Viva!Life issue 64 | Spring 2017

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Published by Viva! the vegan campaigning group

life

d e u c Res

Issue 64 Spring 2017

New life for mum and six piglets

Brexit …what it means for animals

How ignorant are people?

Meat and cancer

New survey says ‘very’

the shocking truth

Viva! Poland’s TV triumph Documentary exposes cruelty

…talks exclusively to Viva!

Just how free is free range? sty recipes ta r e p u S le y t s o n Spring Italia

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WHO WE ARE Viva!’s fight is a fight for life – for animals and ourselves. Through effective campaigning, we take the brutal reality of intensive farming to the people who can effect the most change: consumers. Our wideranging campaigns promote veganism as the best way to save animals from suffering, protect the environment, improve health and help those in developing countries.

We have cleared the shelves of so-called ‘exotic meats’; our campaign against the factory farming of pigs, turkeys and ducks saw deaths dive; we are closer to a foie-gras free Britain and meat and dairy consumption are down in the UK thanks to Viva! and you. Viva! is a registered charity (1037486).

Contents

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Saved!!!

Viva!’s brilliant pig rescue

5 Lifelines News round up from Viva!

20 How Now Bright Cow The intricate life of cows

11 Pig update Viva!Health is a section of Viva! that promotes the health benefits of a vegan diet. The diseases that kill many of us prematurely can mostly be prevented by consuming a plant-based diet – Viva!Health explains why. We provide accurate information about healthy eating to the public, health professionals, schools and food manufacturers.

We campaign on important issues including the harmful effects of dairy foods, heart health, how to help combat obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis and breast cancer and the dangers of eating dairy, eggs, fish and meat.

How to get this magazine Join Viva! to get your copy of Viva!life magazine three times a year for only £15 (£12 unwaged). You’ll also receive a supporters’ card – giving you discounts at hundreds of shops and on services and holidays (see myvegantown.org.uk/discounts) – plus a free car sticker. Call 0117 944 1000 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm) or join online at viva.org.uk/join.

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14 Not So Free Range More from our egg report 16 Life Science Latest vegan health research 18 Slaughterhouse Exposé Viva! Poland’s major TV documentary

27 Meat and Cancer Time for a health warning 29 Honey Bunkum No miracle food – just cruel 30 Be a Team Viva!

Hero Easy ways to help us 35 Are Eggs Healthy?

The science – she say no!

36 Meet the Maker People behind some great products 39 Media Life Viva! in the news 41 Book Reviews 42 Viva! Vegan Festival Dates 43 Restaurant Reviews 45 Lifestyle New goods and goodies 47 V-Biz News

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Brrrrexit A chilly outlook for animals

49 Thank You

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Some great Spring recipes

Exclusive interview with Viva!

Cookery Italiano

Popeye!

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VIVA!LIFE MAGAZINE Viva! Founder & International Director Juliet Gellatley

Welcom e

Editor Tony Wardle

This issue of Viva!life is absolutely packed with information! As a result of our Cracked campaign, we have exposed the myth of commercial ‘free-range eggs’ (page 14). We report on an extraordinary success from Viva! Poland where a brutal abattoir was exposed in a documentary on one of the country’s biggest TV channels (page 18). We look at the intelligence of cows (page 20), reveal the links between meat eating and cancer (page 27) and consider what Brexit means for the animals (page 32).

But what has totally captured my heart this time is our rescue of a mother pig and her six piglets (page 8). For me, it is a dream come true and simply to look at this little family burrowing into mounds of straw for the first time, watching the extraordinary mothering skills of the sow and witnessing their absolute elation at being able to run free across green fields and root in the ground, is heart-warming beyond belief.

But it has also saddened me to a degree I never expected. At exactly the same time as five million people (and counting) viewed the excitement of our pigs’ first-ever foray out into the fields, I received new undercover footage of a massive pig farm. We will report on it in the next issue but it is the worst we have ever seen in 21 years – a massive production line along which thousands of pigs are channelled in conditions so horrific you can barely believe it. The juxtaposition between these poor, poor creatures and our beautiful rescued family is stark.

Yes, I am sad and angry and horrified but me and Viva!’s staff are utterly determined to shame this and other pig hell holes, more determined than ever to accelerate the growing trend towards veganism and persuade ever more people to reject the barbarity that is modern farming.

We have the ability to do this but we need all the support we can get and over the next few months I will be calling on you to throw your weight behind our campaigns like never before. I and my staff simply have to do everything we can to end this barbaric abuse of beautiful, intelligent animals. I am unashamedly asking you to come on this journey with us in any way you can because together we will be even more effective. Thank you.

Yours for the animals

Office Manager & Supporters’ Liaison Laura Turner, Nick Hallows, Beata Rzepecka-Wilk, Viva!Health Campaigners Veronika Powell, Dr Justine Butler Merchandise, Festivals & Events Katrina Gazley, Philip McCulloch-Downs, Sophie Delarney, Rhiannon Bloomfield Food & Cookery Jane Easton, Maryanne Hall Design Ethical Graphic Design Co Web Rhiannon Buck, Ed Phillis, Ana Hassel Database Manager Jeremy Ludlow

Advertising enquiries 0117 944 1000

General enquiries

Contact Viva! on 0117 944 1000 (Mon-Fri 9-6).

Email info@viva.org.uk Write to Viva! at 8 York Court, Wilder Street, Bristol BS2 8QH

vegan is a staTe of kind Kind to you, animals and the planet life

Campaigns & Outreach Claire Palmer, Siobhan Dolan, Sam Ashman, Laura-Lisa Hellwig, Kris Townsend, Liam Nolan

Editorial enquiries 0117 970 4633

Juliet Gellatley Founder & Director Juliet@viva.org.uk facebook.com/juliet.gellatley

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Campaigns & Deputy Director Justin Kerswell

Membership enquiries 0117 944 1000 info@viva.org.uk Online viva.org.uk vivahealth.org.uk veganrecipeclub.org.uk viva.vegans.international. voice.for.animals vivacampaigns vivacharity Viva!, 8 York Court, Wilder Street, Bristol BS2 8QH

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lifelines It’s good for you!

Yet another piece of research shows that vegetarian and vegan diets are truly healthy. It identifies plantbased diets as being good for just about everyone.

Published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in December 2016, it says that vegan diets are particularly healthy and can reduce your risk of diabetes by 62 per cent, prostate cancer by 35 per cent, of being hospitalised with a heart attack by 33 per cent and the risk of cancer by 18 per cent (more details page 16).

That, you would have thought, was pretty conclusive but there is a format for news agencies or papers when they publish important research such as this – they always give meat eaters an out. In this case it was Reuters who found a professor of nutrition to say that he recommended a Mediterranean diet that included yoghurt, cheese, poultry and a little bit of red meat. We would love to see the research that supports his claim!

Alright John!

He might be a rude Scouser comedian but the entertaining John Bishop has been vegetarian for 30 years and is a man with a heart.

He and his wife Melanie rescued five factoryfarmed turkeys last Christmas who now live as free as can be on the couple’s Cheshire estate with a variety of other animals. Named Bernard, Parsley, Sage, Onion and Thyme, you can’t ask John if he’d have turkey on his festive table: “Nah – they’d eat all the sprouts!”

“Once you live with these animals it’s impossible to imagine sitting down to eat them.

It’s been a privilege getting to know them as individuals, each with their own personality.

Bernard, for instance, likes being scratched under his chin and often falls asleep on my lap – not that different from my dogs, really.”

Viva! sponsor camp out There will be a host of events at this supercool, family-friendly Camp Out event being held from July 7-9. Food, live music, workshops, dance – it’s all there, plus talks from some inspirational speakers who include parkour master Tim Shieff, German strong man Patrik Baboumian, the silent James Aspey, marathon runner extraordinaire Fiona Oakes and, of course, our own Juliet Gellatley.

It will be held on an 18-acre site at the National Water Sports Centre, Adbolton, Lane, Holme Pierrepoint, Nottingham NG12 2LU. With easy access from rail, air and city

centre, there will be electrical hook up, hard standings, a campsite shop and yes – showers! For fuller details and ticket info go to vegancampout.co.uk. Viva! is proud to be both a sponsor and partner of this great vegan event.

Tune in to

Viva! Radio’s Podcast is available on the 1st of each month for your delectation with a superb variety of programmes.

In episode four, Juliet Gellatley talks to Dale Vince, director of Ecotricity and Britain’s first vegan football club, Forest Green Rovers.

Juliet also gets some quality Green Room time with bassist Jeremy Cunningham of The Levellers to mark the 25th anniversary of their seminal album, Levelling The Land.

Kris Townsend talks to Brenden Fitzgerald, CEO of Planet Protein, a vegan startup company creating nutritious, sustainable products.

Our Vegan Recipe Club finds a marvellous green smoothie recipe from award-winning TV chef and food author, Mark Reinfeld of Vegan Fusion.

Discover the sad truth about the lives of Britain’s laying hens with excerpts from Viva!’s Cracked campaign. Plus much more, including music from the Bristol band, Wildflowers. viva.org.uk/vivaradio viva.org.uk 5

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lifelines

Members of Worcestershire Vegans and Veggies, dressed in festive attire, urging shoppers to show compassion at Christmas

Dairy destroying the Punjab Horlicks is a well-known malted milk drink in the Indian city of Nabha in Punjab state – mostly because it’s made there by GlaxoSmithKline. It draws in milk from 1,500 surrounding dairy farms. Danone is also there and buys milk from 5,000 farmers in the largest milk producing state in the world’s largest milk producing country. Nestlé are also at it in the Moga

district. It is all part of India’s ‘white revolution’. And like most revolutions, it’s starting to go sour.

The problem is a diminishing water supply, with India being one of the most water-challenged countries in the world, from its deepest aquifers to its largest rivers. And what water is available is increasingly severely polluted. The national

The grass is greener Our good friend and patron, Dale Vince, boss of Ecotricty, Britain’s greenest energy company, has announced his intention to make the company’s own gas from grass.

In a report entitled Green Gas Mills – the Opportunity for Britain, he claims that by growing grass on marginal farm land, the UK could meet the gas needs of 97 per cent of homes, pump £7.5 billion annually into the economy and create a new industry with 150,000 jobs. At its launch, Dale said grass gas had none of the drawbacks of food waste or energy crops: “As North Sea reserves run out, the big question is where we’re going to get our gas from next? The Government thinks fracking is the answer but this report shows there is a better option.”

Ecotricty’s first grass mill has been given the go ahead but building it will depend

upon Government support.

Ecotricity can supply your home or business with both gas and electricity at competitive rates – and Viva! receives £60 when you switch. Go to ecotricity.co.uk/viva.

supply is predicted to be only half of what is needed by 2030 and the Punjab is one of the worst affected states.

The big mutinationals are offering all kinds of advice on how to mitigate the problem (other than stop drinking milk) but when it all fails, they will do what they always do – up sticks and move elsewhere to wreak devastation there.

Raffle winners WINTER 2016-17 FUNDRAISING RAFFLE RESULTS n 1st Prize (£1500) J Jackson from Birmingham (ticket no 131249) n 2nd Prize (£500) N Fishlock, Shaftesbury (015387) n 3rd Prize (£200) D Hall, Newcastle (056083) The lucky winner of the ceramic pendant by Alex Symons is B Wade, London (109925) And the two runners-up who receive prize hampers are M Annand, Hertfordshire (050181) and A Wright, Powys (028690) Congratulations to all the winners and many thanks to all who entered. Good luck next time!

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Meat & dairy – tax it!

“Taxes on meat and milk would lead to huge and vital cuts in carbon emissions as well as saving half a million lives a year,” says a team from Oxford University. Marco Springman, of the Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Food, leader of the study, goes on to say: “It is clear that if we don’t do something about the emissions from our food system, we have no chance of limiting climate change below 2 degrees C. Published in the journal Nature Climate Change, the report recommends a tax of 40 per cent on

meat and 20 per cent on dairy. It also supports Viva!’s contention that the reason these products have been protected for so long is entirely political: “It has largely been ignored due to public sensitivity about their food choices.” Another way of putting it is – there are few votes in trying to save an ailing world.

Robin Gives us the Boot Green Peacock Nottingham’s first vegan pub has opened in Mansfield Road. The Peacock’s entirely vegan menu is available lunchtimes, evenings and, of course, Sunday lunch. It can be entirely traditional (looking) or you could go for, amongst others, spinach, mushroom and vegan cream cheese tart with rosemary potatoes. One of the most popular dishes is a vegan take on fish and chips, using tofu with kelp in breadcrumbs.

Check them out on facebook.com/PeacockNotts.

Super chickens (bugs that is!)

When marketing leaflets from your local supermarkets come tumbling through your door, they’ll offer you price cuts, special offers and BOGOFs but they won’t mention the little bonus that most of their chickens will give you – 78 per cent of all fresh chickens sold in England are infected with antibiotic resistant bacteria. It is not the 0157 strain that causes vomiting and diarrhea but is believed to stay in the gut for years and render lifesaving antibiotics useless.

We have been reporting similar stories for 20 years but still the animal farming industry ploughs on as destructive as ever – as beyond criticism as the late Queen Mother.

In your dealings with Viva!, you will increasingly see our new logo on show. If you want to sum up our philosophy then this is it. Imagine a world where this was the guiding principle rather than America First, Britain for the Brits or They’re Only Animals!

It seemed like a generous gesture at the time – when Robin Webb, owner of Vegetarian Shoes in Brighton, offered to donate a percentage of the sale price of his Trail boot to Viva!’s campaigns several years ago. We had no idea then just how generous. We have just received a further £228 from Robin, bringing the total of his kindness to a staggering £25,000. We are almost speechless with gratitude – but not totally. Thank you Robin, you are the man!

Brighter, better and beautiful – our new My Vegan Town logo.

When you want to know of vegan friendly shops, services, cafes and restaurants in your area, go to myvegantown.org.uk

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To th e

rescu e

The slaughterhouse beckoned for a mother pig and her six piglets but Viva! and Dean Farm Animal Sanctuary came to the rescue

By Juliet Gellatley, Founder & Director, Viva!

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e are delighted that we can offer this little family a life together in the beautiful Welsh countryside. Although unaware of it, these pig ambassadors will play an important role in educating people about the horrors of factory farming by juxtaposing their new lives with our shocking footage from Britain’s factory farms.

When I was filming footage for our Face Off campaign, I saw so much cruelty and neglect. Coming away from those hell holes I had an overriding feeling of impotence that I couldn’t rescue them all.

But I was determined to find a way of rescuing at least some pigs.

I went to my friends, Mary Frankland and Janette Fry at Dean Farm Animal Sanctuary near Chepstow, and asked (begged!) if they would save some pigs with me. To my relief they readily agreed.

Within minutes we had decided to rescue a mum and her piglets and within a day

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arrangements were in place.

We found a farm that was closing its pig unit but still had a mother sow with her six babies, just three weeks old.

Mum was due to be slaughtered in a month and Juliet with mother pig, who is so delighted with her fresh straw piglets in five months. So, that she refused to look at the camera before the week was out, Mary, Viva!’s Justin Kerswell and I loaded a van with straw for mum continued for several minutes until she was and a dog carrier for her babies and satisfied her babies were safe. snaked our way northwards.

I had butterflies when we reached Dean Mum seemed to know perfectly what Farm Animal Sanctuary, nestling as it does was required and opened the gate herself in pretty rolling countryside, excited that to get to the van where her babies were, these pigs really had a home for life – acres being uncharacteristically quiet. Maybe she of fields, woodland, scrub and even their knew we were there to help her. own stream. It really is pig paradise!

For safety, she was separated from her We carried the baby’s cage into a huge babies by a board and it was fascinating barn and opened the door. One by one listening to the distinctive calls she made to they trotted out, so cute, curious and them, like a deep cough – and then to hear vulnerable. We opened mum’s door and them answer. This touching exchange she made a bee line for her little ones.

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A family of pigs experiencing pleasures that almost all other pigs are denied

Next, she paced through the straw, elatedly tossing it in the air with her snout – high quality oat straw and mounds and mounds of it. She snuffled and snuffled in it, an entirely new experience, making contented snorts! And then she lay down and her piglets hungrily suckled, a picture of perfect contentment.

That night she tucked up her piglets (really, she did) so that each was completely covered in straw. We could not see them – only the occasional peep at us giving away their position.

poignant and painful. What the human race does to our fellow earthlings is beyond despicable.

I hope this mother and her babies can represent the millions of other mothers and little ones on factory farms. The more people who can witness the wonderful scenes in front of me, the more who will give up meat because the only way to truly rescue animals is to stop eating them.

In a few days, mum and piglets will experience the big outdoors for the first time! Watch how they respond and their adventures on Viva!’s Facebook and at viva.org.uk/pigrescue.

Find out more about our pigs and perhaps adopt them, helping towards their keep and Viva!’s campaigns to expose pig factory farming in Britain and to take this story far and wide. viva.org.uk/donate

ONE WEEK LATER The piglets, three boys and three girls, are mad things, running around just like kittens and puppies – bonkers and joyful!

Chasing, gnawing, nuzzling, playing, jumping with sheer delight, snuggling up to mum and one another. I sit quietly with them and soon enough they can’t resist and are climbing on me, biting my wellies and one, the softest, kisses me on the lips!

When her babies find their way through straw bales and into the turkeys’ night shelter, mum goes ballistic, panicking that she can’t reach them, her bond strong, they soon return. I stroke her and she chooses to snuffle right by me and I reflect on what her life might have been on a typical farm.

Her babies would be taken from her at three weeks old, she would be forced into a rape rack and made pregnant again; incarcerated in a concrete cell, made to give birth in a metal crate.

Watching this mum and her babies, and knowing the fate of other pigs, is horribly Six apprehensive piglets about to start the journey to their new life viva.org.uk 9

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VEGAN TREASURES

WWW.VIVANI.DE

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STOP PRESS | STOP PRESS | STOP PRESS | STO

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Pig rescue update

The scent of freedom am delighted to say that our online competition to name our new family is now over and the names have been selected (see below).

You may have seen recent film footage of me undercover in a filthy pig farm where my emotion is so raw I have to turn away from the camera. I went down on my knees and spoke to a beautiful pig I called Blue, because of the colour of her eyes. I could see a fierce intelligence in them but also despair as she rattled at the gate of her tiny cage in the rape rack to be let out.

I have been campaigning for animals for over 30 years and I care for every one of them but sometimes, one particular animal finds his or her way beneath my protective shield and tears at my heart. Blue was one of these – and I felt despair as I was utterly incapable of saving her.

Her impact was so great that I was determined I would allow at least one pig to experience a life with her piglets where she could see them grow and be a proper mother – and I would use her story to save other pigs by persuading people to stop eating them.

And here I was, only weeks later, heading north to rescue a three year old mum and her family from a farmer who was going out of business. On the journey home I listened to the mother singing to her young and I whispered to her: “You’re safe now!”

Please, please view it at viva.org.uk/pigrescue because I know you will adore it, just like the other five million people who have already seen it.

Unknowingly, Hope Apple Blossom is one of the most powerful tools for change we’ve ever had. She has even touched the farmer from whom we got her, who has seen the film and now feels guilty about selling his remaining sow into the slaughter trade. He has given us first option on freeing her.

Watching Hope’s dance of joy was a dream come true and it makes me determined not to forget her companion. I know it’s just one pig out of millions but a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. She will be no ordinary pig but will join Hope in talking to millions and millions of people – through the birth of her piglets, her tender mothering and her ecstasy at limitless freedom. In a world of nastiness, this has to offer… well, hope!

Dean Farm Animal Sanctuary was set up

I

by Viva! supporter First time out. Hope Apple Blossom looks at the rolling countryside Mary Frankland, who with awe was inspired by my book The Silent Ark. She and her partner provide a safe haven for farmed animals but also promote veganism and I am delighted that we are now working together.

We will be releasing video after video showing the stark contrast between Hope’s new freedom and the heart-breaking reality of what happens to the pigs on Britain’s factory farms. Please help us rescue her companion – now a nameless solitary pig who we think is soon to be a mother.

Please help us with the upkeep for our new ambassadors and please help us with our exciting plans for even greater success in changing the face of Britain. Anything you can afford will be greatly appreciated and, if we are able to rescue her, I will keep you informed about our new girl’s progress. I hope you’re as excited as I am.

Juliet

URGENT DONATIONS NEEDED NOW. Please go to: viva.org.uk/donate or call 0117 944 1000 (Mon-Fri, 9-6)

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h t i w n a g Going ve is simple Just sign up to our free 30 Day Vegan and you’ll get all the support you need viva.org.uk/30dayvegan. l l l l

Daily emails with tasty meal ideas and helpful hints Cookery demos of our favourite meals Encouragement from our favourite vegan celebrities Inspiration from the superb Vegan Recipe Club – hundreds of recipes, colour pictures, hints, tips and solid advice veganrecipeclub.org

Find out what’s vegan in shopping and eating in your local area with My Vegan Town. myvegantown.org.uk

shop

kind

Star helper in your change of diet will be our superb 64-page magazine Everyone’s Going Vegan – entertaining and covers just about every topic. Just £4 (inc p&p) from vivashop.org.uk/egv

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And if it’s vegan eats, treats, wines, books, guides and T-shirts you’re after – there’s our online shop vivashop.org.uk

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A Viva! exclusive interview with…

The sailor man with the spinach can talks to Tony Wardle Despite being the world’s oldest vegan ambassador, who has appeared in over 500 films and whose earnings top $150 million, this will not be an easy interview. Popeye is a man of few words – and those he does say sound like a large tin of gravel rolling downhill. I ask him what he makes of such financial success and he shakes his head: “Ain’t stopped Bluto from botherin’ me and Olive!”

It is 88 years since he made his first public appearance in the Thimble Theatre comic strip of 1929 by E C Segar and he has hardly changed at all – testament to his diet, I guess. It was Betty Boop who, four years later, identified Popeye’s potential and gave him a run out in one of her films with the name that stuck – Popeye the Sailor.

Such was his charisma that of course Popeye was offered his own series: “But only if me vegan girlfriend comes too!” And so Olive Oyl joined him and quietly, so did his mortal enemy, Bluto the Bully, who sneaked into the scripts when no one was looking.

It was around this time that Popeye found an abandoned little boy on his doorstep and immediately adopted him – and so Swee’pea came into his life.

That was an extraordinarily kind thing to do, I say.

“I does what I does,” Popeye replies.

Everyone knows that Popeye gets his mighty strength from spinach and invariably has a tin or two tucked beneath his armpit.

Has it always been that way? Again Popeye shakes his head but this time looks embarrassed: “Whiffle hen! Used to rub mesel’ wit ‘er feavers.

But then I wents vegan in 1931 and spinach dos the trick better. Let poor old Whiffle hen go!”

And boy, does it do the trick! In hundreds of films, Popeye gets into trouble and all looks lost until… out comes the spinach, his music plays and his muscles do the samba. His pipe stays in place while he smiles proudly: “If I ain’t et any fer a while it makes me too strong an’ dangerous an’ me muscles bounce about and do funny things”.

Fame has followed Popeye his entire life. In 1937, Crystal City proclaimed itself World Spinach Capital and erected a full-colour statue of him. It took them a few decades to get around to it but in 2007, Alma, Arkansas, also proclaimed itself Spinach Capital of the World and also unveiled a statue.

Fame probably hit its peak in 1980 when the late magnificent Robin Williams played our vegan hero in a Robert Altman film entitled simply Popeye, with Shelley Duval as Olive Oyl. They even

built a special village set in Malta. I simply can’t avoid the next question, difficult as it is – why does he think it was rated a disaster? He looks unphased: “‘E doesn’t eats his spinach – ‘e just pretends to,” as if that answered everything. And then without prompting, he draws on his pipe with a sound like a bottom being spanked – smack, smack, smack – winks at me with his one good eye and bursts into song.

“I’m Popeye the Sailor Man, I’m Popeye the Sailor Man. I’m strong to the finich, cause I eats me spinach.

I’m Popeye the Sailor Man”.

‘I’m strong to the finich, cause I eats me spinach’

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Our investigators have recently been inside several free-range egg farms. Viva! campaigner, Claire Palmer, describes the shocking conditions they discovered

Viva! has coined the phrase ‘industrial free-range’ for good reason

d e s o exp

The life of a free-range bird is anything but free

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e have added a new description to the farming lexicon – ‘industrial freerange’. The imagery of peaceful farmyard scenes and contented animals we all saw in picture books when growing up – and now perpetuated on egg boxes and TV ads – is a world away from reality.

Around 18 million hens are still incarcerated in obscene cages on British farms and because of consumers’ revulsion, free-range egg production looks set to expand dramatically in the coming years.

Because of competition between producers, high demand and falling egg prices, farmers are housing ever-larger flocks yielding a greater output of eggs.

In a bid to push egg sales, free-range farming is plugged by the industry as being a humane alternative to cages. UK freerange flocks have substantially taken over from colony (caged) egg production and all major supermarkets in Britain have made commitments to phasing out cages. At the time of going to press, a petition to end cage egg sales, launched by Viva! supporter Lucy Gavaghan, has reached almost 300,000 signatures.

The ‘free-range’ myth is all too easy to believe and so, as part of our Cracked campaign, Viva! went all out to expose every part of the egg industry, including free-range and organic production. Our undercover investigators visited farms up and down the country, many of which operate on behalf of top egg producers who supply tens of millions of eggs a week.

They also visited smaller farms supplying eggs locally and those given the RSPCA stamp of approval. We showed that lovely labels, fancy packaging and high welfare claims means zilch for laying hens.

Research reveals that many birds on free-range farms never step outside. They never feel grass under their feet or sun on their backs and never experience rainfall.

And so we knew that the filthy sheds we filmed were likely to be the entire world for many thousands of dejected birds.

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Our footage revealed all the usual problems associated with egg farming – overcrowding, feather loss and sick and dead birds – even on an award-winning farm considered to be an ambassador for the free-range sector. It is a farm that regularly opens its fields to the public – although not its sheds, we suspect – and participates in a rehoming scheme for hens who have reached the end of their profitable life, usually after 18 months. A clever move for a farm wanting to market itself as a cut above the rest.

At another farm in Lincolnshire that supplies eggs locally, our investigator said it was ‘one of the worst farms’ he’d ever seen – dispelling the idea that buying local means high welfare. Huge, filthy sheds housed hens in shocking condition – one with an oozing prolapse and many others with feather loss that exposed red raw skin. Walls were filthy, air heavy with dust and dead birds were left to rot.

In December last year, Viva! exposed another, so-called high-welfare farm in Essex – this time for turkeys. It is associated with celebrity chefs Jamie Oliver, Delia Smith and Nigella Lawson and birds are kept in tents rather than sheds.

In one dingy tent, dead and decaying bodies of turkeys were wedged inside feeders preventing other birds from reaching the feed. Living birds were clambering over the dead, desperate to reach food. Veterinary Consultant, Dr. Andrew Knight, stated: “The frantic nature of turkeys in the footage just outside the feeders suggests that the birds were hungry and highly motivated to reach the feed inside”.

Again, feather loss was widespread with many birds exposing painful, red raw skin.

Conditions were so bad that Viva! reported it to the Government who contacted the farm. Their response was that these birds were being raised for eggs, as if that somehow excused it.

Feather loss was common on free-range farms we visited, often exposing red raw skin beneath

this monumental change. Through undercover investigations such as this, professional campaigning, packed out fun festivals, plus endless help and support, we are making it easier for people to switch.

Because of our success, the egg industry is taking measures to boost sales and counteract information put out by Viva!.

The dairy industry alone spends millions on advertising every year and is shamelessly targeting children to try and safeguard its future. Celebrities are regularly wheeled out and shops are urged to place eggs in prominent positions.

None of their promotional materials ever mention the reality of life for laying hens and rarely show any shots from inside the sheds where many (perhaps most) hens spend their entire lives. Trade publication Farmers Weekly reports on our undercover investigations and offers tips on how to avoid being exposed.

From our first-hand experience, Viva! can say that there is no such thing as high welfare on commercial free-range farms.

But, together, we are making extraordinary headway and we will win it because we have to. Justice is on our side and the animals rely upon our success.

The egg industry is taking measures to boost sales and counteract information put out by Viva!

Viva!’s tireless work to promote vegan living and a more compassionate world for animals has contributed in no small way to the huge increase in veganism over recent years. It is now fast-paced and seemingly unstoppable and we are proud to be a part of it. As Europe’s largest vegan campaigning organisation, we have been a key driver in

Viva! found dead and decaying bodies at so-called free-range, high-welfare turkey farm in Essex

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lifeSCIENCE

Viva!Health unravels scientific research and makes it easy to understand.

Here we update you on the latest findings…

By Veronika Powell MSc, Viva!Health Campaigner

Thumbs up for vegan diets Prestigious US academy declares veganism good for anyone and everyone – and the environment The US Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics has issued a glowing position statement on vegan diets. It says: “It is the position of the Academy that appropriately planned vegetarian, including vegan, diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate and may provide health benefits for the prevention and treatment of certain diseases”. These diets, they say, are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, adolescence, older adulthood and for athletes.

“Plant-based diets are more environmentally sustainable than diets rich in animal products because they use fewer natural resources and are associated with much less environmental damage. Vegetarians and vegans are at reduced risk of certain health conditions, including ischemic heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, certain types of cancer, and obesity. Low intake of saturated fat and high intakes of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, soy products, nuts, and seeds (all rich in fiber and phytochemicals) are characteristics of vegetarian and vegan diets that produce lower total, and low-density, lipoprotein cholesterol levels and better serum glucose control. These factors contribute to reduction of chronic disease. Vegans need reliable sources of vitamin B-12, such as fortified foods or supplements.”

We wholeheartedly agree! To read more about how a vegan diet can improve your health and wellbeing, see our Incredible Vegan Health Report at vivahealth.org.uk/veganhealth, or order it on 0117 944 1000.

Melina V, Craig W and Levin S, 2016.

Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics: Vegetarian Diets. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 116(12):

Thumbs down for Atkins et al Dieting on animal products produces superficial results and damages your health Being overweight or obese puts you at a high risk for type 2 diabetes because it reduces your insulin sensitivity – the ability to react to the hormone insulin which is essential for energy metabolism. Weight loss usually means improved insulin sensitivity – a win-win situation.

However, a study of obese postmenopausal women at Washington University School of Medicine found that using high-protein diets such as Atkins for weight loss doesn’t improve insulin sensitivity at all!

Women on high-protein diets lost weight but didn’t experience any improvements in insulin sensitivity so their diabetes risk remained high. On the other hand, women whose diets were lower in protein lost weight and their insulin sensitivity significantly improved – by 25-30 per cent. That not only reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes but also heart disease.

High-protein diets only ever produce short term superficial results, whilst healthier, plant-based diets have positive and significant long-term effects on your health.

Smith GI et al., 2016. High-Protein Intake during Weight Loss Therapy Eliminates the Weight-Loss-Induced Improvement in Insulin Action in Obese Postmenopausal Women. Cell Reports. 17(3): 849-861.

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Dairy endangers your heart Animal fats, including dairy, put you at risk of heart disease and stroke Dairy products contain varying amounts of fat but a considerable portion is always saturated fat. This study investigated the link between dairy fat intake and the incidence of heart disease and stroke among 220,000 people whose diets were followed for decades.

When compared to sugary diets, dairy fat intake did not pose a higher risk for heart disease and stroke but comparing one unhealthy diet to another doesn’t really make much sense. So the authors looked at the effect of replacing dairy fat with other types of fat and found that polyunsaturated fats from various sources reduced the risk by 24 per cent. However, replacing it with vegetable fat – which can come from many different sources including palm oil, high in saturated fat – cut the risk by 10 per cent. On the other hand, replacing dairy fat with other animal fats only increased the heart disease and stroke risk.

But what’s truly worth highlighting – replacing dairy fat with healthy carbohydrates from wholegrains was associated with a 28 per cent lower risk of heart disease and stroke!

Chen M et al., 2016. Dairy fat and risk of cardiovascular disease in 3 cohorts of US adults. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 104 (5): 1209-1217.

Fish oil – snake oil?

Scientists say there’s still no clear evidence that fish oils are healthful

Vegans and diabetes New study shows how a healthy vegan diet can cut your risk of type 2 diabetes in half Many studies make a distinction between animal and plant-based diets but this one also looks at healthy and unhealthy plant-based diets and how they influence type 2 diabetes. Healthy foods included wholegrains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, pulses, vegetable oils, tea and coffee.

Unhealthy foods included animal products, fruit juices, sweetened beverages, refined grains (white bread, cornflakes, white pasta), potatoes, sweets and desserts.

The researchers followed more than 200,000 people for more than 20 years, evaluating their diets and health. The results revealed that predominantly plantbased diets were associated with a 20 per cent reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. Eating a healthy plant-based diet was linked with an impressive 34 per cent lower risk but diets high in unhealthy, sugary plant-based foods actually increased the risk by 16 per cent.

People whose diets were almost entirely vegan and based on healthy foods had the lowest risk – as much as 50 per cent lower compared to the average diet. The researchers suggested that healthful plant-based diets could be reducing type 2 diabetes risk because they contain so many beneficial nutrients – fibre, antioxidants, unsaturated fats, vitamins and minerals – and contribute to healthy gut bacteria that promote overall health.

Find out more about preventing and treating type 2 diabetes through diet on our website vivahealth.org.uk/diabetes or order our diabetes guide on 0117 944 1000.

Satija A et al., 2016. Plant-Based Dietary Patterns and Incidence of Type 2 Diabetes in US Men and Women: Results from Three Prospective Cohort Studies. PLoS Medicine. 13(6):e1002039.

It was suggested in the late 60s that fish oil consumption might reduce your risk of heart disease and generally improve your cardiovascular health. The author of the latest study thoroughly investigated the issue by looking at all the available evidence and is not convinced. He gathered together studies and trials which examined the effect of fish oils on fat and cholesterol in the blood, plus the long-term health outcomes, and did not find a reliable link. The science to justify fish oil supplements simply isn’t there.

The study seems to agree with the message Viva!Health has been promoting for years – it’s the overall diet that matters and a fish oil capsule is not a magic bullet!

Ridker PM, 2016. Fish consumption, fish oils, and cardiovascular events: still waiting for definitive evidence. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 104(4): 951-952.

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Slaughterhouse

exposed! or reasons of safety, I can’t mention his name but one of Viva! Poland’s dedicated volunteers has helped us to strike a vital blow for animals in the country – through sheer persistence. I’ll call him Max. For 26 weeks Max took Mondays off work and went to a slaughterhouse at Witkowo, employing over 1,300 people and owned by the huge Agrofirma company that has 500 slaughterhouses in total. Surrounded by a wall of concrete panels, it was impossible to get inside but after circling the place, Max found several small gaps between the panels and it was to these he returned, week after week, with his camera, spending most of the day filming.

Over this period, he effectively documented the working practices on the outdoors areas of this mega slaughterhouse as animals were driven into the enclosed stunning and killing areas. I dread to think what he might have filmed in there had he been able to gain access.

It is no ordinary abattoir but one fed directly by 2,000 farms in a particular rural district of West-Pomerania and together they virtually form a meat production city. Most Polish farms are very small and that is evidenced by the size of some trailers and even pick-up trucks seen arriving at the unloading bays – just a few animals crammed in the back. Big beef cows, young steers, exhausted sows and six-month old ‘meat’ pigs as well as dairy cows are all forced down the steel-barred walkways and into the main slaughter building.

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I won’t go into lurid detail as it is too distressing but the first thing that shocks you in the footage is the state of animals arriving directly from the farm. Many are limping or walking on three legs, some have hooves so overgrown they can barely take a step, others collapse the moment they descend the ramp and cannot stand and all are utterly confused, having no idea what is expected of them or where they are supposed to go. And that is the cue for slaughterhouse workers’ abuse.

Their persuasion consists of beatings with iron bars to any part of the body but particularly heads and faces, kicks, the liberal use of electric shock goads on the face, anus or genitals and one man wields a club hammer on the head of a confused steer. It is callous, arbitrary, clearly routine and utterly without care or compassion.

While all this is deeply distressing it is the reaction of the pigs that grabs at my heart. They clearly know what lies in store and do their best not to go inside the slaughterhouse, attempting to run in the opposite direction. One sow tries to force

Viva! Poland’s persistence leads to extraordinary nationwide media coverage. By Tony Wardle herself through the iron railings and her head becomes stuck. Despite her screams, an electric goad is applied countless times but fails to move her and so the worker strolls casually around to the other side of the bars and kicks her head until it is free.

When all the footage was assembled, it was obvious that what we had was dynamite, particularly as there had been no public exposé of slaughterhouses for 15 years.

Viva! Poland Manager, Cezary Wyszinsky, made contact with a producer at TVN Uwaga, one of Poland’s biggest channels, who decided to use our footage as the basis for a 40-minute documentary with a door-stepping reporter and all the production values you would expect from top broadcast TV. In the film, the footage is first shown to a chef who cannot watch it but then goes on about cruelty triggering biological responses that impair the quality of the meat. Oh dear! A professor of ethics, Andrzej Elzanowski, and an independent vet, Dorota Sumaninska, also find it difficult viewing. The professor is clear that the real reason for the cruelty is people’s ‘gluttony’ for meat.

“Slaughterhouses will continue to exist so long as people gorge themselves on meat.”

He then adds that the workers on the film are exhibiting psychopathic tendencies – the very kind of people who are attracted to slaughterhouse work. The vet is clearly disturbed and says: “Now you know what the

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entrance to hell looks like. The ones who go to hell will walk this way.”

The reporter asks a worker if he has a dog and the man replies that he does and he is treated like one of the family. Asked why, in that case, he had used an electric goad on a cow, he replies: “Because the cow was tired and couldn’t walk.” He’s asked again, why?

“Because time was running out.” This answer reveals that cruelty is as much the responsibility of management and their demands as it is individual workers.

A different worker dismisses the claims of cruelty saying: “Cattle are just cattle – this is only slapping. Sometimes you spank your woman harder than I kick those animals”. He then chillingly adds that we haven’t seen the real cruelty that goes on.

He refuses to say more for fear that he will become a ‘black sheep’ at the facility.

The district vet has never received any complaints of cruelty and the company’s vet, Mieczystaw Sypien, who also runs a private veterinary practice, is equally blind to what goes on at the plant where he works. His attempts to absolve the company of wrong doing are toecurling. He starts by saying that animals have extraordinarily profound feelings – often more so than people. But that’s the end of his concessions. There is no brutality in using electric shocks on a screaming pig, he says. As for the club hammer: “How do I know it’s a hammer – I don’t have glasses!” Asked if the practices shown are cruel or not he responds: “I can’t even tell if it’s real

‘So long as we continue to transport, slaughter and eat animals such cruelty will not end’ or not or whether its Witkowo or somewhere else”. The reporter reassures him that it is real.

Asked whether this footage damages the reputation of Agrofirma he answers with a defiant ‘no’, and then adds that there is much more good at the plant than bad.

Then comes the scary bit: “They are using these examples to harm Agrofirma. This is a mistake!”

Cezary makes a telling contribution towards the end of the film, saying that so long as we continue to transport, slaughter and eat animals such cruelty will not end. I give the last words about animals to the sympathetic vet, Dorota: “They are similar to us and have a warm heart that wants to beat!” Absolutely!

This brilliant exposé was watched by six

million viewers in a country almost half the size of Britain – and a further three million when it was transmitted twice more and through its spin-off programmes. We have no idea how many viewed its website but the programme is still up as I write, weeks later.

A special live debate was organised outside the slaughterhouse, watched by a further half million. Social media went into overdrive and the story was covered by over 30 newspapers. The local public vet resigned and a public prosecutor is still considering what charges to bring against those involved. Cezary is confident that action will be taken. And Max’s bravery has earned him a place on our permanent campaign team.

Viva! Poland works in close cooperation with local groups all over the country to wield considerable influence and is now Poland’s pre-eminent animal group. And it’s working! We have just declared Warsaw the vegan capital of Europe as the city has hit a staggering total of 40 dedicated vegan restaurants.

You can watch this film, with English subtitles, at viva.org.uk/polishslaughter. And don’t forget, you can view some of the hundreds of animals Viva! Poland has rescued at our 50-acre Korabiewicach sanctuary at viva.org.uk/korabiewicach-animalsanctuary-poland. If you like the idea of adopting one them, go to adoptafarmanimal.org.uk.

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How now clever cow…

Veronika Powell MSc delves into cow behaviour and intelligence with some fascinating results ost of us take cows for granted.

We may not always see them but we grow up with them being ‘around’. Perhaps it’s because they’re so ubiquitous that few people pay any attention to them or know what they’re really like. If they were a rare species we would probably be bowled over for they are truly remarkable.

Cattle are herbivores and prey animals, which means they are quiet, vigilant and their instincts are to hide or run away from danger. They have an inherent fear of unfamiliar objects, situations, smells, sudden movements and noises because these might turn out to be life threatening.

Because they’re herd animals, being isolated makes them scared and anxious. There is safety in numbers and when together there is a strong and instinctive tendency for one cow to follow the others. As with sheep, people often see this behaviour as somehow less intelligent when in fact it’s not dumb at all – having no superior means to fight predators, blending in with the crowd is the best survival strategy!

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a wide field of vision of some 330°. They can see almost everything around them in order to detect danger. However, both the depth of vision and detail are both limited and this, combined with the fact they can’t see the red colour spectrum very well, makes them reluctant to enter shadowy areas and they are suspicious of small, unknown things or shadows in their path.

Perhaps as compensation they have excellent hearing and, predictably, dislike

making the dog cautiously happy as there’s no sign of threat, just a lot of inquisitive sniffing on both sides!

Cows can discriminate urine from stressed or dominant animals and naturally avoid entering places that smell like danger or someone else’s ground. They also have an additional sensory organ – called the vomeronasal organ – on the roof of their mouth. It detects pheromones – hormonelike molecules responsible for sexual interest or fear signalling. You may have seen a bull with his head lifted, upper lip curled back and sucking in air. This is called the ‘flehman expression’ which directs scents straight to the vomeronasal organ allowing him to detect the first signs of a cow coming into heat.

When cows detect fear pheromones, it immediately triggers a stress response and fear behaviour – useful in nature but on farms, where there’s no escape, it only increases their anxiety.

Given th e chance, calves are inquisitive and playful, galloping and bucking, doing sudden turns and twists and play figh ting with th eir friends

Sensational senses With their eyes wide apart and more on the sides of the head than the front, cattle have

loud or sudden noises as these might indicate danger. Their sense of smell is quite outstanding and they use it to explore and assess food and new objects or environments. If you’ve ever come across young cows in a field you’ll know how inquisitive they are, providing you’re gentle – they just want to smell you!

You may have seen videos of cows meeting a friendly dog – they carefully approach the dog, sniffing at him loudly,

Gentle giants Free from human interference, semi-wild or feral cattle form small groups of about 1520 animals, with a strict social hierarchy.

These are combined female and offspring herds while males form small bachelor groups. In the cow herds, daughters inherit their mother’s social status and they remain grooming and grazing partners for life. Calves often form lifelong friendships when they are only a few days old. Having their friend around has a calming effect and these social bonds are constantly reinforced through mutual grooming. Once the social structure is established, it remains stable for years. Dominant bulls temporarily join the cow herd when the cows are in heat.

Between grazing, chewing the cud, grooming and napping, there’s never a dull moment! On sunny days, cattle enjoy the warm sunshine by exposing their faces to it when resting. An inability to perform these natural behaviours on farms results in stereotypical (repetitive, purposeless),

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subdued or abnormal behaviour.

The birth of a calf is a very private moment. After a nine month pregnancy, a cow will take herself off from the herd to deliver, leaving her calf hidden away in long grass or undergrowth for the first week. The calf is then brought to the herd for an introduction ceremony and to be thoroughly sniffed by the members and accepted.

It is painful to contemplate the effect that life-long dairy farming has on cows, having their new-borns removed every time they give birth.

They have not lost their natural instincts and, when possible, they will hide their calf and try to keep it safe at all cost. They might attack an intruder and will jump fences or break barriers once separated from their calf.

Given the chance, calves are inquisitive and playful, galloping and bucking, doing sudden turns and twists and play fighting with their friends – but play never escalates into aggression.

nature to them in the wild. Because they need to learn and remember safe grazing places, water sources, how to avoid danger and find shelter.

You won’t be surprised to hear that researchers have found that cattle experience a wide range of emotions, including displaying an excited ‘eureka’

moment when they’ve solved a problem.

On the other hand, farmed dairy calves and cows are stressed, less active and show lower cognitive abilities and depression. This is due to low motivation and fear rather than lower intelligence.

You will rarely see cattle expressing happiness other than in sanctuaries but here they show us what their true nature is like as they literally jump for joy and frolic in the fields.

Moth er cows ha ve a special bellow for th eir calves and wh en th ey are stolen from th em, th ey can bellow for days

Communication Because of their need to stay safe in nature and not draw attention to themselves, cattle are much less expressive of pain and injury than we are. They signal pain with subtle signs such as an altered posture or gait. They really do suffer in silence. Farm workers take this for complicity and inflict extraordinary suffering on these gentle giants. When cattle vocalise their pain and use their strength, you know they have been pushed to the limit.

When threatened or about to attack, cows always give warning signals by lowering their head, which they might swing from side to side, flicking their tail in irritation and bulls paw at the ground before charging. They rarely attack without being provoked – only when threatened, establishing dominance or protecting their young.

Cattle use specific types of calls – a greeting, communication with their offspring or as a threat. When a calf wanders away from her mother, he or she will call for her with a specific lower frequency sound which carries further than the higher pitch cry signalling pain.

Mother cows also have a special bellow for their calves and when they are stolen from them, they can bellow for days – it’s the only time they are truly vocal.

Learning curve Cows learn quickly and can figure out how to access food or pasture and remember the best spots for grazing or people and sounds to avoid. This, of course, is second

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Juniper Green Organic Gin The world’s first Organic Gin Famous for aroma and flavour Smooth and delicious Winner of 20 medals since 1999 Gluten-free and suitable for coeliacs Available online from: Abel & Cole, Ocado, Speciality Drinks, Vinceremos, Vintage Roots or at your local specialist retailer The Organic Spirits Company Tel: 01483 894650 Email: office@londonandscottish.co.uk Registered by the Vegan Society

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‘s

Italian

g n i r Sp Canneloni, tapenade, mushroom risotto and truly delicious gelato, our kitchen wizard Chava Eichner has turned her thoughts – and her camera lens – to things deliciously Italian. As the weather warms and plants emerge once more, conjure up these classics and remind yourself of all the delicious dishes that lie in wait for you this year, both here and abroad. And there’s even more in our colourful and extensive Vegan Recipe Club at veganrecipeclub.org.uk

Tapenade – Black and Green EACH SERVES 4-6 | PREP TIME 10 MINUTES This olive-based paste or dip has been made since Roman times. Olivarum conditurae continues to be a firm favourite in the Italian kitchen and is also associated with the cuisine of Provence in France.

Black tapenade

Green tapenade

1 Check there are no stones in your olives. Combine all ingredients in a blender (you can use the chopper attachment of a hand blender or the small bowl of a food processor). Pulse the mixture until texture is how you like it. For finer consistency, add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil and blend to a smooth paste. Adjust seasoning.

1 Once you’ve checked for stones, blend all ingredients to the desired consistency. Season to taste.

n 125g/4½oz kalamata olives, pitted n ¼ red onion, roughly chopped n ¼ clove garlic (or more to taste) n 1 tbsp capers n 5 basil leaves n 3 sundried tomatoes n 2-3 tbsp olive oil (optional)

n 125g/4½oz green olives, pitted n 50g/1¾oz artichokes (in oil) n ½ clove garlic n 1 spring onion, quartered n Zest of ½ lemon n 1 heaped tbsp chopped parsley n 2-3 tbsp olive oil (optional)

FROM THE TIP For a delicious starter, spread slices of crusty bread with vegan cream cheese and top with tapenade and a pretty garnish. Alternatively, drizzle over pizza, stir into humous or give extra flavour to your pomodoro sauce.

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Spinach and Almond ‘Ricotta’ Cannelloni SERVES 4-6 | PREP TIME 35 MINUTES, COOKING TIME 50 MINUTES A real show stopper, this recipe uses egg-free cannelloni tubes which are widely available from supermarkets. They absorb a lot of liquid while baking so you need to make a more ‘watery’ tomato sauce for this dish – a firm family favourite for us! n 14-16 cannelloni tubes

Perfect Mushroom Risotto SERVES 4 | PREP TIME 10 MINUTES, COOKING TIME 30 MINUTES Real risotto is reassuringly creamy with a slightly ‘sloppy’ consistency. The only way to achieve the perfect texture is by stirring continuously – lovingly – until the rice is cooked to perfection and your kitchen is filled with mouthwateringly delicious smells. n 2 tbsp virgin olive oil n 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped n 1 bunch spring onions, chopped small n 100g/3½oz oyster mushrooms n 300g/1½oz button mushrooms n 15g/½oz dried porcini mushrooms

n 350g/12½oz Arborio risotto rice n 1 ½ Knorr Vegetable Stock Pot or 3 tsp vegan bouillon, eg Marigold red or purple tub n 100ml/3½fl oz white wine n 2 tsp dried mixed herbs n 750ml/27fl oz water n Black pepper n A generous splash of oat cream (optional)

1 For risotto, you need to have all ingredients prepared beforehand. Keep stock hot in a second pan to add one ladle at a time.

2 A good stock is essential and I use Knorr Vegetable Stock Pots as they give a really nice flavour. To add dairy-free cream at the end I recommend oat or rice cream. The taste of soya or coconut creams may be too noticeable.

3 Soak the porcini mushrooms in hot water for 20 minutes.

4 Prepare all other ingredients. Halve button mushrooms and slice spring onion finely.

5 Dissolve stock in 750ml of water and keep hot.

6 Heat oil on a medium heat in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.

Add garlic and spring onions and sauté for 3 minutes.

7 Add fresh mushrooms and fry for 5 minutes. Add herbs and porcini mushrooms, reserving soaking water.

8 Pour in rice and stir for a minute, then add white wine and mushroom water.

9 Stir continuously until the liquid has been absorbed. Pour in a ladle of hot stock and keep stirring until it has been absorbed.

Continue adding stock and stirring until rice is cooked… it will be worth the effort!

10 The risotto is done when the grains are soft but still have ‘bite’. It should be slightly sloppy. Season to taste. Serve immediately with rocket leaves, chopped fresh herbs or a few fried mushrooms.

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Filling n 2-3 tbsp olive oil n 2 onions, finely chopped n 2 cloves garlic, crushed n 300g/10½oz frozen chopped spinach, fully defrosted n 150g/5½oz ground almonds n 4 heaped tbsp nutritional yeast flakes n Zest of half a lemon n 4 tbsp lemon juice n 75ml/2½fl oz soya milk n Salt or vegan bouillon powder n Black pepper Tomato Sauce n Half of the onion/garlic mix (see recipe text)

n 1 tin (400g) chopped tomatoes n 150ml/5fl oz water n 1 tsp mixed herbs n 1 level tsp buillon powder n 1 tbsp sundried tomato paste (e.g. Sacla) n A generous pinch of sugar n Grated vegan cheese (e.g. smoked style) OR for a quick white sauce: n 250ml soya milk n 1 tsp bouillon powder n 1 heaped tbsp nutritional yeast flakes n 1 heaped tbsp cornflour n Salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste

1 Start by making the filling. Use a large saucepan to sauté the onions slowly in olive oil until softened. Add crushed garlic and continue stirring for a couple of minutes. Transfer half this mixture to a second saucepan for the sauce.

2 While onions are cooking, place defrosted spinach and squeeze out as much water as possible. Now add the spinach and all remaining filling ingredients to the pan with half the sautéed onions. Stir well until evenly combined and heated through.

Generously season the filling with salt (and/or bouillon powder) and freshly ground black pepper. Add extra splash of milk if needed. Filling should be soft but not runny. Set aside to cool.

3 For the tomato sauce, pour tinned tomatoes over onion-garlic mix. Add water, bouillon powder, mixed herbs and sundried tomato paste. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes.

Stir in pinch of sugar and adjust seasoning. Ensure it remains a bit ‘watery’. Spoon half the sauce into a large ovenproof dish.

4 To fill cannelloni easily use a single-use plastic icing bag. Place filling in bag and snip the front off. Fill tubes and place in single layer on the tomato sauce. Continue until spinach-ricotta filling is used up. Pour remaining tomato sauce over.

5 Grate vegan cheese over the cannelloni OR whip up a white sauce by blending all ingredients. Heat and stir continuously until sauce thickens. Adjust seasoning and pour over the tomato sauce.

6 Cover dish with foil and bake in a preheated oven at 180˚C for 50 minutes until cooked and bubbling. Remove foil for final 10 minutes. Test pasta is cooked through before serving.

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FROM THE

Chocolate Gelato with Salted Caramel Sauce SERVES 4 | PREP TIME 5 MINUTES, COOKING TIME 10 MINUTES PLUS CHILLING AND CHURNING This gelato is a great vegan version of the Italian classic. It takes only four ingredients to create frozen chocolate heaven. The caramel sauce is utterly delicious and will turn a simple scoop of ice cream into the most indulgent treat. n 250ml/8½fl oz dairy-free cream n 100g/3½oz light brown sugar n 85g/3oz vegan dark chocolate n 200ml/6¾fl oz boiling water n 100g/3½oz golden syrup n 35g/1⅓oz vegan margarine n A generous pinch of salt 1 For the gelato, chop chocolate very finely. Add to saucepan with cream and sugar. Heat gently and whisk until sugar is dissolved and chocolate melted. Pour in boiling water and mix with a hand blender until smooth and creamy.

2 Set aside to cool completely, then place in fridge until fully chilled.

3 Meanwhile, make the caramel sauce. Add all three ingredients to a saucepan and bring to a gentle bubble.

Let simmer for about 3 minutes, then set aside. When the sauce cools it will thicken. If too thick, add a little boiling water, tablespoon at a time, and blend vigorously to desired consistency.

4 Pour the chocolate base into an ice cream maker and churn until texture is like soft serve ice cream. You can eat it straight away or freeze it for a couple of hours.

5 If kept in freezer for longer, take it out 5-10 minutes before serving to soften. Drizzle generously with caramel sauce!

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Smoking kills

By Dr Justine Butler, Senior Health Researcher & Writer, Viva!Health

Cigarettes carry a government health warning, given the established links between meat and cancer, Viva!Health says so should bacon and chicken nuggets!

I

n 2015, the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced that processed meat does cause cancer and red meat probably does, too. Most of us already know about the links between meat and bowel cancer but meat is linked to many other cancers, also.

Meat has been recognised as a risk factor for cancer since the early 1900s.

Countries with high intakes have higher rates of bowel, breast and prostate cancer, three of the most common types. Other studies show that people who eat the most meat have a higher risk of bowel, liver, lung and oesophageal cancer.

So what is it in meat that’s responsible?

Well, it’s hard to say as there are so many candidates to choose from: saturated fat, animal protein, haem iron, salt, cancercausing compounds called NOCs, HCAs and PAHs... it’s an extensive list. Diets high in saturated fat, leading to obesity, increase the risk of breast, prostate and bowel cancer. Animal protein increases levels of a growth hormone called IGF-1, which increases the risk of bowel and lung cancer.

IGF-1 levels are lower among vegans. Iron overload can increase cancer risk by generating cancer-causing free radicals.

NOCs (in preserved meat and produced in the gut from meat), bind to DNA and cause mutations that can lead to cancer. Cancercausing HCAs and PAHs are produced by cooking meat at high temperatures, on a barbecue for example. All meats contain at least some of these so avoiding meat completely is the only effective way of reducing your risk of cancer.

Researchers from the University of Oxford, found that, compared to meateaters, cancer incidence is lower in fisheaters and vegetarians but lower still in vegans; UK vegans have a 19 per cent lower risk than meat-eaters. Similar results were found in the US where vegans have a 16 per cent lower risk and vegan women have 34 per cent less female-specific cancers.

substances may be to blame: animal fat, animal protein, NOCs, HCAs and PAHs and haem iron. Take your pick!

People who eat 400g or more of meat a day can be exposed to as many NOCs as a smoker! So meat-eaters may need the same level of health advice as smokers, which is what then Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Kerry McCarthy suggested in 2015 in u

BOWEL CANCER The link between meat and bowel cancer is wellestablished; it’s one of the best-known diseases associated with meat. Again, a number of meaty

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an interview for Viva!life magazine. The research supports her; better dietary advice could save lives. Bowel cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among nonsmokers in affluent countries and its prevention should be a major goal for public health.

BREAST CANCER Links between diet and breast cancer have been suspected for a long time.

Wide geographical variation and migration studies show that genes are responsible for only 5-10 per cent of breast cancers. The vast majority are caused by diet and lifestyle factors. The US Nurses’ Health Study found that daily servings of meat increased the risk substantially – especially in women using oral contraceptives.

Girls exposed to radiation from the atomic bombs at Hiroshima and Nagasaki were more likely to get breast cancer later in life than those not exposed, but women over 40 who were exposed had no such increased risk. This inspired researchers to investigate the adolescent diets of women. They found that those who ate a lot of meat when they were young had a much higher risk of premenopausal breast cancer.

Several different substances in meat may be to blame, including animal fat, HCAs and PAHs, haem iron and hormone residues.

Fruit, vegetables and fibre lower the risk. Given that breast cancer now affects one in eight women in the UK, the consumption of meat should be regarded as a public health concern. Dietary advice given at mammography screenings would be an effective way of helping women lower their risk.

bowel cancers could be avoided if people reduced their meat intake. Avoiding it altogether would be even more effective.

Suspected culprits include heavy metals, synthetic hormones, NOCs, HCAs and PAHs, haem iron and animal protein which increases IGF-1. High intakes of vegetables, fruit and soya reduce the risk of lung cancer.

STOMACH CANCER The links between processed meat and stomach cancer, the fifth most common cancer worldwide, have been known about for over a decade. The WHO has reported links between processed meat and stomach cancer. The WCRF agree. They also say that grilled and barbecued meat, and eating little or no fruit, increases the risk.

High levels of salt, nitrite, nitrate and NOCs in processed meats have been blamed along with cancer-causing PAHs in smoked meat.

One in ten lung and bowel cancers could be avoided if people reduced their meat intake

PROSTATE CANCER The high consumption of red, processed and well-done meat is linked to prostate cancer. It is suggested that an HCA called PhiP is responsible. Fried, roast and grilled chicken can contain particularly high amounts – chicken and PhiPs – not so finger-licking good after all!

The Prostate Cancer Lifestyle Trial found that men recently diagnosed with prostate cancer were able to avoid or delay treatment for at least two years by following a vegan diet. Despite this evidence, public health advice on the links between diet and prostate cancer is sparse.

LUNG CANCER High intakes of meat and haem iron are linked to lung cancer, one of the most common and serious types of cancer. In 2007, the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) said that red and processed meats might be a cause. The huge NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study from the US was in no doubt – they said meat is linked to lung cancer and cancers of the bowel, liver and oesophagus. They said one in ten lung and

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KIDNEY CANCER Studies show that cancer-causing HCAs and PAHs in cooked meat are also linked to kidney cancer. One theory is that they activate enzymes (proteins that accelerate chemical reactions in the body) making them behave differently, causing mutations in DNA that can lead to cancer.

PANCREATIC CANCER Meat is linked to pancreatic cancer, the fourth most common cause of cancer death worldwide. Animal fat, HCAs, PAHs and haem iron are thought to be involved.

Vegans have a much lower risk of this disease than meat-eaters. The huge European-wide EPIC study found strong links with chicken and suggested that antibiotics and/or drugs called coccidiostats given to poultry and cattle to prevent the growth of parasites may be responsible. They also said that viruses in undercooked meat may be involved. So you are damned if you cook it, and damned if you don’t!

GO VEGAN! The meat industry has been able to influence official dietary guidelines for too long. If the government aren’t brave enough to revise their advice then hopefully people will make the change for themselves.

Going into old age disease-free, fit and healthy is all any of us could hope for. If one simple lifestyle change can help achieve that, isn’t it worth encouraging everyone to make the change today?

Based on the Viva!Health report: Meat the Truth – how and why meat consumption is a major public health concern. A review of the evidence. Available for £10 from vivashop.org.uk

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Honey bunkum It can cure almost anything, from acne to worms, it’s claimed.

So is honey magical medicine or just a sweet-tasting myth?

By Dr Justine Butler and Tony Wardle

So which commercial animals are subjected to unnatural feed, artificial insemination, treatment with antibiotics, inhumane transportation conditions and culling. The answer is ‘most’, and that can include the poor little honey bee.

As with all modern farming systems, commercial honey production is all about output and that means overriding the bees’ natural lifecycle to suit the money makers.

The life of a bee has always fascinated us, not least the numerous little mysteries that surround it. As with all things, it seems, as humankind has discovered a little of what they do and why, someone has immediately exploited it.

A queen bee is chosen by the workers and fed special food to make her into… well, the queen bee. They are fiercely loyal to her and their dedication is fuelled by the pheromones she secretes and which are passed from bee to bee. As the hive population grows and becomes crowded, some bees never get near her majesty and never savour her hormones and tend to become less dedicated.

At this point, the queen would naturally depart the hive with a swarm of her courtiers who often hang about nearby, suspended from a branch or fence post, like a big, black fizzing rugby ball, while the scouts discover a new home. Those that remain in the hive choose a new queen and it all starts again.

Manipulating the magic In commercial farms, various little schemes are used to subvert this process of reproduction. The entire hive might be killed off once the honey has been

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Our Team Viva!

Heroes are those people who do something extraordinary for Viva!

The amazing Guy Harper recently completed the incredible challenge of saying nothing for the whole of February.

It was an extraordinary thing to do and really helped us to raise awareness of the plight of farmed animals who are unable to speak out against their own mistreatment and suffering.

The poignant symbolism of this challenge has inspired thousands of people and created so much interest that it has been covered in the international press. Guy raised £2000 – thank you so much!

Last month, our intrepid Roger Roberts began training for his awesome 969-mile cycle across Britain. Even for a crack cyclist that’s a challenge but Roger isn’t that and is in serious training.

He biked an impressive 160 miles over two days in order to be with us at the Viva! Vegan Festival in Cardiff on February 4.

Keep an eye out for Roger at Viva!

Vegan Festivals across the UK in the lead-up to his challenge on September 9.

These committed Viva! supporters and others like them are our Heroes because they help us to keep fighting for animals. And you can be one, too. Find out more about how to organise your own challenge – or how to sponsor these and other remarkable people. Visit viva.org.uk/team-viva or call 0117 944 1000.

Your support means everything and challenges like these make a real difference to Viva!’s work – allowing us to reach brand new audiences and inspire people to make the change and go vegan.

You can be one of our Team Viva! Heroes too. To find out how to get involved, go to viva.org.uk/team-viva or contact Sam on 0117 944 1000.

We’d love to hear from you.

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B-r-r-r-r-exit T

…the forecast for animals is pretty chilly, says Tony Wardle

he question keeps on coming – what will Brexit mean for animals? The answer is largely guesswork, just as it is for every other aspect of this massive constitutional upheaval. However, the writing is on the wall in letters ten feet tall and it’s not very encouraging for animals.

Brexiteers are claiming that at last we have control of our destiny and can now protect British animals from that cruel Johnny Foreigner. It’s a combination of naivety and cynicism!

We love a good myth and one of the most enduring is that we have ‘the best animal welfare in the world’. If you believe that you will obviously expect our animals to enter a new La La land once we’re independent. But sadly, it isn’t true and our leaders have shown that they don’t give a toss about animals – not least when they propose scrapping farm animal welfare codes in 2016.

Yes, we did ban veal crates and sow stalls but boy oh boy what a battle it was.

Farmers and the Tory Party did everything they could to thwart it and through gerrymandering managed to delay the ban on sow stalls for several years. They now, of course, use our successes as their own, to tell the world how they’ve improved the lot of farmed animals.

Yes, the impetus for change has always come from campaigners, with the support of a few politicians such as Norman Baker and the late Tony Banks. Around the year 2,000, quality assurance schemes suddenly started to appear to try and fool the public that the industry was changing. The Red Tractor variety has always been a joke and in December 23 Farmers Weekly, the Tenant Farmers Association admitted it, saying that membership is no more than a licence for farmers to sell into the supply chain.

The truth is, there are now several European countries that have better animal welfare than we do and all the recent improvements have come from the EU. It’s too long a list to repeat but includes a ban on teeth clipping and tail docking and a sickening admission about pregnant u

All the recent improvements have come from the EU

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sows. It says they are all hungry for their entire lives because they are fed on concentrates that lack roughage to fill them up. It issued a Directive saying that to satisfy their hunger and need to chew, all sows must be given a sufficient quantity of bulky, high-fibre food.

That was 2003 and in all the farm visits we’ve done since then, we’ve seen not a trace of these or any other improvements.

The EU also called for the provision of enrichment materials for pigs to explore, such as straw or hay. The only thing we have seen was a solitary chain hanging from the top bars of a pig battery cage and a deflated football. In 2009, it was the EU not the UK that declared animals as sentient beings – a vital admission – but again, little has changed.

The problem with Directives is that they are enforced (or not) at a national level so each country can find ways of ignoring them – as we have done. Despite this, the EU has moved forwards – even though at a snail’s pace – because with 500 million people it is strong enough and big enough not to be threatened by other countries nor to be forced into making concessions for the sake of trade deals. The same cannot be said of the UK on its own.

Remember the furore over the beedestroying pesticides neonicotinoids? Our government fought tooth and nail to keep on using them when Europe called for a ban. But now, the British Crop Production Council is calling for a different system for assessing pesticides – the much less restrictive (less safe) ‘risk-based approach’ as opposed to the EU’s safer, ‘hazard-based system’ which, they say, is restricting their use of ‘important plant protection

products’. It is a shameless attempt to bring back neonicotinoids and other damaging pesticides.

All the claims made during the Brexit debate that we could continue to trade with the EU without tariffs was hog wash.

It was never going to happen. About 44 per cent of all our exports go to the EU and are free of tariffs. Some 17 per cent go to the US but do carry tariffs. Tariffs are a form of protectionism, making our exports more expensive to people in the importing country and acts as a damper on trade. We have just turned our tariff-free back on the biggest trading block in the world so no wonder Mrs May is desperate.

The hoopla and holler that accompanied a possible trade deal with Australia, that takes just two per cent of our exports, is proof of that desperation. It is to the US, of course, that all Brexiteers are looking and is what prompted Mrs May’s unseemly rush

reports, enforcement records and other information about the treatment of animals from its website. What does that tell us?

In the US, use of bovine somatotrophin (BST) is fairly routine in dairy cows to increase milk production but it comes at a hell of a price to the animals, resulting in severe welfare problems, dramatically increasing the incidence of painful mastitis and laminitis. It follows that antibiotic use also increases.

That’s not all that increases as milk levels of the naturallyoccurring hormone insulin-like growth factor 1(IGF1) go up quite substantially. It is directly linked to cancer, including breast cancer, although the process isn’t yet clear.

There are all kinds of practices in the US which we shun here, including chlorinewashed chickens, unlabelled genetically modified (GM) foods and cattle implanted with growth hormones. Imports of this beef are banned by the EU but the farmowners body, the National Farmers Union (NFU), is already repositioning itself.

On Radio 4’s Today programme in February, Bob Young of the American Farm Bureau Federation, made it absolutely clear that any US trade deal with the UK would have to include our acceptance of food derived from these pratices. Martin Haworth, NFU director of strategy, meekly agreed that there was no scientific evidence that these foods were harmful to humans (on hormones, no studies have been carried out) and clearly signalled that the NFU had no objection.

The proviso was that UK farmers should be allowed to do the same! No one even mentioned the fate of the animals involved.

Back to neonicotinoid pesticides, it has now been discovered that they disrupt bats’ echo location if they feed on contaminated insects. The Soil Association estimates that every seed planted in the US has been coated in one neonicotinoid or another. It’s one reason why there are now insufficient bees to pollinate their crops and that transporting bee hives all over the country as pollinators makes up the bulk of honey producers’ incomes (see page 29). And we’re going to be part of it. Happy Brexit!

What are the chances of Mrs May standing up for animals?

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to hold hands with Donald. Has she forgotten that this shy, retiring man wrote a book called The Art of the Deal in which he says that the best deals (for him) are always struck when the other party is desperate.

Desperate? Mrs May is dashing about like the last passenger on a sinking liner pleading for someone to let her into one or other of the crowded lifeboats. Her first trade deal was with Turkey, which included developing the country’s fighter jets. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has a shameful human rights record but it’s trade or bust for the UK and as Mrs May said: “This agreement underlines that Britain is… open for business.” What she missed off the end was “at any price”.

Concern for people didn’t feature in this deal so what are the chances of her standing up for animals?

So let’s consider how the US might affect animals here.

Farmed animals in the US have almost no protection and several States intend to enact ag gag laws in which exposing animal suffering on farms can get you sent to prison. Even as I write, the US Agriculture Department has removed animal welfare inspection

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Obituary

Joan Court …a n extraordin ary wom an driv en by lo ve

Film review

Carnage Swallowing the past I have always been a fan of comedian Simon Amstell, from Never Mind the Buzzcocks to his early presenting days on Popworld, where he could subtly slay an arrogant boy band with a charming one liner.

So I was delighted to see that when he stepped into the role of film director he kept his stand up comedian’s hat on. Set in a utopian 2067, Carnage is a feature length film that looks back at a time when human beings ate other animals.

For young people of this future time, the idea that their grandparents could have been complicit in an animal bloodbath is unimaginable. And so Amstell takes them on a retrospective journey back as far as the 1940s, with the aid of Joanna Lumley, Martin Freeman, Lorraine Kelly and Vanessa Feltz, along with archive footage of such historic characters as Ronald McDonald, Captain Birds Eye and Burger King.

We were promised a new way of looking at the whole topic of meat eating and veganism and I was not disappointed. You have the wonderful juxtaposition of a TV cook gleefully stuffing her hand into a turkey with an Amstell commentary that is

deliciously, subtly satirical. There is the disused slaughterhouse, with hanging chains and a collection of ear tags, and it’s impossible not to make the comparison with today’s genocide memorials at Auschwitz and Phnom Penh in Cambodia.

The whole film is handled with a light touch despite its dark underbelly and being intercut with original footage of today’s factory farming, including some from Viva!. The impact it has is quite remarkable and you are carried through it by its comedy, satire and understanding of the subject. You’ve got to be able to laugh at yourself as Amstell manages to poke fun beautifully at vegans – despite (or perhaps because of) being one himself.

Like so many other people, Simon Amstell became vegan after watching the film Earthlings (director Shaun Monson) which is so full-on that many people won’t watch it.

He was keen to present some of the key issues and truths in a way that was palatable to a wider audience – and he’s achieved it. You can watch it on BBC Iplayer.

KRISTIAN T

“I have written and directed a film about veganism. I’m sorry.”

Simon Amstell

Joan, who died recently at the age of 97, led a remarkable life. A hugely respected animal activist, she was a regular participant in Viva!’s Days of Action and was the guest of honour at our Cambridge Roadshow back in 2012.

Joan was living proof that, at whatever age you become active for animals, you can make a difference.

She was nearly 60 years old when she first became involved in animal rights. After seeing a disturbing poster detailing the horrors of animal research, she took part in her first action – an anti-vivisection march in Cambridge. The very next day she formed a new group campaigning for animals.

Joan’s earlier life was no less remarkable. She trained as a nurse and social worker before going to work for the World Health Organisation in impoverished regions of Turkey and India. It was in India that she met Mahatma Gandhi and was profoundly moved by his compassion. She committed herself to his ethos of change through nonviolent campaigning and direct action, working first for children and then animals.

Joan used her advancing age to her advantage with the media and as one of Cambridge’s wonderfully infamous ‘granarchists’, she staged sit-ins, hunger strikes and chained herself to railings. Even at the age of 85 she joined a Sea Shepherd vessel as a crew member and became part of the hunt for illegal fishing vessels in the South Atlantic!

Joan was seen by the entire movement as a champion for animals and will be sorely missed.

However, her dedication and inspiration live on and we are dedicating our Birmingham Viva!

Vegan Festival to her memory.

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Eggs

– the hard-boiled facts

Eggs are in, eggs are out! Viva!’s Veronika Powell shakes it all about and discovers all the facts you need to know about eggs Eggs have never been an essential part of our diet, merely an addition. There’s no official recommended intake simply because we don’t need to eat any!

HEART DISEASE Eggs contain saturated fat and cholesterol and the science is clear – consumption of either increases your risk of heart disease – and all major health bodies agree.

Professor Spence, director of Stroke Prevention & Atherosclerosis Research Centre, Ontario, Canada, warns that eating eggs can be as bad for blood vessels as smoking. Regular consumption of egg yolk contributes to a build-up of arterial plaques – cholesterol deposits on artery walls – which pose a risk for stroke and heart attack. Cholesterol by-products resulting from egg cooking further increase the risk and can be toxic, causing DNA damage.

Normal artery Artery wall

Normal blood flow

Narrowing of artery

Plaque

Artery cross-section

DIABETES People who eat an egg a day have up to double the risk of developing diabetes type 2 compared to those who eat eggs only occasionally. The cholesterol they contain affects blood sugar metabolism.

FOOD POISONING AND CONTAMINANTS Salmonella food poisoning is one of the most common food-borne diseases and affects millions of people globally. Eggs are the main source. Hens on UK egg-laying farms subscribing to the British Lion Code are vaccinated against salmonella, which accounts for 85 percent of eggs. It follows that 15 per cent come from farms that don’t have to vaccinate, including those with fewer than 350 hens.

Eggs can also carry other dangerous bacteria such as Listeria and Campylobacter that have been known to regularly cause serious illness.

Laying hens treated with drugs and given feed containing pesticides tend to produce contaminated eggs and traces are usually present even in freerange and organic eggs.

Abnormal blood flow Narrowed artery

Plaque

SEE OUR BRAND NEW Everything you need to know about eggs GUIDE FOR MORE INFORMATION! CRACKED: Everything you need to know about eggs.

Available now at vivashop.org.uk/cracked-guide or call Viva! to order it on 0117 944 1000.

– how they’re produced, the chickens who lay them and how eggs affect your health

Eggs also contain choline – an essential nutrient but only in small amounts. Too much can be damaging and by far the richest source is eggs. One of the byproducts of choline (TMAO) is associated with the build-up of arterial plaques and the higher the levels of TMAO, the higher the risk of stroke and heart attack.

By Veronika Powell MSc, Claire Palmer MSc and Tony Wardle

£1.50 1

CANCER Egg consumption has been strongly linked to hormone-sensitive cancers. Eating five or more a week has been associated with a worrying increase in breast, prostate and ovarian cancers, possibly due to the cholesterol and choline content. Cholesterol can increase levels of the sex hormone testosterone and oestrogens and both are known risk factors in hormone-sensitive cancers.

Cholesterol and choline are also components of cell membranes and might help cancerous cells to grow.

One study showed that men with the highest choline intake had a 70 per cent increased risk of lethal prostate cancer. Another revealed that 2.5 eggs per week increased the risk by 81 per cent.

Research also shows a strong relationship between eggs and ovarian cancer. Women who ate more than two eggs a week had an 82 per cent higher risk of ovarian cancer compared to women who rarely ate eggs.

TAKE HOME MESSAGE? Steer clear of eggs!

Many recipes can be easily adapted to be egg-free and delicious. A wholesome vegan diet is the best possible for our health, animals and the environment.

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Meet the maker

e t a l o c o h C special

Here at the Viva! Shop, we lovingly hand pick our merchandise, scouring the planet for animal-free amazingness and handcrafted herbivore delights!

We are excited to showcase and champion the artists, designers and manufacturers behind our vegan merch and invite you to Meet the Maker and buy their wares!

Coco Caravan Joyfully whipping up his raw chocolate creations in the beautiful Cotswolds, Jacques Cöp is a chocolate maker with purpose – tuned into the health and happiness that the humble cocoa bean can bring. He says: “I started with chocolate to make things that make people happy – adding dairy to chocolate didn’t necessarily make anyone happy.

When I started leaving things out, I saw the pure joy come about.”

Both the business and its founder are proudly vegan, deeply rooted in ethical and environmental reasoning but also for the well-being of all who come to eat Coco Caravan’s rich delights. One bite of the Date Caramel Soft Centre Bar is enough to feel cosmically content for the rest of your day.

This infectious zest to live a balanced and healthy life drives Jacques to “get

We lo ve

Salty Caramel Blonde Chocolate £2.99 – 45g Date & Caramel Filled Chocolate Bar £4.75 – 75g

out of bed in the morning”. It fuels his campaign to banish the inevitable sugar high and subsequent ‘crash’, experienced when munching on most conventional chocolate. Choosing to sweeten his cacao with an altogether kinder alternative (to the planet, people and body) in the form of raw coconut nectar – it’s organic, fair trade, low GI and aids digestion too! The Salty Caramel Blonde Chocolate is testament to Jacques’ expert harnessing of the natural ingredients he loves to use; the coconut blossom nectar is subtly sweet; the cashews and coconut milk are creamy and a pinch of sea salt brings them to life.

When Jacques isn’t dancing to music while crafting his chocolate, he confides: “I once spoke with a chocolate maker from California and she said, ‘Cacao is a living thing, that is why we sing and dance to it’”. He’s particularly singing the praises of his favourite product – the Tamari Almond Chocolate Bar, made from smooth dark chocolate and crunchy umami-tasting almonds, a flavour he describes as “just mesmerising”.

We couldn’t agree more!

You can purchase a special selection of Coco Caravan’s raw chocolate from vivashop.org.uk or visit cococaravan.co.uk for their full range of solid, soft centre and blonde raw bars and their muchloved caramel covered fruits dipped in chocolate.

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So Sweet Couture Chocolate Chloe Whittock is So Sweet’s young and inspired creator and one glance at her gold-flecked white chocolate unicorn is enough to know she’s onto something magical. With her cuteshaped, edible critters, ranging from bow-tied Scottie dogs to robots in love, Chloe is winning the hearts of die-hard chocolate lovers around the world – helped by her charm and wit, which everyone can stomach!

After being diagnosed with dairy and gluten allergies, starting a vegan business was a natural progression for Chloe, particularly when treats were hard to find on the supermarket shelves. She explains: “I became vegan gradually – vegetarian first and slowly, as I learnt more about it, I made the transition to becoming vegan. It’s easier now to inform others that you are vegan as it’s growing at such a rate and not seen as a fad but more of a natural lifestyle. More and more people are becoming curious and interested in learning why vegans are vegans. It was fairly easy for me as I love vegetables, legumes, beans and so on as well as having have an absolute love and respect for animals, environment and our planet”.

Already a star baker – having won the National Cupcake Championships in October 2015 with a ‘Free From’ cupcake – Chloe was intent on sharing her talent and creating “great tasting

chocolate that anyone could enjoy, including those with dairy or gluten allergies”.

Based in a barn in the natural beauty that is Pembrokeshire, Chloe enthuses that she is forever inspired by the wildlife on her doorstep, “It is an idyllic lifestyle and I know I am lucky to be able to work from home doing a job I love with a product that I absolutely believe in.” Often animals take centre stage in her seasonal product lines, no doubt down to her two ‘pensioner’ horses that happily graze in a nearby paddock and the squirrels, wild rabbits and an adorable pheasant couple who visit her garden.

Find a seasonal range of So Sweet Couture’s chocolate on vivashop.org.uk or visit sosweetcouture.com for their full complement of vegan milk, white and dark chocolate bars, animal novelty gifts, hot chocolate spoons and their newly launched brownies, made fresh to order!

We lo ve

White Chocolate Unicorn with Raspberry Heart £6.95 – 65g Milk Chocolate Easter Egg Gift Box £12.95 – 210g Hot Chocolate Spoon £2.95 – 40g

LAB LE AT VIVASHOP.ORG.UK OR CALL 0117 944 1000 (MON-FRI, 9AM-6PM)

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UPDATE

WEEKLY WINNER

WEEKLY WINNER

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In September, Viva! launched a competition called ‘Be A Viva! Veganista’ fronted by our residential Veganista, Hannah Price, to encourage vegan-curious people in the UK to explore and experiment with vegan cooking.

Animal lover Hannah has been a vegetarian for over a year and was keen to find more out about vegan cooking so she has been taking vegan baby-steps and documenting her journey on Viva!’s website campaign page viva.org.uk/veganista.

We have had some amazing entries so far and are looking for more people interested in home cooking to come along and say hi on Instagram and Twitter. To enter, all you have to do is tag your homemade vegan meals with #VIVAVEGANISTA for a chance to WIN! We have almost had 1,000 entries on Instagram and Twitter, so join the fun and get your aprons on, you could bag yourself a £50 vegan-friendly hamper if you’re crowned one of our monthly winners AND if you’re lucky enough to be chosen as the overall VIVA!VEGANISTA winner in September, you’ll win a weekend cookery course with Demuth’s cookery school in Bath and a three-course dinner at Acorn’s vegetarian kitchen… How amazing is that?!

Check out all the winners of our competition so far and get inspiration to enter our #VIVAVEGANISTA comp! viva.org.uk/veganista/winners.

We will be launching a new YouTube channel with Hannah very soon where she will be talking about her own vegan journey and reviewing all-things-vegan-friendly, from chocolate to soaps and handbags, so keep your eyes peeled on the Veganista Instagram page for news about the launch date: @BeAVivaVeganista.

You don’t have to be vegan to enter, so if you have any non-vegan friends, please pass on the #VIVAVEGANISTA love on social media!

All monthly winners are decided by our fantastic judges and win a £50 hamper from The Goodness Project courtesy of our amazing sponsor Ecotricity.

The competition is running until September 2018 and all information, including terms and conditions can be found at viva.org.uk/veganista or to get to know our judges a little better, visit: viva.org.uk/veganista/judges.

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Cracked widens

life Viva!’s media blitz for the animals

BY TONY WARDLE, EDITOR

Working with ITV Wales It took a lot of setting up but Justin Kerswell and Claire Palmer went on location with an ITV Wales journalist over a considerable period of time, filming at numerous egg producers to reveal the truly sorry state of egg-laying hens. The journalist was very hands on and was determined to get a telling story out of it so shocked was he by what we showed him.

The programme, entitled Y Byd ar Bedwar, was aired in November, 2016, across Wales.

In the last issue of Viva!life you will have read about our Cracked campaign, an undercover exposé of the sad lives of egg-laying hens. But the story is nowhere near over yet. The Spalding Guardian, in whose patch one of the farms was sited, went into action in no uncertain terms, headlining the story ‘Surfleet egg farm was one of the worst we saw’.

As so often happens with newspapers, one story begets another and the Metro national newspaper picked up on it and ran a big feature highlighting the hypocrisy behind industrialised free-range egg farming, choosing to feature two of the farms exposed in our campaign. It went under the title ‘Shocking conditions on UK freerange egg farm exposed on camera’.

It was the No.1 story trending on the Metro’s website. The I newspaper also then ran with the story.

Amazingly, we had the entire front page of the Independent online. An extraordinary result.

Ignorance goes nationwide Viva! commissioned a public opinion survey of just how ignorant people are about animal farming but even we were surprised by the results (see page 11). It would be fair to say that public knowledge of how animals are treated is lamentable – for example, 65 per cent of people don’t know a cow has to give birth to produce milk.

A project such as this, as with much else we do, is designed to grab both the public’s and media’s attention, which then allows us to broaden out the debate and drive home the need for dietary change. And in this instance, boy, did the media go for it!

The Huffington Post (an international title), Sun, Irish Sun and London Economic all covered it but so did over 80 regional titles all across the UK, with almost blanket coverage of Northern Ireland. The biggest amongst them were Exeter Express & Echo, Hartlepool Mail, Sunderland Echo and Plymouth Herald. But that was only the initial flush and it looks as though our survey will be returned to over and over again in animal-related stories.

Chinese Swine

Swine, our stunning short film on antibiotic-resistant superbugs that are emerging from pig farming, has been shown in Beijing. Grace, our contact in the city, said: “Several people in the audience were in tears as it was the first time they had seen what a pig farm is like.

They had been attracted to vegan food for health reasons but knew nothing about the animal cruelty.”

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Animal Tales Another short Viva! film – very short indeed – is the cleverly edited Animal Tales, directed by the award winning Brigitta Szaszfai. It shows jarring juxtapositions: a cheeping chick becomes an egg and is smashed with a fist; toy dairy cows are put into a blender to become a bloody milkshake and a man plugs headphones into a pig’s head to hear terrified squeals. Designed for social media, it really is a thought provoker. You can see it at viva.org.uk/animaltales. It is also on Facebook, YouTube and Vimeo.

So far and no further!

Fiver Frenzy

Positive stories on the impact that veganism can have on improving health and the global environment keep on coming. ‘Five reasons why you should stop worrying and go vegan’ was the title on a big story in the Independent recently. But of course, there was always going to be a media backlash, and perhaps unsurprisingly it is being led by the Daily Mail, with an ill-informed, impressionistic rant by Sarah Vine. Viva!Health had to rattle off a quick but detailed reply to try and counter the wilful ignorance.

The old Meat & Livestock Commission (now part of the Agriculture & Horticulture Development Board) used to have premises in Three Counties Radio catchment area. Although no longer there, the channel still runs meat-based stories and always comes to us for interviews, as they did over the use of tallow in the new five pound note. Both Justin Kerswell and Tony Wardle did long segments, both broadening out the issue into our unthinking use and abuse of animals.

BBC 5 Live also came to us on the same subject.

Done down by Delia One thing we always try to achieve pre-Christmas is a media story on the dreadful conditions turkeys have to endure, in order to strip away the festive waffle that always surrounds these poor birds. This year we had the most telling ever – or at least we thought we had. They were some of the worst conditions we have ever witnessed on a turkey farm. It’s associated farm is energetically promoted by celebrity chefs Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson and Delia Smith.

Turkeys of varying ages were in a desperate state inside large tents.

Dead and decaying bodies were wedged inside feeders denying living birds access to food. They clambered over each other in desperation while others appeared to have given up the fight. We contacted Animal Health (APHA) and the Daily Mail.

When contacted by the Daily Mail, the producers said that these turkeys were egg layers and not for the Christmas market – we have no idea what relevance this has.

The paper prepared to run with the story any way – sat nav coordinates checked, affidavits sworn and footage legalled by solicitors.

And so we waited… and waited. It never appeared! However, the Saturday edition it was earmarked for did have a big Christmas cookery supplement by none other than Delia Smith! That’s press freedom for you!

Fortunately we had a magnificent piece in the I newspaper.

Our complaint to Animal Health had a similar outcome. “We are unable to comment. We are proud to have some of the best animal welfare standards in the world” (see page 31).

STOP PRESS Our undercover exposé of waste from a hell-hole pig farm being used in a ‘green energy’ project makes it big in the Daily Mail and BBC Points West news. Full story in the next issue of Viva!life.

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We want to keep on

exposing cruelty …but we need your support Join

today

Our undercover exposés are changing the face of Britain.

Every year, millions of people see the true face of animal farming because of us and they are changing their diet.

Meat and milk consumption are falling.

We have the brave undercover investigators who are prepared to go secretly in amongst this suffering – and we want to do more of it. By joining Viva!, your donation will help to keep up this vital work.

…so we can keep on saving animals from suffering Supporter – £15 waged, £12 unwaged You’ll receive our fab colourful mag, Viva!life – containing celebrity interviews, features, delicious recipes, offers, events and campaign updates; sticker and Supporter’s card (giving discounts in many outlets).

YES, I want to join Viva! as a: Supporter (£15 waged) Star Supporter (£29) Life Supporter (£200)

£5

000

v a.

org.u k

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Expires:

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Title:

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Other: Total enclosed: £ Please make cheque/PO payable to Viva!.

OR please debit my Visa/Master/Switch/Solo card number:

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Surname:

Join Viva! for Life and really help us stop cruelty. You’ll receive Viva!life for life and all the same fabulous benefits as a Star Supporter.

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YES, I enclose a donation of:

Star Supporter – £29 You’ll receive Viva!life, supporter’s card, Not in my Name celebrity DVD (16 short films); Feeding you the Facts DVD (cookery demos and talks); 6 guides including easy, delicious recipes, 2 nutrition fact sheets, certificate and brooch.

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Choose your category

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You’ll be sent Viva! piglet tattoo, pen, posters, Activist card, animal and nutrition guides and Viva!life.

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Post today to Viva!, 8 York Court, Wilder Street, Bristol BS2 8QH.

Or join online at viva.org.uk/join

viva.org.uk 41

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ANIMAL

Registered Charity No. 1122303

FRIENDLY VEGAN FOOTWEAR

/deanfarmtrust.org.uk

NOW IN

E. info@deanfarmtrust.org.uk

Airseal Kennard Boot (Tan) • Made in England • Cushioned Sole • Brogue Boot • Lace up

Over 100 mens & womens VEGAN styles: Including Casual, Formal, Sport, Leisure, Work, Hiking, Dress, Fashion, Sandals, Belts & Accessories Made in England & Europe: Quality ‘breathable’ non-leather materials Est. 1990

ORDER DIRECT AT:

/DeanFarmTrust

Dean Farm Trust actively campaigns to promote compassionate living, educating people so they can make cruelty free choices as part of their everyday living.

The Dean Farm Trust team give dedicated care and attention to ill treated, neglected and unwanted animals who arrive at our sanctuary.

Please visit our website to sign up for our free enewsletter to receive regular campaign and sanctuary updates and find out how you can help.

www.vegshoes.com

Tel: 01273 691913

info@vegshoes.com www.deanfarmtrust.org.uk

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Please help promote compassionate living

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Th e Vi va! Boo k … s d n e m m o c e r b u Cl Some deep and delicious top reads for Spring

What a Fish Knows: The Inner Lives of Our Underwater Cousins

Jonathan Balcombe, Paperback, 288pp, £12.99 An aquatic eye-opener that encourages the extrospection and respect our fishy friends so deserve. Through Balcombe’s concise, passionate and sometimes humorous prose, the misunderstood nature of fish is explained and the cruel industry built around them exposed.

New York The sea of complex case studies and Times personal stories are trawled through, Bestseller revealing a net of amazing facts; fish can form ‘friendships’, display habits and individual traits and express feelings from joy to suffering. On the subject of animal sentience, there may still be an ocean of research to dive into but What a Fish Knows is the closest we’ll come to seeing life through 100’s more the glare of a fishbowl. vegan reads at vivashop.org.uk/ books

Raw Cakes: 30 Delicious, No-Bake, Vegan, Sugar-Free & Gluten-Free Cakes

Joanna Farrow, Hardback, 64pp (inc colour photos), £8.99 Almost too pretty to eat, Joanna’s raw cakes are healthy works of edible art with all your favourite dessert indulgences intact; creamy frostings (whipped up using coconut milk) or sweet fillings (made from blended fruit and nuts) and decadent toppings – wafer thin curls of minted pear anyone?

Recipes for cupcakes, fudge, mousses, pies, squares and tarts are simple and taste divine, although a good blender and food processor are a must.

Serve up a slice of the gorgeous Raspberry, Pistachio and Rose Semifreddo then sit back, relax and watch your guests Instagram the heck out of it!

The Superfun Times Vegan Holiday Cookbook

Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Hardback, 440pp (inc colour photos), £23.99 The sheer colossus-ness of this celebratory collection of recipes from America’s first vegan chef superstar is enough to last you a lifetime of holiday fun. The eclectic mix of entertaining recipes will have you hankering for Halftime Tempeh Meatball Sliders during Superbowl (you can pretend!) and pecking at Peking Portobellos in the spirit of Chinese New Year. With 150 recipes crammed into 17 holidaythemed chapters, you are destined to become the host/hostess with the most/mostess; but be sure to heed Isa’s sage advice and always have finger foods (we recommend Cashew Cheese & Strawberry Skewers or Salted Caramel Corn with Peanuts), ready at the door to handle any hangry* guests! (*When you’re so hungry you’re angry, in a loveable way, of course!)

All books reviewed in Viva!life are available to purchase from the Viva! Shop

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t h n e o r k Oad c A B big style!

Viva! is delighted to announce that our partnership with the Northern Vegan Festival and Great Yorkshire Vegan Festival will continue into 2017, with an extraordinary array of events across Britain. So popular are they that we have had to find bigger venues in some cities.

Come and visit us and sample all the delights on offer.

Í International food tastings and the best in convenience foods Í One-to-one nutritional advice Í Free recipes and detailed factsheets Í Cookery demos to wow you – and great talks Í A host of vegan goodies – cosmetics to cuddly toys; bags, books – and chocolate – T-shirts and more!

It’s a

greatt! day ou

Saturday, April 1, 2017 11.00-18.00 NORTHERN VEGAN FESTIVAL

Saturday, August 12, 2017 10.00-17.00 LIVERPOOL VIVA! VEGAN FESTIVAL

Saturday, April 15, 2017 10.00-18.00 BIRMINGHAM VIVA! VEGAN FESTIVAL

Saturday, August 26, 2017 10.00-18.00 BOLTON VEGAN FAIR

Í

Í

Saturday, May 6, 2017 10.00-18.00 NOTTINGHAM VIVA! VEGAN FESTIVAL

Í

Saturday-Sunday, June 3-4, 2017 10.00-17.00 VEGAN SUMMER FEST BRIGHTON

Í

Saturday, June 17, 2017 11.00-17.00 GREAT YORKSHIRE VEGAN FESTIVAL – LEEDS

Í

Í Í

Saturday, September 2, 2017 11.00-17.00 YORKSHIRE YOGA, HEALTH AND WELLBEING SHOW

Í

Saturday, October 16, 2017 11.00-18.00 LONDON VIVA! VEGAN FESTIVAL – WEMBLEY

Í

October 7-8, 2017 11.00-17.00 BRIGHTON VIVA! VEGAN FESTIVAL

Í

July 7-9, 2017 Friday 14.00 to Sunday 14.00 VEGAN CAMP OUT – NOTTINGHAM

Saturday, November 18, 2017 10.30-17.00 SHEFFIELD VIVA! VEGAN FESTIVAL

Saturday, July 29, 2017 10.30-17.00 COVENTRY VIVA! VEGAN FESTIVAL

Saturday, December 9, 2017 10.30-17.00 BRISTOL VIVA! VEGAN XMAS FESTIVAL

Saturday, July 29, 2017 10.00-17.00 BURY VEGAN FAIR

Sunday, November 26, 2017 11.00-17.00 WINTER VEGAN CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL – LEEDS

Í

Í

Í

Í

FOR EVERYONE – meat-eaters, VEGANS, THOSE aspiring TO BE vegan AND THOSE WHO JUST NEED A HELPING HAND

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, GO TO VIVA.ORG.UK/FESTIVALS

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Restaurant reviews

The Perch, Oxfordshire The Perch Inn is one of a handful of country pubs scattered around Port Meadow, a beautiful flat of land alongside the River Thames, between Jericho and Wolvercote, North-West of Oxford.

In the summer, the owners claim, the garden is the envy of the whole city and the 17th century plaster-rubble building with its traditional thatched roof will charm even the most seasoned pub-goers!

I visited on a freezing January afternoon and expected this remote place to be empty – not so! There were clusters of drinkers laughing around the roaring fire, children and dogs running excitedly around the massive garden and the restaurant was full of diners tucking into elegant meals.

To start we had a gently spiced roasted cauliflower soup topped with crunchy almonds plus an artistic globe artichoke and roast heritage carrot and pear salad topped with zingy lemon dressing and a generous sprinkle of toasted cumin and coriander seeds.

Mains were a gorgeous plate of butternut squash, roast red pepper and butter bean salad plus a hearty roast beetroot burger in a wholegrain bun with tangy carrot pickle and crispy triple cooked chips.

For dessert we just about managed to squeeze in a homemade sorbet made with winter fruits and a comforting spiced plum, blackberry and almond crumble with vegan custard. Prices are around £5.95 for starters and desserts and £12.95 for main courses. Not expensive for the lovely surroundings.

The Perch is a beautiful pub, a pleasant 25 minute walk along the river from Oxford train station, with friendly, polite service and wonderful vegan food. In some ways it is perhaps the last kind of place you might expect to find a vegan menu – but you do and hooray for that.

Temple of Seitan, London Nestled between a halal butchers and a greasy spoon café in Hackney sits the world’s first vegan fried-chicken shop.

It looks like any other fast-food outlet, with stainless steel counters, deep fat fryers and plastic cutlery. Their vegan chicken is made from deep-fried seitan (a meat like substance composed of wheat gluten) and covered in a southern-fried style batter. In true take-away style the tiny shop has very little seating, with just two seats inside and a couple of chairs and tables outside.

Despite the queue of hungry customers behind me, the staff happily described each item on the menu. There are five mains: two pieces of ‘chicken’, sub roll, burger, roast rolls or gluten-free nuggets (£6 each). Sides of coleslaw or fries come in at £2 each. Other options include mac’n’cheez and popcorn bites (£5 each).

I opted for the signature two piece and fries and after a short wait it appeared in a polystyrene box – two huge pieces of battered seitan. The batter to seitan ratio was spot on and included a great crunch. Fries were well seasoned, perfectly crisp and served with a healthy dollop of delicious vegan mayo.

If you’re hankering for a fried-chicken alternative you’ll love this place. If not, give it a go anyway, it’s a vegan revolution!

THE PERCH INN, Binsey, Oxford, OX2 0NG. 01865 728891 info@the-perch.co.uk

TEMPLE OF SEITAN, 10 Morning Lane, Hackney, London E9 6NA. facebook.com/templeofseitan

Rhiannon Buck

Siobhan D viva.org.uk 45

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The adventure begins 50g 5 0g SNACK SN SIZE

VEGAN V

CO C BLOS BLOSS WITH COCONUT BLOSSOM SUGAR www.iChoc.de

NEW

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The Vegan Kind Not just snack specialists, The Vegan Kind vegan lifestyle boxes are for die-hard foodies, cruelty-free beauty addicts and those who appreciate a little gift now and again. TVK’s enthusiasm for sourcing the contents of your box is loud and clear; each box is finelycrafted with cheerful gift wrapping and personalised ingredient guide. The contents are truly diverse – we sampled YumEarth Sour Jelly Beans (zingy!) then debated the best spot on our jumper to pin the set of four adorable vegan badges, all nestled in our Veganuary-themed Lifestyle Box.

GIVEAWAY 1 X THE VEGAN KIND SEASONAL BOX (WORTH £13.15)

BOX BROWNIE POINTS n TVK pride themselves in bringing new vegan brands to the table – Nina’s Popcorn with Cacao, Goji Berries and Pistachios is a winner. n You can buy your fave box items individually from the TVK’s online shop. n Earn vegan points when you shop, then redeem them for tasty products.

SEAL THE DEAL Available as a monthly subscription or single purchase. Subs start from £10/month for a Lifestyle Box (5-8 items) and £15/month for a Beauty Box (excluding p&p). Single boxes range from Seasonal for £10 (7 items) up to £29.95 for the Vegan Experience (13 items). thevegankind.com

lifestyle Boxing clever by mail order Lifestyle’s Katrina Gazley tucks into the latest vegan craze that’s taking our stomachs by storm – the food subscription box!

Vegan Tuck Box The determined duo behind Vegan Tuck Box, Chrissy & Kelly, have been on a mission to make vegan easy by sourcing cruelty-free snacks from around the world, then gifting them through your letterbox. Vegan Tuck Box may be charmingly retro-styled but always have their fingers on the pulse of the latest vegan food trend; the gorgeous likes of Terra Vegane’s Mac & Cheese and SupaCorn’s superfood popcorn found their way into the Ultimate Vegan Box we tried. Check out their Instagram feed for their daily vegan finds and veg-spiration!

BOX BROWNIE POINTS n There is a combination of sweet and savoury; healthy and decadent snacks: Snact Apple, Blueberry & Banana Fruit Jerky and Raw Gorilla Munchies with Lemon, Lucuma & Coconut to Solkiki Tahitian Nougat White

Chocolate Bar and Mackies’ Haggis & Cracked Black Pepper Crisps. n Gluten-free, Chocolate, Savoury and Health selection boxes available. n 10p from each box sale is donated to vegan outreach and sanctuaries.

SEAL THE DEAL Available as a monthly subscription or single purchase. Subs start from £9.50/month for 5-8 snacks up to £16.50/per month for 10-13 items (excluding p&p). Discounts available when you prepay for GIVEAWAY a 3, 6 or 12-month sub. Single 1 X VEGAN TUCK boxes range from £10 to £21.

BOX SELECTION vegantuckbox.co.uk BOX (WORTH £22) viva.org.uk 47

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Mindful Chef Enjoy cooking and eating healthily but don’t always have time to hit up the shops or consult your cookbooks for inspiration? That’s exactly why Mindful Chef founders, Giles, Myles and Rob, created their secret weapon to achieve weeknight, mealtime bliss – that’s kind to your bod and animal-free, too! Unlike traditional veg-box schemes, each recipe box contains all the ingredients (fresh and sundry) you need to make up to four nutritionally balanced, vegan meals.

Colour photo recipe cards ensure your fresh ingredients can be whipped into rather delicious dinners with ease. Although nonvegan recipe boxes are available from Mindful Chef, we digged their diverse vegan menu from the hearty Italian Sundried Tomato and Olive Ragu with Herbed Butterbean Mash to the fragrant Asian Sesame Tofu with Pak Choi and Rice.

GIVEAWAY 1 X MINDFUL CHEF VEGAN RECIPE BOX (THREE MEALS FOR TWO, WORTH £42)

BOX BROWNIE POINTS n All recipes are free from gluten, refined carbs and sugar. n Affordable convenience at £7 per portion (2 person box). n The only recipe box that offers a 100 per cent vegan menu, health coaching and meal planning advice too.

SEAL THE DEAL Available as a weekly (or one-off) subscription of 2-5 meals, choose from four imaginative vegan DISCOUNT recipes to fill your box. A 25% OFF YOUR three-meal recipe box sub FIRST MINDFUL is £36 for 1 person, £42 for CHEF RECIPE BOX. 2 people or £72 for 4 USE CODE ‘VIVA25’ people. Free delivery.

AT CHECKOUT mindfulchef.com

Allplants

giveaways Enter our Lifestyle reader giveaways online at viva.org.uk/competitions or send us your entry, including giveaway name (eg Vegan Tuck Box Giveaway), full name and address to Viva!, 8 York Court, Wilder Street, Bristol BS2 8QH. The deadline to enter our Lifestyle giveaways is 15 May 2017. Winners are selected at random and will be contacted within a week of the giveaway deadline.

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Allplants takes the typical veg box scheme and turns it on its head with freshly prepared, imaginative plantpowered dishes delivered to your doorstep instead – take the Chargrilled Jerk Jackfruit or Cashew Mac (& Cheeze) – need we say more?

Allplants is not unlike having a vegan chef, mother and nutritionist all-inone, who welcomes you home with the comforting lure of healthy, handcooked food after a hard day’s work.

Each of the six, gently-frozen meals that form your tasting menu are ready to cook. Handy tips on DISCOUNT how to embellish your dish USE CODE with fresh veg, from ‘VIVAPLANTSLOVE’ avocado garnish to zesty FOR AN UNLIMITED cucumber and tomato 10% OFF ANY salad, are included too.

ORDERS

BOX BROWNIE POINTS n Nutroast step aside, Allplants vegan Moussaka – layered roasted aubergine in a coconut bechamel sauce – is a firm fave filling. n All meals are free from artificial flavourings and preservatives. n Thanks to Allplants Zero-Waste mission, you can recycle everything in your box when you’re done!

SEAL THE DEAL OK, so this isn’t strictly a subscription service but it’s still a weekly box of vegan loveliness that’s delivered to your door. The Tasting Menu includes six dinners for two priced at £57 plus p&p (works out at £4.75 per portion). allplants.com

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V-Biz Spotlight

Mail order vegan continued…

We jumped on the vegan subscriptionbox bandwagon for our Lifestyle feature (p47-48) and boy we were impressed with the sheer volume of new vegan products that fill up these

monthly letterbox surprises! We found a few more schemes that are worth a mention. They make utterly unique, cruelty-free gifts for birthdays and seasonal celebrations (ahem, Easter!).

Goodness Project Welcome to Viva!life’s section devoted to all that’s new and cool when it comes to veggie, vegan and ethical businesses. We believe that you are what you eat but also you are what you buy – so why not support these new businesses that are making a vegan splash in a notso-vegan ocean!

Are you an ethical enterprise that adores animals?

Work with us and the rewards could be amazing.

We offer a diverse portfolio of business opportunities that support our charity and your business too! n Advertise in our award-winning magazine, Viva!life, digested by over 20k dedicated vegan, veggie and veg-curious readers every issue. n Become a Viva! Vegan Festival stallholder at one (or more!) of our many successful Viva!organised (and partnered) events in 2017. n Sponsor one of the exciting fundraising projects we have on the go. Veganista – a yearlong vegan cookery competition. And Team Viva! – brave supporters partake in challenging activities from crazy cycle rides to vegan bake sales to raise money for Viva!. n Join our Supporter’s Discount Scheme – offer our members a discount and get a free promotional listing on our My Vegan Town directory and inclusion in every new membership pack.

Mini Seasonal Box – £11.60 up to Snack Attack – £45.95 Thoughtfully curated boxes (and hampers) filled with pure, natural goodies each month. thegoodnessproject.co.uk

The Really Good Box Single Box – £22.50 Great quality items (skincare to stationery) from brands who also care about their impact on the world. Fair-trade and organic where possible. thereallygoodbox.com

DISCOUNT USE CODE ‘VIVA20’ FOR 20% OFF YOUR FIRST ORDER

Healthy Nibbles Mini Vegan Box – £9.95 up to Vegan Super Box – £49.95 Healthy and tasty snacking solution for any lifestyle, through vending machines, office snacks, subscription boxes and hampers. healthynibbles.co.uk

When you choose to become a Viva! Business Supporter, you are part of a positive community that works to end the suffering of our animal friends and fights for a healthier, cruelty-free lifestyle for all. Be a part of it today! Find out how online at viva.org.uk/resources/businesses or call Katrina on 0117 944 1000.

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Continued from page 29 removed to save on winter feeding. Or the queen’s wings may be clipped so she can’t fly and the swarm will remain on the outside of the hive. They are collected up and put back inside – after all, heaven forbid there should be too few bees at the start of the year to collect profitable quantities of honey.

Artificial insemination may be used and because of the constantly full hives, deadly mite infestations are treated with truly horrendous antibiotics – even though they have been shown to be ineffective. In the US – and to a lesser extent here – bees are subjected to long-distance transportation as hives are moved from farm to farm to pollinate growing crops.

Some of our supermarkets run jolly little bee campaigns, encouraging you to plant bee-friendly plants or build ‘bee hotels’. At the same time, they completely ignore the practices of the bee industry.

Producing honey is hard work; a bee makes just a twelfth of a teaspoonful in her lifetime. As you might suspect, it is the female worker bees who do the graft and collect nectar from flowers, transfer it to hive bees who ingest and regurgitate it repeatedly, adding enzymes to break down the sugar. Bee vomit, really! It’s then sealed into the wax honeycomb as their food supply for winter. When the honey is removed for human consumption, it’s usually replaced with sugar syrup – hardly a fair swap!

The first indication that honey ain’t all it’s cracked up to be is the NHS’s warning not to give it to babies under 12 months.

Botulism is the reason, which can start with dizziness and end up with paralysis.

For those who can’t digest fructose – fruit sugar, problems are particularly pronounced in people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). It can produce some delectable symptoms when broken down by bacteria in the gut – bloating, cramping and diarrhoea.

Manuka mania Oh how the trends come and go! Manuka honey is produced by bees from the Manuka (tea tree) in New Zealand and Australia and can change your life, you know! Well, Marie Claire says it, so it must be true. It’s also very expensive. But it does appear to have some antibacterial properties and has been shown to kill some deadly antibiotic-resistant superbugs, but only when used on wounds.

Much of this activity is attributed to the acidic and high-sugar/low-water content which effectively dehydrates the bacteria.

If you ate a bowl of sugar and vomited it up, the sugary, acidic gloop would undoubtedly have the same effect.

These same antimicrobial properties have shown some effectiveness against the bug that causes stomach ulcers (Helicobacter pylori) but only in the

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laboratory – it isn’t so effective in people.

Manuka honey has also given birth to a honey counterfeit crime wave – one in three jars ain’t what it says on the tin!

Makes you mad Heather honey is also much lauded but it includes rhododendrons which contains a poison called grayanotoxin, it can cause intoxication – dizziness, weakness, ‘pins and needles’, sweating, nausea and vomiting. Severe intoxication, after just a few spoonfuls, can even cause a heart attack! It has attracted the title ‘mad honey’. Makes drinking meths sound positively attractive.

This ‘mad honey’ was used as a weapon of war in 67 BC, when King Mithridates’ army left chunks of ‘mad honeycomb’ in the path of the Romans, who ate it up, became disorientated and were promptly slain. Grayanotoxin was also the poison used by chief antagonist Lord Blackwood to feign his death in the 2009 film Sherlock Holmes. Most cases of poisoning occur in Turkey but others have been reported worldwide as mad honey is sold online.

Some years ago, Britain, the EU and US banned honey imports from China, the world’s biggest producer, when it was found to be contaminated with the antibiotic chloramphenicol, which can cause life-threatening anaemia and is linked to cancer.

in evidence-based health care) did report adverse effects of honey in children, including nervousness, insomnia and hyperactivity.

There have been long-term claims that unfiltered honey can somehow desensitise you to allergies, despite the fact there’s no evidence for it. And probably never will be as the pollen in honey is mostly heavy, flower pollen that doesn’t cause hay fever whereas the primary culprit is lighter pollen from grasses and trees that bees don’t visit that much.

There’s also no evidence that honey works better than sugar in energy drinks.

The substantial amount of fructose it contains can increase blood pressure and insulin resistance so really, you’re better off with orange juice or just sugar and water!

Just ahead of Christmas 2010, The Royal Society of Chemistry issued a press release saying that toast with honey is the ideal way to combat a hangover. The fructose it contains, which also applies to golden syrup by the way, can help the body break down alcohol into harmless by-products.

However, it also increases blood pressure and triglycerides (fats and sugar in the blood). Not good! Maybe drinking less booze is the answer.

Can honey help weight-loss? A comparison of honey, sucrose and a highfructose corn syrup found all three had the same effects, honey offers no advantage.

Coughs and sneezes As for curing your coughs and sneezes, just a couple of small studies, both funded by the honey industry, say it’s better than cough medicines but the majority of studies don’t agree. As nerve fibres that initiate a cough are found next to those that taste sweetness, it’s likely that all syrups can help suppress a cough. Further, the Cochrane Reviews (the gold standard

Conclusion Honey is presented as a cure-all for all manner of ailments but no single claim has been approved under European law.

Instead of searching for another animal to exploit isn’t it about time we accepted there are no magic bullets.

Read the full feature here: vivahealth.org.uk/healthfeatures/honeyhope-or-hype

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Thank you very much A heartfelt handshake to our hard-working and enthusiastic Viva! Stall Volunteers who represented Viva! at events throughout the autumn and winter season. We you!

❤

n Melissa and Carolyn made £250 at Ipswich Vegan Festival. n Millie, her husband Dave and their daughter sold a ton of merch at York Vegfest, making a fantastic £350. n Friends Patricia and Susan raised £165 at the Animal Charities Bazaar in Suffolk. n Genene and friends raised a whopping £315 at Vevolution. n Chris and Allan sold £185 worth of Viva! goodies at the Bournemouth Vegan Fair. n Venita and friend Miranda raised £160 at the very first Wiltshire Vegan Fair. n Catherine and Jessica raised over £160 at the Southwest Christmas without Cruelty Festival. n Mother Carolyn and daughter Isobel made an incredible £550 at the Cambridge Vegan Fair. n Carolyn, Steve and James sold £310 worth of merch at Breckland Compassionate Living Fair. n Lisa, Julie and John made £270 selling festive Viva! wares at the Swansea Vegan Christmas Market.

Rise up and run a stall for the animals!

Viva! attend over 50 veggie and vegan events throughout the year and we rely on you, our lovely supporters and friends, to help run our stalls. As you can see, volunteering for Viva! raises serious money for our campaigns and with our excellent literature, these shows help to spread the understanding about the issues.

On page 44 is our full event listing. Where Viva!’s name is in the title, Viva! staff will be present but these are big events

and we still need as many volunteers as possible to help us.

It is honestly very difficult for us to do all that’s needed without you being there in sufficient numbers. So please think about joining us.

Where Viva!’s name isn’t mentioned, you could really be our champion and run a stall on our behalf. We’ll give you all the help and support you need. Go for it – it really is great fun.

Above: Chris and friend at the Bournemouth Vegan Fair. Right: Lisa, John and Julia at the Swansea Vegan Christmas Market

For all the info you need on becoming a Viva! Stall Vol visit our new volunteer pages at viva.org.uk/viva-stall-vol

To get your free copies of our superb, 64-page Everyone’s Going Vegan mag to hand out at your own events, email info@viva.org.uk viva.org.uk 51

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Viva!’s new vegan directory for all things vegan and wonderful

Explore hundreds of vegan-friendly places to eat, sleep and shop – then champion and share your fave finds!

Support

MY VegAn Town and help us celebrate kindness

to animals, people and the planet myvegantown.org.uk | viva.org.uk | mvt@viva.org.uk

Partnered with the Farm Animal Sanctuary in Evesham and Viva! Poland Animal Sanctuary, our scheme is the perfect way to help animals who have been abused for the food, fur and entertainment industries. Your donation is crucial to their survival – helping to feed and look after these animals, who have often suffered terribly before being rescued.

PERFECT GIFT FOR ANIMAL LOVERS

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ADOPT A FARM A N I M A L WITH

P O L A N D

This is to certify that has adopted Signed Juliet Gellatley – Founder & Director of Viva!

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Adopt a Farm Animal, 8 York Court, Wilder Street, Bristol BS2 8QH T: 0117 944 1000 E: info@adoptafarm animal.org.uk W: www.adoptafarmanimal.org.uk

Order your adoption online from adoptafarmanimal.org.uk or call 0117 944 1000 (Mon-Fri, 9-5) 52

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Classifieds HOLIDAYS – ENGLAND EAST SUSSEX

HOLIDAYS – FRANCE

La Maison du Vert vvegetarian egetarian & vvegan egan hotel & rrestaurant estaurant

Our hotel & restaurant restaurant is set in a stunning Normandy valley valley within 3 acres acres of beautiful gardens. gardens. ŵ (IPMGMSYW ZIKIXEVMER ERH ZIKER KSYVQIX QIRYW ŵ (IPM GMSYW ZIKIXEVMER ERH ZIKER KSYVQIX QIRYW ŵ 2EXYVEPP] KVS[R TVSHYGI SVKERMG [MRIW GMHIVW ERH FIIVW ŵ 2EXYVEPP] KVS[R TVSHYGI SVKERMG [MRIW GMHIVW ERH FIIVW KEVHIR 1SRX 7X 1MGLIP ŵ :MWMX 'EQIQFIVX 1SRIXŭ ŵ :MWMX 'EQIQFIVX 1SRIXŭW KEVHIR 1SRX 7X 1MGLIP ,SRƥIYV ( (E] PERHMRK FIEGLIW &E]IY\ ,SRƥIYV ( (E] PERHMRK FIEGLIW &E]IY\ ;EPO G]GPI VIPE\ *VII ;-*ŵŵ ;EPO G]GPI VIPE\ *VII ;-*-

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Debbie & Daniel Armitage 61120 Tiche Ticheville, ville, Normandy,, France Normandy France ert.com 00 33 2 33 36 95 84 mail@maisonduv mail@maisonduvert.com

www.maisonduvert.com www.maisonduvert.com

see

HOLIDAYS – IRELAND West Cork – Vegetarian self-catering apartments. Peaceful, wooded surroundings. Organic vegetables and wholefoods available. Green Lodge, Ballylickey, Bantry, Co Cork.

Tel: 0035 3 2766146 Email: greenlodge@gmail.com Web: http://homepage.eircom. net/~greenlodge PRODUCTS & SERVICES

www.taxreturnonlineservices.co.uk Financial Accounts Preparation • Self Assessment Tax Returns Rental Accounts • Business Tax Advice 5% donation to VIVA!

Tel: 01485 601499 CHARITIES & GROUPS

The Vegetarian Charity

LESAIGLES VEGETARIAN & VEGAN SELF CATERING HOLIDAY APARTMENT

Mirabel-aux-Baronnies, 26110, France +33 (0)4 75 26 47 18 +33 (0)6 77 75 97 14 bookings@lesaigles-veggies.com www.lesaigles-veggies.com

Vegetarians and vegans aged under 26 can apply for grants from The Vegetarian Charity. We can help with education costs and funds for exceptional needs.

Under The Lime Tree Spa B&B

Donations and legacies are most welcome to ensure that we can continue to satisfy the need for help.

Hot Stones Shiatsu Reiki Faceli Rejuvenation Indian Head

Vegan & Veggie catering & classes Spa Treatments available

Our annual fully funded vegan cookery course is open to vegetarians and vegans aged 16-25 years inc.

Further information and application forms are available on our website www.vegetariancharity.org.uk or by post from The Grants Secretary, PO Box 496, Manchester M45 0FL Registered Charity No 294767

Digital Photography & Knife Making workshops Fontfaix le Haut Cellefrouin France

www underthelimetree com nikki@underthelimetree com

Personal

Looking for friendship, love or even a new business partner? Well, Viva!life Personal is the place to come! It’s simple and effective, and good value for money with prices starting from £8 for a 20-word lineage advert.

The Followers of the Way Golgotha Skulls, Red Sea, vegetarian perspective, artist Antony Bates and Rev. Ferrier. Please send SAE. Please reply to Box 61/5, Viva!, 8 York Court, Wilder Street, Bristol BS2 8QH

viva.org.uk 53

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PRODUCTS & SERVICES

THE

INQUEST

Another great novel from Tony Wardle, editor of Viva!life – in collaboration with Michael Mansfield QC, Viva! patron “It is riveting and moving – a real page turner. I loved it and couldn’t put it down” Jimmy McGovern (Writer – Banished, Cracker, The Lakes, The Street and the docudrama Hillsborough).

A plane crashes on London, 523 people die and a wall of silence descends. Tom Harrison, a high street solicitor, takes up the search for answers with relatives of the dead. Out of his depth, he has no idea what he is about to confront – a ruthless scramble for no-fault compensation by corporate lawyers; an aircraft owner’s determined evasions; dirty tricks of a worried government; and the bizarre complications of a “The Inquest is completely Dickensian legal system. gripping. A David v Goliath As Tom struggles to cope with it conflict that just makes you all, and the competing demands of want to keep on reading – his clients, he allows his love life to the authorities covering become entangled with his their backs while truth professional life and the case becomes as much a victim becomes even more complicated. as those who die.”

Despite unearthing powerful Doreen Lawrence OBE evidence as to what really happened, (Baroness Lawrence of the system defeats him. There is just Clarendon). one last chance to reveal the truth – a simple inquest.

Order from the Viva! shop on 0117 944 1000 (9am-5pm) or go to vivashop.org.uk/inquest 54

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Issue 2 out now

Contact VfL for your FREE 28-page magazine

0161 257 0887 | www.vegetarianforlife.org.uk

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Make a difference with your energy bills

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To ogether with Ene ergy and Trransport, Food is i one of the three biggest sources of carbon emissions in Britain – that’s why campaigning for a plant-based diet is an important part of our work.

We’ve shown this through our involvement with our local football JS\I -VYLZ[ .YLLU 9V]LYZ ¶ ^P[O V\Y OLSW -.9 PZ UV^ [OL ÄYZ[ ]LNHU football club in the world. :^P[JO `V\Y LULYN` HUK IL JVUÄKLU[ [OH[ ^L ILSPL]L HUK JHTWHPNU for what you believe in. Join us now and we’ll donate up to £60 to Viva* plus you’ll receive a free LED bulb set – it couldn’t be easier to Z^P[JO HUK [HRLZ SLZZ [OHU Ä]L TPU\[LZ

We’ll W e e’ll donate d £60 to Viva! and you’ll receive a free LED light bulb set when you Switch*

Call us free on 08000 302 302 (quoting VIV VA) A or visit www.ecotricity.co.uk/viva *For full terms and conditions, please go to www w..ecotricity y..co.uk/viva. .co.uk

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We’r e e an energy company unlike any other therr. We take the money our customers spend on their electricity and gas bills and use it to build new sources of renewable energy - what we like to call ‘bills into mills’.

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