up to the festival with free vegan cookery demos, a TV-style vegan cookery competition, a vegan film night and many other promotional events across Bristol.

Plans are now well under way for Vegfest UK Bristol 2012, building on what worked best in 2011, such as great vegan food competitions.

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n Life member Mabel Cluer’s 100th birthday demo An important feature of Mabel's 100th birthday celebrations was her participation in the weekly peace demonstration (see photo) in Wimbledon where she lives with her son Edwin, also a life member. Mabel’s daughter Dilys has also been vegan almost since birth and is currently a Green Party councillor in Scarborough.

Mabel was brought up vegetarian: her father went veggie in 1896 at the age of 17 and ran a small chain of health food stores. Mabel became vegan in 1948 and both her children were born in the famous Stonefield vegetarian/naturopathic nursing home in Greenwich.

She produced a booklet for the Vegan Society called Saladings and gave cookery demonstrations around the country in the 1960s and 1970s. Since the 1980s she has been a stalwart in the local peace movement.

Hear from Mabel and see her enjoying her birthday party, including the traditional telegram, at www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPcFgtYk9dc

n Vegan Fund grant gives Shirley K her life back Shirley K, a vegan in her late 70s, is now able to get out and about thanks to a grant from the Vegan Fund. “I am truly grateful to Vegetarian for Life for buying me my mobility scooter as it is reversing the direction of my life which was narrowing due to a deterioration in my walking ability but is now able to expand again.” Shirley has been vegan for over 30 years.

Vegetarian for Life (VfL) administers the Vegan Fund, on behalf of the Vegetarian Housing Association (VHA). The funds were established in 2010 to award charitable grants to older vegans to encourage independent living.

“We were delighted to be able to help Ms K,” says Tina Fox, Secretary of VfL and VHA “and we look forward to helping others in the years to come.

We encourage enquiries from older vegans, their families and friends, or social workers as the Vegan Fund is currently undersubscribed with only two grants awarded so far.”

Full details of the funds and eligibility can be found on the VfL website www.vegetarianforlife.org.uk or call Tina Fox, the VfL Secretary on 01683 220888 and she will be happy to send out printed guidelines and application forms.

Shirley with granddaughter in local park The Vegan l Spring 2012

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n Bob Cramp 1933-2011 A familiar figure at Vegan Camp and a Life Member of the Vegan Society, Bob was a popular character both locally and in the vegan movement. Already in his seventies, he made headlines in the Shropshire Star on discovering a giant mushroom at the bottom of his garden. Fearing it might be poisonous, he consulted an expert and was delighted to hear that it was edible: “As a nature lover and someone who loves his food it was a real thrill”, he declared, “I can’t wait to eat it”- fried in olive oil with a sprinkling of garlic.

The photo was taken at Veggie Pride in Birmingham in 2009, which he attended with his son Malcolm not long after suffering a serious stroke. He died peacefully in November with his family around him and a humanist funeral was held in nearby Ironbridge. A celebration of Bob’s life will be held at this year’s Vegan Camp – see www.vegancamp.co.uk in due course.

We are looking to save money and paper by sending membership renewals and AGM documents by e-mail where possible. Members who do not opt for this will still receive them by post. If you have an e-mail address and would like to receive these items by e-mail rather than by post (and also receive our e-newsletters) then please send your name, address and e-mail address to membership@vegansociety.com and put 'opt in' in the subject line.

n The Vegan Goes Smart

n Apologies for Wrong Names on AGM Documents

If you have a smart phone with a suitable application you can scan the QR code below and link direct to the back issues of The Vegan. You will see a lot more of these codes on our literature in future: linking people through to pages on our website.

The Vegan Society would like to apologise to those people whose names were wrongly printed on their AGM papers.

The list that we sent to the printing firm was correct but it seems that some names got associated with the address next on the list rather than with their own address.

The printing firm has apologised for the mistake.

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vegan

runners Sophie Ashdown Coady

We have four members entered into the Brighton marathon on Apr 15, and ten for the London Marathon Apr 22. We are also targeting the Brighton half marathon on February with seven members expected to take part. Look out for our black and green vests and give us a cheer as we run past.

We hold regular monthly training sessions in London and Birmingham.

You don’t need to be a long distance runner to train with our Vegan Runners as various regions target regular free 5K events. Keep up to date with our local training sessions here: (www.veganrunners.org.uk/news/club _training_and_meetups_3961.html)

It’s not all about the competition for Vegan Runners, as we like to have fun as well. Nik Windle (aka “Gastroplodder”) completed the Oxford and Abingdon Christmas Eve parkruns dressed as an Elf (see photo). He even adapted his Vegan Runners top to read “Vegan Elves” for the occasions.

On 4 December the Vegan Runners had a very successful stall at the Animal Aid Christmas Fair in London. Many people stopped by to ask questions, meet some vegan runners, and even join the club.

We expect to have stalls at the Brighton Vegfest UK on March 17/18th, and at Bristol Vegfest UK on May 26/27th.

We hope to see you there!

Be assured that we welcome new members of any ability from beginners to champions. So if you are vegan and fancy making new friends while getting fit at the same time please check out our website www.veganrunners.org.uk and get in touch.

Fiona Oakes had an excellent result at the Dartmoor Vale Marathon in Devon as the first female finisher with a time of 3:01:44. Fiona has become quite the legend in running recently, and will be featured in the March edition of Runners World magazine.

On October 23, three of our Vegan Runners members ran the Bupa Great Birmingham Half Marathon alongside Jasmijn de Boo who is the CEO of the Vegan Society. Jasmijn did very well in the race and we encourage any other vegans to seek us out at races and join in. A list of all planned races is here: (https://spreadsheets.google.com/pub?k ey=pebTohWFqqkM3_o1iInDSUQ)

Matthew Woodman won two races recently: the 5K Rides trail race and the Stebbing Remembrance Day 10 mile race: it is good to see vegans in first place!

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great book offers Purchase online: http://shop.vegansociety.com/ Or by phone: 0121 523 1731

+

+

For veggie burger lovers: three books for £14.99 Buy The Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet, the current Animal Free Shopper and the Vegan Passport all for just £14.99 (saving of £9.98 on the total RRP).

+

+

For vegan bakers: three books for £14.99 Pick up a copy of The Joy of Vegan Baking, the current Animal Free Shopper and the Vegan Passport all for just £14.99 (saving of £7.98 on the total RRP).

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Noodles with tomato-peanut sauce, crunchy tofu slices and fresh coriander

This stunning photograph was taken by Lyra Alves and is the winner in the Vegan Food category of our photography competition. Lyra has kindly sent us the recipe to go with the photograph.

250 egg-free noodles 2 carrots, finely grated 1 red bell pepper, in slices 200g tofu 2 tablespoons tomato puree 300ml tomato passata or coulis 2 bay leaves 2 tsp peanut butter ½ tsp paprika powder 1 tsp caraway seeds Shoyu 1 tsp freshly ground coriander fresh coriander olive oil salt and pepper to taste

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In a medium saucepan bring the tomato passata with bay leaves, paprika powder, ground coriander powder and caraway seeds to cook, reduce the heat to low and leave it cooking in covered pan for 7-9 minutes. Add the tomato puree and the peanut butter, stirring well. Bring to taste with salt and pepper.

Place the tofu in the freezer the night before, then defrost it and cut it into 1 inch wok-slices. Fry the tofu slices in hot oil in a baking pan until they are crunchy and golden-brown.

Add some shoyu at the end, stirring well. Cook the bell pepper slices in a wok pan, for 3-4 minutes, and then add the grated carrots, cooking it for additional 2 minutes.

Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the package, throw the water away and mix the noodles with the tomato-peanut sauce.

Serve the noodles with the wok cooked vegetables and the tofu slices. Garnish with fresh coriander.

After dinner mint cookies This beautiful photograph is runner up in our photography competition and Kylie Claude who took the photograph has been able to share the recipe with us.

1/4 rice bran oil 1/2 cup of agave 1/2 tbs baking powder 6 tablespoons cocoa 1 cup plain flour 1/2 packet of Sweet William’s choc chips icing sugar mixture mint/menthol flavour Preheat oven at 180℃.

In a large bowl whisk oil and Agave well. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Roll cookie dough onto counter and cut into shapes.

OR form dough into little balls and press flat onto a lined oven tray.

Cook for 10-12 minutes (be careful as they can burn easily).

Once cooled completely add mint/menthol flavour to your icing sugar/frosting mix and combine well. Pipe the mixture over the cookies, starting around the edge first. Then fill in the entire surface. Let cool in fridge to set.

Melt chocolate over a double boiler and add mint/menthol flavour.

Dip half of each cookie’s front surface into the melted chocolate until it covers the halfway point. At this point you have to take care to make sure you line the chocolate on your cookie correctly. Drain excess chocolate and place on tray lined with greaseproof paper.

Let cool in the fridge to set.

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No fish were harmed in the making of this Omega Oil...

The vegan choice for Omega Oils Omega 3 and 6 Essential Fatty Acids are essential for life. We have to include them in our diets as the human body cannot produce them itself. However, much of today’s Western diet contains damaged Omega 3 and 6 fats in an unbalanced ratio, and it is vital for optimal health that these are replaced with healthy fats in a more balanced ratio.

Omega oils are commonly used for weight management, joint mobility, boosting the immune system, improving energy, keeping skin, hair & nails looking great, and more.

Udo’s Choice Ultimate Oil Blend is a blend of organic seed oils that provides you with all the healthy essential fats you need in an ideal 2:1 ratio of Omega 3 to 6 for optimal health.

So fish are happy that it remains the UK’s favourite Omega Oil blend!

For recipes and information on how Udo’s Oil can help you, visit udoschoice.co.uk.

Available in your local healthfood store, gym and online.

Visit www.udoschoice.co.uk/locator to find your nearest retailer 26

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lemon cake 15 fl oz (425ml) soya milk or rice milk 2¼ teaspoons vinegar 5 fl oz (150ml) vegetable oil 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest 10oz (285g) caster sugar 8½ oz (240g) plain white flour 2 oz (55g) cornflour 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda 1½ teaspoons baking powder

Whisk soya milk and vinegar together in a large bowl. Add vegetable oil, lemon zest and sugar. Whisk again.

Sift flours, bicarbonate and baking powder into wet ingredients and mix well, whisking if necessary.

Pour into a 7 inch cake tin and bake for 50-60 minutes at 175C or until a cocktail stick comes out clean. Alternatively the mixture will make 12 muffins/large cupcakes, pour into cases and bake for 25 minutes at 175C or until a cocktail stick comes out clean.

Fairfoods Competition First prize Any item from our online shop: www.fairfoods.org.uk/shop Choose from yummy cakes and cupcakes and healthy sugar-free treats.

10 runner up prizes Copy of our new e-recipe booklet All you need to do is tell us one or more of your favourite vegan buffet or party food items: email your answer to fairfoods.uk@gmail.com to enter.

PLANT BASED NUTRITION AND HEALTH Stephen Walsh (Hardback: £8.95; Paperback: £7.95) Hailed by The Sunday Times as an ‘accomplished data-buster’ Stephen Walsh cuts through the maze of conflicting dietary recommendations with simple guidelines for healthy living on a balanced and enjoyable diet.

Emphasis is on individual choice rather than a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. All the recommendations are backed up with evidence from human studies and none from experiments on animals. No expensive supplements or exotic foodstuffs are required and everything recommended can be easily and cheaply obtained.

‘Particularly well researched and presented’ - The Vegetarian. ‘Excellent value for money’ - The Pharmaceutical Journal.

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and

YOUTH education

Write to: The Vegan Society, YOUth, Donald Watson House, 21 Hylton Street, Birmingham, B18 6HJ Email: youth@vegansociety.com Call: 0121 523 1738 www.vegansociety.com/vseducation

CALLING PARENTS TO ACTION

Are you or your children vegan?

Do you try to make sure they don’t feel left out at school and parties?

Do you want your children’s friends at their school or other schools in the area to know the ‘how and why’ of veganism?

Our UK network of trained volunteer Speakers can help! How? Speakers are currently being invited into classes, after-school clubs and assemblies and on focus days to talk about veganism in a gentle and informed way.

We link vegan education to the school curriculum in Religious Education, English, Geography and Food Technology so it’s really relevant to what all the children should be learning about. Home-schooling?

No problem, our Speakers can speak in home-school groups, youth clubs, social clubs, community and interest groups, festivals, fairs and other meetings.

We expanded our Speaker network in January so now is the perfect time to get a Speaker into your local school… and we’ve made it really easy with two simple steps:

Step 1: cut out the section below and attach a note to it if you wish (emphasising how important this is to you and your child or children)

Step 2: put the cut-out slip and any cover note in an envelope for your child to hand to their teacher or head of year. You may want to do this personally or post directly to them.

The cut-out slip has all the details the teacher needs to invite one of our talented Speakers in to make your child’s life a little easier and ensure the new generation is more vegan-aware than the last.

&

& Dear Educator,

You have received this note from a vegan parent. They kindly request that you invite a free volunteer Speaker trained to deliver educational talks to raise awareness of vegans. Why? It fosters greater understanding and tolerance for diversity of belief and opinion. Many younger people find this exciting and have lots of questions for the Speakers who themselves are vegan. The content of talks can be closely curriculum-linked in KS3 and KS4 if you are a secondary school but are also great for assemblies, focus days and after-school clubs.

To find out more, or to invite a Speaker, please email education@vegansociety.com The Vegan Society is a registered educational charity: 279228

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SInce your last magazine: n We reached 77 young vegans with postal youth packs and e-packs, both brimming with information supporting them to become or stay vegan. The average age of individuals wanting youth packs was 15 years old. You can request a youth pack of your own via the Young Vegans area of our website: www.vegansociety.com n In just one day we gave a powerful presentation on the ethics of veganism to 150 pupils aged around 15-16 years old at Swanhurst girls’ school in Birmingham, with some fantastic feedback from both teachers and pupils. n On the 3rd December 2011 we delivered a presentation to 50 catering management students at University College Birmingham on catering to vegan customers. This was a rare opportunity to influence the next generation of catering managers in schools, hospitals, higher education, restaurants, cafes and prisons to realise the benefits of providing vegan options. n We welcome our recently trained volunteer Speakers to our Speaker Network. Would you like a Speaker to visit your school and cook up a delicious vegan meal in your food technology class or answer tricky questions about veganism? Email us to find out more: youth@vegansociety.com

check out our educational materials

www.vegansociety.com/vseducation/and ask your teachers and group leaders to invite us to visit!

&

& Did you know?

P Veganism is a protected belief under the Equality Act 2010.

POur network of Speakers are centrally trained to deliver informative talks appropriate for the classroom environment and to a spectrum of ages.

PAll talks are FREE as part of our educational charity remit.

The Vegan Society l 21 Hylton Street l Birmingham l B18 6HJ l Tel: 0121 523 1738 l www.vegansociety.com l Education@vegansociety.com

PALM OIL: BAD FOR YOU, DISASTROUS FOR THE ANIMALS Are you aware how harmful palm oil (not to be confused with coconut oil) is for you, the planet and the animals?

Whereas vegans avoid food and other household products that contain animal products as they do not wish to harm animals, there is an increasing amount of palm oil in today's products particularly those consumed by vegans.

This is because dairy is often substituted by palm oil and so it is usually in margarine, cakes and faux meat/cheese etc.

Palm oil is unhealthy as it contains saturated fats. NB It is often misleadingly labelled as 'vegetable oil.' Palm oil is also in washing powder, soap, makeup etc.

This situation is serious, as palm oil production has disastrous effects on the rainforest, its peoples, who may be violently evicted from their land and animals. Palm oil is produced in a large scale from the remaining rainforest in Indonesia, Malaysia and Borneo where animals such as orang-utans, Sumatran tigers and Sumatran elephants and sunbears are shot, orphaned, maimed even tortured by sadistic - often illegal - loggers. There is so little rainforest left in these areas, to protect these animals we need to work for a halt in the expansion of palm oil.

We can help by cutting down our consumption of palm oil and asking manufacturers to remove it from their products.

This has already worked in the case of Redwoods who say they have listened to their consumers and are taking it out of their products, beginning with faux cream cheese and aiming to be palm oil free by the end of 2012. Let us hope they manage it.

Sadly, palm oil use is also growing for another reason few people have heard of: using it as a biofuel to power electricity power stations. This spring (2012) it is being decided by government whether or not huge subsidies from our electricity bills should be given to these biofuels power stations (59 million pounds per annum for one in Bristol if it goes ahead). We have the opportunity to let our MPs know our views on this. For more information on this and other palm oil issues including testimonials of vegans who have gone palm oil free please see www.lifewithoutpalmoil.org and look at the film www.greenthefilm.com Zenith Milner

In August my 16-year-old daughter got her GCSE results: all 12 were either A or A*! I’m a very proud parent, but please don’t think that I’m writing just to boast about that.

Allow me to explain why.

Just over 15 years ago, my health visitor was sent by my GP to deliver a message, which ran, if I bring my daughter up on a vegan diet, she won’t develop properly, and I quote this bit directly, ‘she won’t get her GCSEs’. Fortunately my health visitor was more enlightened than my GP and although she was duty-bound to relay this message to me, she knew that I was giving my daughter a healthy and balanced diet and said that she had no such concerns.

Having made an ethical and informed decision to become vegan several years before becoming a parent, I was naturally incensed about this remark from my GP, especially as I’d seen improvements in my own health since becoming vegan. And now with those results and the fact that in the whole of her school career to date, she has had no more than three days off school with sickness, I’m in danger of feeling selfrighteous about the total vindication of our lifestyle choice!

Of course there have been negative comments from other quarters too, mostly stemming from ignorance, which I’m sure other vegans have experienced. I’ve overheard other parents at sports events pointing to my daughter saying, ‘You see that poor child? She’s vegan, you know.’ At one such event, this ‘poor child’ was congratulated on her footballing skills by an international football referee! And now I am boasting, so that’s a sign for me to finish, but I hope that this will encourage any vegan parents and carers. You will face opposition and criticism from the establishment in its many forms, but do have the courage of your convictions and you will come out smiling with healthy, happy and compassionate children.

Liz Hertfordshire

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Natto: Japan’s Secret Ben Steinson

Natto is often referred to as ‘Japanese marmite’: you love it or hate it. Made from soybeans fermented with ‘friendly bacteria’ natto is a traditional Japanese food often eaten for breakfast.

As with many soy-based dishes, natto is rich in protein. At 100-calories per 50-gram serving, the beans offer a remarkable amount of nutrition at minimal calorific-expense, and are widely regarded as the dieter’s food of choice among Tokyoites.

The Japanese belief in the power of natto is no more evident than in the school system, where the beans are served to students regularly as part of their kyushoku or school lunch. In Japan – as with many countries – child obesity is rising. School authority nutritionist Michiko Tachikawa believes natto is the best way to combat the problem: “Natto sustained our ancestors, and it can do the same for us and our children. Children these days prefer meat dishes, which traditionally formed a minor part of the Japanese diet. We need to encourage a move back to a more classical way of eating.”

To many natto is considered an acquired taste due to its slippery texture. Housewife Minako Itaya says: “natto tastes quite unlike any other food, its mild flavour can vary from dish to dish. It’s very versatile too, we often serve it on white-rice, but natto is used in a variety of recipes to enhance flavour and nutrition.”

The origins of natto are unclear, with some theories placing its discovery at 10,000 BC while others put it far more recently.

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vegan diets and

deforestation Stephen Walsh

D

eforestation currently accounts for about 15% of total global warming emissions and about a third of food related global warming emissions. The WWF “How Low can we go?” report estimated that land use change (mostly deforestation) linked to food consumption in the UK accounted for about 10% of the total UK emissions compared with 20% from all other aspects of the food supply chain (production, transport, distribution, retail, preparation, disposal).

Global warming emissions are very far from being the only harmful effects of deforestation. Deforestation destroys habitat for many wild animals leading to their death (and sometimes extinction). It also displaces or destroys forest-dwelling human populations. Whatever our reasons for trying to stop deforestation, we need to understand at least roughly what makes it happen in the first place so as to identify what we can do to help turn the tide.

Agricultural causes of deforestation can be considered in very general terms.

As requirements for agricultural land (both grazing land and crop/arable land) increase, the pressure to expand into forest areas also increases. From this perspective, the way to reduce pressure for deforestation is quite simply to reduce the amount of land required to produce our food. As discussed in a previous article in The Vegan (Winter 2009), adopting a vegan diet reduces the requirement for total crop and pasture land combined by two thirds compared with a conventional diet and even reduces the requirement for crop land by half.

Causes of deforestation can also be considered in terms of the specific products produced on the land currently being deforested. From this perspective, the way to reduce pressure for deforestation is to avoid consuming products produced on recently deforested land.

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Vegans seeking to reduce palm oil consumption will find that many foods are coyly labelled as containing “vegetable” oil or fat. If the fraction of saturated fats shown in the nutrition information is above about a third, then the “vegetable” oil is almost certainly going to be palm oil.

The most extreme interpretation of this would be to assume that so long as your particular soya or palm oil can be traced to production well away from rainforest (certification schemes of this type are now common) you are not contributing to deforestation.

However, in modern highly integrated agricultural markets this seems difficult to defend. Demand for a product ripples through world markets and contributes to increased price and hence to demand for expanded production. If a sizeable part of that production expansion is being achieved through deforestation, then it makes little practical difference whether your particular part of the crop comes from deforested land or not. Boycotting products from certain sources makes a difference only if this is part of a widespread and well coordinated campaign that really drives a change in behaviour.

So if expanded production of a particular product is strongly linked to deforestation and the product is traded globally, then to reduce pressure for deforestation we need to reduce demand for that product wherever it is produced. Beef, soya and palm oil are the best known examples of this type.

Soya is the example most often thrown at vegans as a challenge.

Its role in Brazilian deforestation is widely known and vegans are highly visible direct consumers of soya products. However, in this case we can honestly say that veganism is part of the solution rather than part of the problem. Animal products provide about 30 grams of protein per person per day world-wide. Interestingly, about the same amount of soya protein is consumed as animal feed (along with much other protein from grains, grass etc). Average vegan intake of soya protein in Western countries is about 15 grams per day.

So if everyone in the world adopted a Western vegan diet the demand for soya protein would be halved.

A complication is that about a third of the value of soya bean sales comes from soya oil, which is a common component of margarine. So although the expansion of soya is driven primarily by demand for animal feed, vegans using soya margarine to replace butter may also contribute to expanded demand for soya to some extent.

Palm oil is less often thrown at vegans as a challenge, but it is arguably a more difficult example for vegans than soya. In foods, palm oil is used primarily as a source of saturated fats.

The two other main sources of saturated fats are hydrogenated fats (now in decline because of concerns about trans fats in partially hydrogenated oils) and animal fats.

Palm oil is used in many vegan meat and dairy substitutes, making manufacturers’ claims as to the environmental virtue of these substitutes highly dubious. Palm oil also seems to be pretty much a universal ingredient in nonhydrogenated vegan margarine.

So there is a good case for arguing that, in contrast to soya, adopting a vegan diet may actually increase demand for palm oil.

Vegans seeking to reduce palm oil consumption will find that many foods are coyly labelled as containing “vegetable” oil or fat. If the fraction of saturated fats shown in the nutrition information is above about a third, then the “vegetable” oil is almost certainly going to be palm oil. Whilst coconut oil is sometimes used to give a high saturated fat content, it is much less likely to be disguised as “vegetable” oil on the label.

Some meat substitutes are low in saturated fats and use other oils such as rapeseed and sunflower, so there is some choice there, but the hunt for certain types of vegan products without palm oil may end in failure: so far, I haven’t found any vegan margarine without palm oil. To make all types of vegan foods available without palm oil will require action by manufacturers and will not be easy. A major barrier to finding alternatives is that while the epidemiological evidence on fats and health raised concerns about trans fats the health warnings and “free-from” claims generally refer to hydrogenated fats. Yet a fully hydrogenated fat is a saturated fat, not a trans fat. I believe the focus on hydrogenated fats rather than trans fats was chosen by food

manufacturers because apart from partially hydrogenated fats the main source of trans fats is red meat and dairy products.

Some margarine manufacturers have already taken the approach of reducing trans fat content by hydrogenating some oil more fully so as to make it almost completely saturated and then blending it with some un-hydrogenated oil to get the desired overall properties.

This might well be a viable alternative to palm oil, provided the trans fats are reduced sufficiently, but it would face challenging marketing issues in the light of the established perception of hydrogenated fats in general as unhealthy.

So while vegan diets have many advantages in terms of reduced environmental impact in general and reduced pressure for deforestation in particular, the use of palm oil in many substitutes for meat and dairy products poses a genuine challenge.

This challenge will be difficult to solve completely without the cooperation of manufacturers, and such cooperation will only come if enough of us ask for more acceptable alternatives.

will power Vegans have it.

Leaving a donation in your will is an excellent way to provide support to our educational charity.

Each year we engage with over 700,000 people with an interest in veganism.

The Vegan Pledge, our advocacy and educational work, our informative publications, our strong social media presence and our trademark are just some of the tried and tested methods that The Vegan Society uses to help people to become and stay vegan.

It is only with the help of people like you that we can continue to succeed.

Please contact us to find out more about leaving a legacy to The Vegan Society 0121 523 1730 0845 45 88244 (local rate) info@vegansociety.com Thank you for all your help The Vegan Society: the leading authority on veganism since 1944

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THE HEALTHY VOYAGER’S GLOBAL KITCHEN: 150 PLANT-BASED RECIPES FROM AROUND THE WORLD

By Carolyn Scott-Hamilton Published by Fair Winds Press ISBN 978-1-59233-487-2 RRP £14.99 Available from The Vegan Society shop price: £9.75 Reviewed by Charley Roberts Take yourself on a culinary journey around the world with this collection of recipes from various parts of the globe, including Latin America, Russia, the Caribbean, Spain, Africa, the Middle East and Japan, among many others.

The majority of recipes are designed to use authentic cooking methods, to make the dishes as close as possible to the “real thing” as they are made in their country of origin.

This is a great book for people who enjoy cooking and like trying out new recipes that are a bit different. There were plenty of recipes here that I hadn’t come across in other books, so if like me you already own plenty of recipe books and want to try some new dishes, this is an ideal choice.

Recipes are labelled gluten-free, soya-free, low GI, low fat, Kosher or raw where applicable. This is no ’meals in minutes’ book: some of the recipes have fairly extensive ingredients lists and some involve making several components from scratch, so it’s great for when you want to take some time over cooking or prepare an impressive meal for visitors.

HEARTY VEGAN MEALS FOR MONSTER APPETITES

By Celine Steen and Joni Marie Newman Published by Fair Winds Press ISBN-13: 978-1-59233-455-1 ISBN-10: 1-59233-455-5 RRP $19.99 / £14.99 Available from The Vegan Society shop price: £9.75 Reviewed by Sammy Keetley Hearty Vegan Meals for Monster Appetites boasts more than 200 filling, home-style recipes which will appeal to everyone.

Covering breakfasts, mains, side dishes, bread, sauces and desserts, this well laid out and beautifully illustrated book is colourful and easy to follow.

FEAR OF THE ANIMAL PLANET: THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF ANIMAL RESISTANCE

By Jason Hribal Published by CounterPunch and AK Press ISBN 978-1-84935-026-6 RRP $15.95 Reviewed by Kelly Somers

The word ‘resistance’ in the title says it all: when captive animals escape or attack their aggressors, their actions are premeditated and targeted.

Zoos, circuses, laboratories and theme parks from the 1800s to as recently as 2010, with examples drawn mostly from the USA for this book, will usually claim that such occurrences are rare and will explain that the animals’ behaviour is due to accident or instinct. Here, they are presented as intentional acts and the sheer number of cases is all the supportive evidence needed.

When we try to understand animal behaviour as being motivated by emotion or rationality – traditionally seen as ‘human’ attributes we are accused of anthropomorphising, a charge which Hribal preempts in the prologue. This book affirms that animals do have free will and that they are held captive against their will. In addition to their confinement, they often act in response to violent provocation and being forced to perform mundane, repetitive tasks.

It is heartening to read that humans sometimes get the message, with small improvements in welfare and legislative reform resulting, if not outright banning of certain animals being used for human entertainment. But there is a long way to go.

A minor complaint about the book is that it contains many typos.

Despite this, it is a fast-paced read and comprehensive history of animal resistance.

The recipes range from the hearty and flavourful, to the indulgent and decadent and the book includes crispy burritos, sun-dried tomato, garlic and basil flatbread and strawberry cream pretzel pie.

Recipes are also labelled individually, making it easy to spot which are soy free, gluten free, low fat or quick and easy to make. Recipes include both the traditional and the more adventurous, meaning that whether you are looking for familiar comfort food or more of a culinary challenge, you’ll find something here to tempt your taste buds.

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grow vegan Robert Mackey FIHort, Horticultural Advisor and Trainer

STOCKFREE GROWERS ARE VITAL TO VEGANISM AND THE PLANET Running any small business is a challenge at any time, and running a small food growing business is probably one of the hardest. It is fashionable at the moment to blame the economic crisis for the difficulties but the difficulties of making a living growing fruit and vegetables on a few acres of land were here before the crisis, and they will be here long after it has gone.

Some of you may recall the halcyon days of the 1960s and 70s when the returns from growing fruit and vegetables were good. Then even small scale growers made a good living and could sustain the business. The work was hard and the hours were long but there was demand for local fruit and vegetables and the financial rewards were there.

The large scale successful growers did very well. There were stories about people taking less than two years to pay back loans for capital investment and “his and hers” Rolls Royces.

So what happened? During the late 70s and 80s inflation was rampant and the price received by the grower was static or even dropping (for example selling a crate of cauliflowers in 1970 might earn £1.20 but by 1985 it was more likely to be worth only £1.00). In the meantime the price of the crate had gone up from 10p to over 30p and wages had escalated. This catastrophic change caused the demise of many of the small growers that had been the backbone of the industry and supply chain; they had always provided good quality local food.

Even the big efficient growers were struggling and in financial difficulty.

At that time many famous, longestablished names disappeared as businesses failed, were merged or taken over. Big business was investing in land for long-term gain. The fruit and vegetable growing industry was changing.

The Summer 2011 issue of The Vegan carried an excellent article about some of our Stockfree Organic growers.

These growers have made a decision to combine ethical growing and sustainable business.

They hold “Stockfree Organic” status; meeting VON standards as well as the SA Organic Standards. It’s quite a challenge. It requires rigorous compliance with standards, detailed recording of sales, purchases and operations, an annual inspection and of course – paying a fee each year. They must do this to show that they are meeting ethical and environmental standards and to allow them to sell as “Stockfree Organic”.

The programme aims to: 1. Build on the standards as laid down in IFOAM Norms (see below) 2. Promote stockfree growing and increase the availability of good quality food 3. Provide a low-cost certification process showing that crops are grown to stockfree standards 4. Provide support and advice to stockfree growers 5. Support low-carbon and climate friendly growing The scheme is available for anyone growing to, or aiming to grow to, stockfree standards for ethical, economic, ecological or marketing purposes such as communities, commercial growers, gardeners and allotment holders, restaurants and hotels growing for their own use.

Crops must be grown to IFOAM Norms (the international standards that must be met as part of any country’s “Organic Certification”) either as formally certified organic or informally through a participatory scheme. Growers must then meet the additional 12 requirements of the stockfree standards.

VON is committed to supporting the growers. They offer technical support for growers and have produced DVDs to demonstrate how it can be done.

In 2011 we launched a new scheme to provide a less onerous route to the quality assurance of Stockfree grown food based on a proven American system for peer assessment.

VON works with Climate Friendly Food to administer and promote the process.

Following the successful pilot project in 2011 in the North-west and North Wales the intention is to roll out the project all over the UK. We hope it will encourage more and more growers to adopt Stockfree standards and provide ethical and sustainable food to meet the increasing demand for food grown without animal inputs. It is another step towards establishing an ethically sound food supply and saving the planet.

For further information contact VON through Rob Mackey on robertlmackey@btinternet.com

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ANIMAL FREE SHOPPER The 9th edition of The Animal free Shopper is now available. You can buy it from our website shop: http://shop.vegansociety.com/ or by phoning 0121 523 1731.

Containing thousands of vegan products, listings of common animal derived products to watch out for as well as contact information for vegan related groups, the AFS has become a must-have for UK vegans.

All this and only £3.99!

events n March

Updated diaries and events information can be viewed at www.vegansociety.com This information has been provided by the event organisers.

publicise the vegan lifestyle and to raise money for local groups, animal charities etc. Each group organises their own event and chooses how to use the proceeds that they raise.

Brighton VegFest 17 March – 18 March The Hove Centre, Norton Road, Hove, BN3 4AH Brighton VegFest boasts three floors of stalls, delicious food, campaigning groups, information, talks, cookery demonstrations and live entertainment.

Entry is free and there will be lots of free samples and tasters, making the event even more enticing. www.brighton.vegfest.co.uk/

For more information and to sign up as a participating group visit www.veganbakesale.org

Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale 23 April – 1 May

n May

Groups from across the globe will take part in the bake sale to raise money for good causes. Anyone can join in and take part. The sales are a great way to introduce people to vegan food, to

There will be lots of stalls, specialist vegan caterers, live music, cookery demonstrations, competitions and performance artists. www.bristol.vegfest.co.uk/

World Day for Animals in Laboratories Saturday 28th April from 12pm Victoria Square, Birmingham City Centre, B1 1BD March and Rally around the city centre and speeches. www.wdail.org Birmingham Animal Action 07703643327

n April

Admission is free and this year the festival will be run over three days: Friday 2pm - 8pm Saturday and Sunday 11am - 8pm

Bristol VegFest 25 – 27 May The Amphitheatre and Waterfront Square, Bristol

n October 40th IVU International Vegetarian Congress 5 – 11 October 2012 County Fair Building, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California, USA Hosted by the San Francisco Vegetarian Society, there will be international speakers, talks, workshops, events, visits and sightseeing tours in various locations around the city and beyond. www.ivu.org/congress/2012/index.html

vegan nutrition guidelines To ensure that vegans maintain good health it is important to:

n Eat plenty of brightly coloured fruit and vegetables including dark green leafy vegetables. n Eat plenty of wholefoods (brown bread, brown rice etc). n Include in your diet each day at least three micrograms of vitamin B12 from fortified foods or 10 micrograms from a supplement. n Expose your face and arms to the sun for 15 minutes per day whenever you can (if your shadow is much longer than you the sun is not strong enough). If your sun exposure is limited (for example in a British winter), or if you are dark skinned, make sure that you get 10 to 20 micrograms of vitamin D2 each day from fortified food or a supplement.

n Ensure your diet includes a source of iodine such as kelp or take a supplement. It is important to take neither too much nor too little, since both overdose and underdose can be harmful. A good iodine intake is 15 to 30 grams of kelp (kombu) per year or a daily supplement containing 100 to 150 micrograms of iodine. n Try to get at least 500 mg per day of calcium from calcium rich foods or supplements. n Consume a tablespoonful of ground flaxseed or a teaspoonful of (uncooked) flaxseed oil each day if possible or consume other omega 3 rich oils. For example you could use two tablespoons of rapeseed oil (which does not have a strong taste) in place of other vegetable oils such as sunflower or corn oil.

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vegan society local contacts & groups THE VEGAN SOCIETY LOCAL CONTACTS Get in touch with vegans near you – for information, socialising, mutual support and more.

Our Local Contacts will be glad to hear from you.

Local Contacts are Vegan Society members who volunteer as ‘points of contact’ for vegans. Some Contacts run local groups, as listed here, many of which hold regular activities – please contact them to find out more.

Veg*n = vegan and vegetarian.

If emails and phone numbers are not convenient for you please write to us at the office and we can pass your message on. Please include an SAE.

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vegan society local contacts & groups/listings PATRONS Freya Dinshah Maneka Gandhi Rebecca Hall Dr Michael Klaper Moby Gordon Newman Cor Nouws Wendy Turner-Webster Benjamin Zephaniah

COUNCIL Philip Bickley (Nutrition and Health Spokesperson) Matthew Cole (Chair) Catriona Gold Nicola Martin (Treasurer) Karen Morgan (Vice Chair and Information Consultant) George Rodger (Information Consultant)

STAFF PR/Media Officer Amanda Baker Chief Executive Officer Jasmijn de Boo Office Manager/Finance Officer Blaine Cannon Head of Business Development George Gill Advocacy Officer Rebecca Henderson Business Development Assistant (Trademark) Sarah Hoyle Information Officer Sammy Keetley Business Development Assistant (Trademark) Paul Philbrow Head of Communications and Public Affairs Rosamund Raha Information Officer Charley Roberts Outreach Coordinator Zoe Smith

Once you’ve been a full member of the Vegan Society for six months, why not ask Daniel (cc@vegansociety.com) about becoming a Local Contact?

Local Contacts are not official representatives of the Vegan Society, and their levels of activity and knowledge vary according to individual circumstances.

Education Officer Daniel Therkelsen Sales and Membership Coordinator Mike Tomkins SPECIALIST ADVISORS Stephen Walsh (Nutrition and Health Spokesperson) Sandra Hood (Nutrition and Health Spokesperson)

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The Vegan l Spring 2012

VEGANISM may be defined as a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose. In dietary terms it refers to the practice of dispensing with all animal produce — including meat, fish, poultry, eggs, animal milks, honey, and their derivatives.

Abhorrence of the cruel practices inherent in an agricultural system based on the abuse of animals is probably the single most common reason for the adoption of veganism, but many people are drawn to it for health, ecological, resource, spiritual and other reasons.

If you would like more information on veganism a free Information Pack is available from the Vegan Society.

THE VEGAN SOCIETY was formed in England in November 1944 by a group of vegetarians who had recognised the ethical compromises implicit in lactovegetarianism (ie dairy dependent). Today, the Society continues to highlight the breaking of the strong maternal bond between the cow and her new-born calf within just four days; the dairy cow’s proneness to lameness and mastitis; her subjection to an intensive cycle of pregnancy and lactation; our unnatural and unhealthy taste for cows’ milk; and the deoxygenation of river water through contamination with cattle slurry.

If you are already a vegan or vegan sympathiser, please support the Society and help increase its influence by joining.

Increased membership means more resources to educate and inform.

classifieds (UK) Holidays Cumbria

Holidays Abroad Pyrenean mountain village in southern France. Enjoy our vegan B&B. Phone Karen or Matthew on 00 33 56166 9195 www.veganholidayfrance.com

Publications

Shopping

Available NOW!

Cornwall Michael House, vegetarian and vegan guest house, vegan evening meals, North Cornwall, 01840 770 592 www.michael-house.co.uk email: info@michael-house.co.uk

Business for Sale

Devon

FOR SALE Somerset based wholefood manufacturing business with well established customer base, UK wide distribution and growing order book.

Huge potential for growth in the Vegan and Vegetarian markets. Six products produced under own label.

For price and full details Contact: richard_franks_uk@yahoo.co.uk

Internet Services Organisations

Personal

Hampshire NEW FOREST - The Barn Vegan Guest House. En Suite rooms, evening meals.

Perfect for walking/cycling etc 023 8029 2531 or www.veggiebarn.net

Sussex

Divine Frog Web Services. Vegan standards compliant website design, development, implementation, maintenance, email, domain name registration, hosting and eco-hosting.

FREE website health check for your current site.

Please contact Ian - tel: 07981 057697 email: i.nicoll@divinefrog.co.uk. www.divinefrog.co.uk the professional choice.

No vegan boyfriend in your Christmas stocking? (Or maybe you did find him in your stockings, and that's why you need a new one!) Well, if you fancy seeing whether Cupid can do any better this Valentine's Day, drop me a line at oneinsevenbillion@googlemail.com

Practitioner Experienced, vegan Health and Nutrition Consultant available for personal consultations, iridology, supervised detox plans/fasts www.VibrancyUK.com email: Ginashw@aol.com Tel: 01626 352765.

Discount Card

Donald Watson House 21 Hylton Street Hockley Birmingham B18 6HJ

Tel: 0845 45 88244 Fax: 0121 523 1749 info@vegansociety.com www.vegansociety.com

One world. Many lives. Our choice. vegansociety.com Advertisements to be submitted by 9 April 2012 for inclusion in the Summer 2012 issue of The Vegan Contact: advertising@vegansociety.com 0121 523 1733

The Vegan Discount Card

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I wish to become a member and support the work of the Vegan Society.

Membership / Renewal

I wish to renew my membership.

Membership No. (if known)......................................................................

Name:................................................................................Address:..........................................................................................

Postcode:........................................Tel:..........................................................Email:..................................................................

Date of Birth: (for security purposes)........../.........../..........Occupation:.....................................................................................

Please tick this box if you adhere to a vegan diet. This entitles you to voting rights in the Society’s elections if aged 18+.

Please treat my membership subscription as Gift Aid. I have paid UK income or capital gains tax equal to the amount the Society reclaims.

My income is less than £8000 per year and I qualify for the low income discount of 33%.*

A copy of the Society’s rules (Memo & Articles of Association) can be viewed on our website or at our office. Alternatively you may buy

I wish to enrol other members of my household for an additional £7 each.**

a copy for £5.

Please give full names of additional members and specify if dietary vegan and / or under 18. (If more than four additional members please attach separate sheet.)

Membership Individual £21 * Low-income £14 ** Add £7 per additional household member Under 18 years old £7 Memo & Articles of Association £5 Overseas: Europe +£5 / Rest of World +£7 Payment may be made by credit card, sterling International money order or sterling cheque drawn on a British bank.

Donation Total:

21

How to pay Cheque / PO payable to The Vegan Society Credit / Debit card (enter details below) Direct Debit (phone for details) Website: www.vegansociety.com Please debit my Visa / Mastercard Access / Visa Delta / Connect / Switch Solo card number

ccccccccccccccccccc Name on card:.........................................................................Signature:..................................................................

Today’s date........./........./.......Start date:......../........Expiry date......../........Switch Issue No.:.....................

CONDITIONS OF ACCEPTANCE: Advertisements are accepted subject to their satisfying the condition that the products advertised are entirely free from ingredients derived from animals; that neither products nor ingredients have been tested on animals; and that the content of such ads does not promote, or appear to promote, the use of nonvegan commodities. Books, records, tapes, etc. mentioned in advertisements should not contain any material contrary to vegan principles. Advertisements may be accepted from catering establishments that are not run on exclusively vegan lines, provided that vegan meals are available and that the wording of such ads reflects this.

Discount Card

This card entitles the bearer to discounts at a range of outlets, restaurants and hotels.

A full list of discounts is available from The Vegan Society.

The Vegan Discount Card VALID FROM

February 2012

Ref:UFN 012

The Vegan l Spring 2012

Our logo provides an easy and trusted way to promote your cruelty-free goods and services to the growing number of vegans in the UK and worldwide.

Trademark holders benefit from instant recognition, promotion in The Vegan magazine, discounted advertising rates, and a listing on the Vegan Society website.

It’s good for you, good for the Vegan Society, and good for vegans.

UNTIL

MAY 2012

REFERENCE CODE

46

The Vegan Society trademark is the authentic international standard for vegan products.

For more information on the trademark, contact George Gill on (0121) 5231733 or email trademark@vegansociety.com You can also read about the trademark on our website at www.vegansociety.com

letter writing

to the press -things I have

learned Elizabeth Allison n Always check spelling, punctuation and grammar. n Be precise and clear. n Don’t make sentences too long. n Stick to the point. Don’t deviate from the main subject or introduce secondary issues. n When responding to another letter, read it carefully to ensure your reply is relevant. n Use quotations from the letter you are responding to. n Look out for weaknesses and contradictions in your letter and in letters to which you are responding. n Have a break. When you have completed your letter don’t send it immediately. After a break errors are more obvious and you may find that your letter can be improved with a few minor changes. n Remain dignified. If you receive abusive or insulting replies respond in a calm and logical manner (not always easy to do)! n If insulting comments make you despondent or angry, contact a friend or organisation who shares your views and is knowledgeable about the subject to get support.

Calm down before you respond. n Use quotations from experts and don’t make statements you can’t substantiate.

n Congratulate good deeds (e.g. animal rescues), thank people who write supportive letters and write letters to support those who have the same concerns as you. n Introduce humour if appropriate. n Watch relevant TV programmes and make notes of useful information. n Read books to further your knowledge and keep up to date with new reports. n Start a scrap book of newspaper and magazine articles which you consider may be useful, but keep it organised.

Information isn’t useful unless it is easily retrieved. n The Internet is useful for information but you can get ‘information overload’. n Be diplomatic when promoting veganism. People don’t like to be told what they should or should not eat. (Even so, people will probably accuse you of preaching. This is a defence mechanism, ignore it.) n Always ensure your facts are correct. n Be prepared. Pre-empt possible anti responses and formulate counter arguments. n Only discuss issues you are confident or comfortable with.

Don’t get out of your depth or you may lose credibility. n Use quotations by famous people to support your arguments (but make sure that they are accurate!).

n Be prompt. Don’t delay when replying or referring to articles.

n No matter how diplomatic you are when discussing veganism you will arouse people’s anger. Don’t respond defensively or relent but always be polite.

n Look for topical subjects in the newspaper which you can use to introduce veggie or animal issues. Some of the connections I’ve made have been tenuous but they have been published.

n If you encounter a phase when nothing is published continue to write about issues which concern you.

The information in unpublished letters may be useful on another occasion, it isn’t wasted.

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crossword Quick crossword set by Kate Sweeney Across 7 Kind of (French) bean (7) 9 10 11 12 13 16 18 22 23 24 25

Star _ _ _ _ _, licorice flavoured spice (5) Dark brown fine coffee; coffee and chocolate flavouring (5) Type of kale with frilly leaves (5) Echinacea may reduce the number and effect of these (5) Cooks in water vapour (6) Hunger (for a drink) (6) Oval tropical fruit (5) Powder obtained from grinding 24 Across (5) Curry dish (5) Cereal grass (5) Small peach-like fruit (7)

Down 1

Herb in a healthy meal! (5)

2 3 4 5 6 8 14 15 17 19 20 21 22

Brassica with tight green buds (8) Liquid basis for soup or sauce, for example (5) Orange edible root (6) Describes chalky or alkaline soil (4) Unfreeze (7) Spinach beet, may be Swiss (5) Tall and stout herb, nice alga (Anag.) (8) What jars and cupboards are used for (7) Cutlery (6) Brownish-yellow (5) Kind of bean, fava (N. Amer) (5) Bean often used in burritos, mottled (5) Clothes can be made from the fibres of this herb (4)

Cryptic crossword set by Vega

Please se nd in solu tions (by e-mail to post or the addres s on page along wit 1) h your na me and po address by stal 16 March 2012.

The winne r of each crosswor win The Be d will st Veggie Burgers on Planet by the Joni Marie Newman.

Across 7 12 alternatively for example an old herb (7) 9 A vegan almost reconstituted source of nectar (5) 10 Windowless teepees incorporating high angle of slope (5) 11 European root vegetable (5) 12 Tearjerker on charged particle (5) 13 Spice tree reversed jewel barrel and kicked the ball between opponent’s legs (6) 16 Tempt Treebeard with diamond (6) 18 Dancing rumba in complete shadow (5) 22 Jobs needed for this huge multinational to bear fruit? (5) 23 Midday drug taken without anybody present (2,3) 24 Shout “Guevara before Queen!” (5) 25 For starters, Alternative Vote only counts after devouring one pear (7)

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5 6 8 14 15 17 19 20 21 22

Solutions to the Winter 2011 crosswords (quick: left / Cryptic: right) Winner of quick crossword: Lewis Graham (one of several people who did the quick crossword despite the mistakes).

Winner of cryptic crossword: Amy Carpenter

Down Inferior refurbished old sewer out east (5) Belt tune out for stimulant seed chewed with its leaves in Asia (8) 3 Dominating boy on board? Quite the opposite (5) 4 Opening gold cake (6) Lake circulation reveals leafy vegetable which may be curly (4) Unwanted discharge from 5 redirected on time (7) Polar producer of soya milk etc? (5) Major arm twisting yields alternative name for 7 herb (8) Latvian fouled cue and got salad plant (7) Budding crimes getting into an awful scrape (6) Fruit meal no good, oddly (5) North Cape generated nut tree (5) Juicy fruit men take a look (5) Fruit of West Indian, an opener we hear (4) 1 2

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