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Published by Viva! the vegan campaigning group
life Issue 58 Spring 2015
And the winner is… Viva!’s photo com results p
Meat your maker? Why you don’t need meat
Little bright sparks Chickens – cleverer than you think Tony Wardle says…
We are Charlie The ‘Honourable’ Member Interview with Kerry McCarthy MP
Foie-gras campaign… Heston concedes after Mirror story
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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 socalled ‘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 consumption is down in the UK thanks to Viva! and our loyal supporters. Viva! is a registered charity (1037486).
Contents
life58
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Life is Cheep Chickens have feelings too!
5 Lifelines News roundup from Viva! 8 The Honourable Member Interview with Bristol vegan MP, Kerry McCarthy 18 Iceland Easter Target Store puts kangaroos on sale 16 Lifescience Latest in vegan research 19 Dining Out Restaurant reviews home and away 24 And the Winner Is… Our photo competition winners 26 We Are Charlie Tony Wardle defends freedom of speech
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Gorgeous new recipes
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 – plus a free car sticker. Call 0117 944 1000 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm) or join online at www.viva.org.uk/join.
With an international flavour
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Heston drops cruelty Huge publicity sees foie-gras go
28 Successful Dieting – 5:2 and V-Plan diets for easy weight loss
35 Viva! Activists Young support gets a new look
30 Viva! Review What we did in 2014
36 Why You Don’t Need Meat Latest research on meat and ill health
32 Lifestyle Latest goods and goodies
45 Classifieds Everything you could ever want
Cover photo © Helen Brand
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 children’s health, the harmful effects of dairy foods, heart health, how to help combat obesity, diabetes and breast cancer and the dangers of eating fish and meat.
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Welcom e
VIVA!LIFE MAGAZINE Viva! Founder & International Director Juliet Gellatley
My mum phoned me – she was disgusted: “Tesco are selling kangaroo meat, you have to stop it!” That was 18 years ago. Every major supermarket chain had suddenly introduced ‘exotic’ meats. I researched the obscenity of kangaroo hunting and then we took on Tesco. They dropped all exotic meats within days. Australian groups invited me to their homeland and with a massive media, I took on politicians and the industry. Later, ABC TV invited me back to go one-to-one with a kangaroo killer. The camera crew were clearly against my stance but we flew together in a small plane from Sydney to South Australia then drove for over an hour without seeing a single building. The killer’s large family house was in the middle of the outback, one of a group of eight but the others were abandoned. I found thousands of home-made golden bullets in his conservatory and that night slept with a chest of drawers against my bedroom door! Outside the landscape was truly alien with sparse blue-grey plants against dark orange soils that stretched for miles and miles. The camera crew fired up and I sat sweltering in a 120 degree heat, debating the killing of kangaroos with passion in my heart. The shooter boasted that he’d killed 100,000 kangaroos and off camera bragged of also killing countless cats. I looked him in the eye and asked how he felt when he wrenched a baby joey from his mother’s pouch as she lay dying? He shrugged and said: “I feel nothing.” I believed him for his eyes were soulless and I remember thinking, “he’s a psychopath!”. The interview is at www.savethekangaroo/videos – Killing for Kicks. Viva! forged on and persuaded every British supermarket to withdraw kangaroo and all ‘exotic’ meats. We were also credited with closing the UK ostrich industry. So it is with great sadness but also gargantuan determination that we now campaign to persuade Iceland to withdraw all ‘exotic’ meats, including kangaroo. See page 18 to help. There are some excellent features in this issue – and wonderful variety – from Tony’s heartfelt, lucid plea to never take freedom of speech for granted (page 26), to the fascinating intelligence of the humble hen (page 10) to a robust round-up of why we don’t need meat (page 36)! Finally, many congratulations to Paul Freestone, Isobel Renn and Helen Brand and all the winners of our photo competition (page 24). Helen’s stunning photo of a rescued pig adorns our front cover. Look into his eyes. Wonderful. Yours for the animals
Editor Tony Wardle Campaigns & Deputy Director Justin Kerswell Office Manager Laura Turner Viva!Health Campaigners Veronika Powell & Dr Justine Butler Merchandise & Sales Manager Katrina Gazley Food & Cookery Coordinator Jane Easton Design The Ethical Graphic Design Company Ltd Editorial enquiries 0117 970 4633 Advertising enquiries 0117 944 1000 Membership enquiries 0117 944 1000 info@viva.org.uk Online www.viva.org.uk www.vivahealth.org.uk Viva!, 8 York Court, Wilder Street, Bristol BS2 8QH
Juliet Gellatley Founder & Director Juliet@viva.org.uk www.facebook.com/ julietwgellatley
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General enquires 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
Rescued joeys at Darling Range Wildlife Centre
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lifelines Our woman in Lithuania At the beginning of March, Director Juliet Gellatley was invited to Lithuania by Paulius Jarusavecius, of the Ann Wigmore Foundation, to do a series of talks. At a large health exhibition in Kaunas, there was an audience of 225 who were able to hear her words through simultaneous translation. Some 90 per cent were meat eaters. Juliet’s second talk was at the Department of Pharmacology, University of Kaunas, to health professionals, including a professor of public health and two paediatric PhD students. The title of the talks was Why You Don’t Need Meat and Dairy and the interest was intense, with a barrage of questions. The talks were professionally filmed and will be translated into Lithuanian and Russian for the web. Ann Wigmore was founder of the famous Hippocrates Natural Health Institute and promotes healthfulness through living vegan foods.
For the last time… Hitler was not a vegetarian! British chef Dionne Lucas worked in a Hamburg Hotel in the early 1930s which was frequented by Hitler. She writes: “Stuffed squab (pigeon) was a great favourite of Mr Hitler, who dined at the hotel often.” He also ate liver and other poultry. In fact, he apparently ate like a king during the war while his compatriots starved. Always ahead of our time, 20 years ago, Viva! had a best-selling T-shirt with the slogan – ‘For the last sodding time, Hitler was not a vegetarian.’
Vets – we need you! Viva! investigates farmed animal cruelty and we need the help of qualified vets of any speciality. We would like to have independent comment on the conditions exposed in our undercover footage for the media and for our reports. If you would like to help, please contact deputy director Justin Kerswell at Justin@viva.org.uk.
It’s official – eat less meat! They’re all at it – proffering advice to save your health and the planet. Chatham House in London (Royal Institute for International Affairs) reckons that it is essential to curb meat consumption to avoid devastating climate change and lower rates of heart disease and cancer. It also levels a criticism that we have been making for years – governments and environmental campaigners are doing little due to fears of a consumer backlash. Two studies by international scientists, published in Science and Anthropocene
Review, make scary reading. They say that life on Earth – our life – is at risk. Of the nine world processes that underpin life, four have exceeded ‘safe’ levels. Prof Will Steffen (Australian National University and Stockholm Resilience Centre) says: “It’s clear the economic system is driving us towards an unsustainable future and people of my daughter’s generation will find it increasingly hard to survive. Factors identified by the study include over fishing, deforestation, nitrogen pollution, C02 levels and soil degradation. All these factors are
mainly caused by diet – meat, fish and dairy”. In an almost seismic about turn, the US Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) has finally recommended a cut in meat consumption – all meat – after years of steadfastly ignoring the science. This will have an impact on federal provision such as institutional and school meals. The outcry from the meat industry is predictably shrill and loud but the advice is clear: “People need to eat less meat.” (See Dr Justine Butler’s article on page 36).
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lifelines Subsistence Rations
VIVA!’S SHORTS n CHICKEN SALES DROPPED by 3.8 per cent in the last 12 weeks of 2014 for the first time. Public health announcements that most supermarket chicken (77 per cent) was contaminated with campylobacter may well have played a part.
We don’t wish to fuel the anti-European agenda but…. a little reform wouldn’t be out of place. Last Christmas, MEPs sat down to a lunch which included duck, lobster, foie-gras and quail eggs, while countries such as Greece, Spain and Italy struggled with staggering levels of unemployment and poverty. Menu planners must have tried to choose the cruellest dishes they could find for the fourcourse meal – available for the bargain price of 20 euros a head (about £15). Why so cheap? It was subsidised by us taxpayers!
n When vegan chef, MARL REINFELD, is asked that persistent question: “Where do you get your protein?” He replies: “I get my protein from where your protein gets its protein!” n THE HEPATITIS E VIRUS (HEV) is rapidly infecting British pig herds and as a result, one in 10 sausages and processed pork meat products now carry it and could infect consumers. n LIZZIE SHAW, founder of Dorset Vegan and with a host of followers on Twitter and Facebook, challenged Dorset people to go vegan in November, with a huge piece in the Bournemouth Echo, including recipes. n Loveable geezer and headline chef, JAMIE OLIVER, in a recent impromptu video interview, revealed his true feelings about what we eat. “Vegan is sweet – less disease and longer life”. He said he was moving towards it step by step. n BAFTA WENT VEGAN for its last awards celebration (hooray). The main course was roast butternut squash and sun-blush tomato lasagne with wilted spinach, roast pepper and sage. Speculation was that it reflected the large numbers of celebrities who are going vegan. n PLEASE SIGN VIRGINIA BELL’S PETITION, which is self-explanatory. Go to the Care2 website and search for ‘Call on the Catholic church to do more for animals’. (See Tony Wardle’s article on page 26).
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Foie-gras – more success Passive Pressure, the tireless, Bromley-area campaign group have scored another success by eliminating foie-gras from a restaurant menu. Its evening demonstrations outside Chapter One at Farnborough just before Christmas, backed by Viva! materials and copies of our Daily Mirror article (see page 12), brought the following response from its owners: “We have reviewed our policy and aim to take foie-gras off in the new year.” Congratulations to both protesters and restaurant!
Go Veganz German vegan supermarket chain, Veganz, was founded in 2011 and is now growing spectacularly, with nine stores – seven in Germany, one in Prague and one in Vienna. With a huge choice of 4,500 different products, its turnover last year was nearly a staggering 100 million euros. Founder Jan Bredac has big plans: “The time is now and this is an idea with potential. By 2020, we aim to have 60 stores in Europe and the US.” It will be achieved by franchising – so vegan entrepreneurs take note.
Time to retreat Viva!’s ace cookery co-ordinator, Jane Easton, and exViva!life editor, Helen Wilson, are running a yoga and cookery retreat for women. In the glorious Welsh Black Mountains, the venue is a spacious, traditional, stonebuilt farm cottage with a little stream in the picturesque garden and tumbling river close by. With Gitananda yoga combined with pranayama breathing, as well as guided vegan cookery sessions, body and soul will both be fed. Friday to Sunday pm, it costs £250 for a select group of six people only. Call 01792 651084 or email womankindyoga@gmail.com.
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Obituaries
POD online Tony Wardle’s extraordinarily gripping new novel, POD, in which the animals have started to fight back against human domination, is now available on Kindle, at £4.95. Go to Amazon, please review it and give it a star rating. A print version is available from the Viva! shop at www.vivashop.org.uk/pod at £8.95. We would really appreciate a one paragraph review from anyone who has read POD.
Live Long and Prosper Californian cardiac surgeon, Dr Ellsworth Wareham, recently turned 100 and credited his longevity to his vegan diet, saying: “When performing heart surgery, vegetarians tended to have much cleaner arteries than those who ate meat, which tended to be full of calcium and plaque.” Retired dentist, Hilda Phillips, of Brighton & Hove, also recently turned 100 and said: “I don’t feel it and maybe it’s because I’ve been a vegetarian for most of my life.”
IKEA’s balls When we heard that Swedish furnishing chain, IKEA, were intending to introduce vegetarian meat balls into its store restaurants, we got on the case and asked them to make them completely animal free. At the end of January, we received the following message: “Our Veggie Ball will be launched from April 2015 onwards. It does not have any animal content and is therefore suitable for vegans”. Thank you IKEA – and I’ll never again make fun of your flat packs or how permanent rescue teams are required to save people who haven’t been able to find the exit for a week or more.
Magnificent Mike Mike Maybury celebrated his 80th birthday in Portsmouth on February 4 with three days of activities with some 70 people, including lunch from waste supermarket food and a delicious Indian dinner. Mike has worked indefatigably for vegetarianism throughout his life, including opening nine health food stores in the 1950s and 1960s, under the title Radiant Health Centres, as well as innumerable exhibitions and press events. We are delighted to say he will be opening our Portsmouth Incredible Vegan Roadshow on September 5, 2015 (to be confirmed).
The Reverend James Thompson ‘The Rev’ died on January 30, 2015 and will be greatly missed. He founded Christians Against Animal Abuse to get across the message that animals are not ours to abuse. He also instigated the morning services at the Animals Cenotaph in London on Remembrance Sunday for the forgotten victims of war. There is no doubt that James touched the hearts of many people throughout the world, but none more than mine. Farewell, James! He is survived by his devoted wife, Doreen. Judi Hewitt
Margaret Gibbins I was very sad to hear of the passing of my friend and campaigner extraordinaire, Margaret Gibbins of Torpoint, Cornwall. Patron Jenny Margaret was Seagrove with spurred into Margaret at our Xmas celebration action in her 60s by the live export of calves. She joined demos at Plymouth docks, found a voice louder than many, dumped her flower arranging circle and equipped herself with a secret camera and made two undercover videos exposing the cruelty at livestock markets! They were shown on national TV and you can see this brave lady being chased away by angry, ruddy faced men with sticks – not easy when you sometimes use a walking stick. Margaret filmed one of the worst farms, used in Viva!’s Pig In Hell video and shown around the world on CNN and others. It was a sickening pig slum with rotting piglets and mothers in crates. She was instrumental in helping us get the farm closed. This lovely, warm and kind lady ran Viva! Cornwall and was given our prestigious Action for Animals Award at our 10th anniversary dinner on board SS Great Britain in Bristol. Margaret, you will be sorely missed and my heart goes out to your friends and family. Juliet Gellatley
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The Honourable Member Tony Wardle talks to Kerry McCarthy, vegan Labour MP for Bristol East 8
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M
y abiding memory of Kerry McCarthy will always be of her standing in the House of Commons late one evening – in fact, getting close to midnight – outlining the appalling effects of livestock production on animal suffering, the environment and human health. It was a parliamentary first for World Vegan Day and her words echoed around the chamber, empty except for three likeminded MPs who had turned up to support her and half-a-dozen Conservative farmers, there to heckle “because they felt threatened by the whole idea!” Now that’s dedication! Kerry has gone on record as being the first MP ever to advocate a vegan diet. And to prove she’s no Luddite, she is also believed to have been the first MP to use an iPad when making a speech. Elected in 2005, she has already clocked up a long list of junior ministerial and shadow posts and an even longer list of PPS appointments and committee and select committee memberships. Currently, Kerry is at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, its crisp formality at odds with her very down to Earth character – and therein lies a dilemma. Should she hold any ministerial responsibility after the forthcoming election, will she be able to keep her mouth shut? “I don’t want to be silent, I want to have a voice and maybe freedom is the more powerful of the two.” Born in Luton, she is one of eight children – six girls and two boys – and Kerry describes a house in which there were no books, an atmosphere that was totally un-PC and a step father who was “a working class Tory”. She was obsessed with music and says, maybe surprisingly, that from the age of 14 onwards her politics grew from reading the NME (New Musical Express), in the days when it was very political. Punk had a powerful effect, too, particularly The Clash and the Jam and it was Joy Division’s influence that persuaded her to read Russian literature at Liverpool University. Political theory was fine but it wasn’t enough and it was an advert in the Guardian that led Kerry into local Luton politics and a speedy rise through the committee structure to become a councillor. Kerry also qualified as a solicitor before moving to Merill Lynch in the City and then Europe. Through it all, there was never any thought in Kerry’s mind of entering parliament: “I always thought I would be in the background but when Jean Corston (now
Baroness Corston) stood down it was suggested I should stand and so I did – and I can’t tell you how horrible it is putting yourself forward for the intrusive selection process.” I’m talking to Kerry McCarthy in a Bristol vegan café and as ever, I’m entranced by her demeanour. The questions I’m asking must have been put to her a hundred times before but she talks quickly, at length and enthusiastically, her words enlivened by little giggles and personal asides as if it’s all new and exciting. Perhaps it was this attitude that ensured her election by Bristol East Labour Constituency Party (which used to make
her footsteps, Kerry took the Mick but …. Not long after she became aware of the cruelty of the dairy industry and the fate of pregnant cows and their calves and the inevitable happened – she became vegan. It was bolstered by her passion about health and the environment and the negative impact that milk and meat have on both. I’ve interviewed many people over the years about their motivation for becoming veggie or vegan and none has answered in quite the way Kerry McCarthy did. “I was shocked by the cruelty I discovered but my reaction wasn’t emotional or sentimental, rather it was entirely rational, logical. Why cause harm and suffering to others if it is entirely unnecessary?” So, a ‘bunny hugger’ she isn’t but a practical, material being. What I find extraordinary is the number of people who are emotional about animals and will scream at you: “No, don’t show me that, I can’t bear it!” and yet still they refuse to change their diet. So, rational is entirely okay by me, particularly as it has, through Kerry McCarthy, put veganism firmly on the agenda in parliament. I suspect that her attitude is partly formed by her belief that emotion doesn’t do it for parliamentarians and what she would like is for other, non-vegan MPs to join her in fighting to end animal abuse. When it is someone else other than Kerry demanding changes to the appalling intensive farming systems, they won’t be able to dismiss them with the old Mandy Rice-Davies phrase: “Well, she would say that, wouldn’t she?” Kerry is Irish born and her biological father left home when she was very little and although she didn’t obviously appear to, I found it painful when she talked about meeting him again when she was in her 20s. It was carefully organised to make it less stressful and the agreed meeting place was a pub. She had no idea what he looked like but recognised him immediately, amazed at how much he resembled her. I find treading through memories such as Kerry’s unsatisfactory – intrusive – for all you are likely to come away with are the simple facts: yes, he wished he had seen her while the family was still in Ireland, he had become a book reader to educate himself and was an organiser with the T&G union (now Unite). Perhaps it’s impossible to describe the emotions that swirl around in you at a time like that because they are too personal or perhaps they are just too amorphous to even identify exactly their constituent parts. Either way, Kerry stayed in touch until he died.
“Why cause harm and suffering to others if it is entirely unnecessary?” up part of Tony Benn’s constituency) was a walkover and she made it on the first ballot. She was subsequently returned to parliament with an 8,000 majority – cut to 3,722 in the 2010 election, making Kerry’s seat now a marginal. The whole concept of vegetarianism, awareness of life and death, was not alien to punk philosophy so perhaps the first seeds were sown to the discordant sounds (sorry Kerry) of “I don’t want to go to f-----g university.” Whatever, when her little sister went veggie, Kerry wasn’t far behind. She was then 16. Eleven years later, her sister had become a completely classic crusty, according to Kerry, and was vegan. This time, rather than following in
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! n i a r b Bird s ch eep? L if e i
Chickens have long been maligned as ‘stupid’ animals; scientists, however, now say that chickens are smart with advanced thinking skills – able to plan ahead, communicate precise information and feel empathy. By Juliet Gellatley, founder & director, Viva! (BSc Zoology)
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hicken farming is the epitome of life is cheap. ‘Everyday’ whole chickens sell for £2.48 at Tesco – all that suffering for £2.48. The numbers are crazy, close to one billion little lives wiped out each year in the UK alone. So much cruelty on a mindboggling scale and so often excused by ignorance. I’ve heard them all: “But chickens are stupid”, “they don’t feel or have emotions” and even, “are chickens even animals?” People celebrate the smartness of wild birds yet dismiss chickens as being unintelligent, worthless. In fact, birds display human skills: magpies recognise themselves in a mirror; New Caledonian crows make tools; and African grey parrots count and categorise objects by colour and shape. Scientists and those who live with hens have learned that they can be cunning and wily and can communicate in sophisticated ways comparable with some primates – just as the cognitive abilities of all crows are equal to chimps and gorillas. Roosters protect females, chickens solve complex problems and mother hens emotionally empathise with their chicks. The Scientific American reckons: “Chickens are smart and understand their world, which raises troubling questions about how they are treated on factory farms.” And researchers at Macquarie University in Australia recently found that chickens’ high level of intelligence made studying them something of a challenge. Birds would deliberately subvert experiments to their advantage. In large, outdoor spaces with lots of vegetation, an enclosed area was set up which showed TV footage of a cockerel shaking his wattle, which a female finds very attractive because it means he has found food for her – and the larger the wattle the more the testosterone (isn’t that the way!).
ch ickens’ h igh level of intelligence made studying th em som eth ing of a challenge
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Hens had to wait to for the door to be opened but one, hen 007, became impatient and examined the lock mechanism closely, turning her head from side to side. After a few moments, she carefully plucked the wire that controlled the latch, the door opened and 007 got what she wanted, to be close to the guy and his food. She never waited again, even though the latch configuration was changed several times. Scientists have known since the 1940s that roosters perform complex visual displays to attract the ladies when they find food. The most prominent display is called tidbitting, where the boss man (alpha male) food-calls and rhythmically moves his head and neck, picking up and dropping food items. The females respond and approach the fancy male to accept their gift, the dominant females being the most likely to win the morsels. Because the birds are often secretive, hiding in long grass and bushes, observers had missed some of the underlying dramas which showed that subordinate males can be – and I quote: “Devious bastards!” However, with the aid of multiple, high-definition cameras, small groups of birds in large outdoor enclosures were monitored and showed “surreptitious techniques in a way previously thought impossible for the birds” to attract females without being chased and pecked by alpha males. They performed only the visual part of tidbitting, without food-calling. To those who live with hens, this isn’t surprising, but scientists were shocked to discover the range of conscious judgments made by chickens. Like humans, chickens are now known to tailor their messages to their audience. A cockerel who sees a threat overhead will make an alarm call if he knows a female is nearby but if it’s a male, he remains silent. Males take more risks if they feel safe, a bit like us driving faster when wearing a seat belt, and chickens alarm-call more if they are safely under a bush. Chickens can convey specific information with particular calls, such as ‘there is a hawk above’ or ‘a fox is nearby’. It will be understood without the other birds seeing the threats. To animal behaviourists this is the equivalent of words and they accept that
chickens think before they act – like large-brained mammals. Empathy used to be thought of as a human-only trait but it is now accepted that mother hens feel emotional empathy for their chicks. When chicks received a harmless puff of air that ruffled their downy plumage, they saw it as potentially harmful and showed classic signs of stress. Mother hens didn’t react when given a puff so they knew it was harmless but became upset at their chicks’ distress, clucking more to them. This, according to Carolynn Smith at Macquarie University, means that “chickens can take the perspective of other birds”. This obviously has huge implications for the way breeder hens and broiler chickens are treated. Christine Nicol, professor of animal welfare at Bristol University, reviewed 20 years of research on chicken intelligence and concludes that it is plain wrong to think of them as being stupid when they have many hidden depths. “The domesticated chicken is something of a phenomenon as they have finely honed sensory capacities with an ability to think, draw inferences, apply logic and plan ahead”. In her study, The Intelligent Hen, Professor Nicol explains that hens are capable of distinguishing numbers up to five and are logical, understanding that if A is greater than B, and B is greater than C, then A is greater than C. Young chicks know that an object that moves out of their sight still exists, unlike human babies who only develop these skills aged one. Chickens also showed the ability to plan ahead and exhibit selfcontrol, with 93 per cent understanding that if they waited longer to start eating, they would be allowed access to food for longer. And at just two weeks old, they can navigate using the height and position of the sun. (Let us hope that Nicol uses her knowledge to persuade the public to stop buying from the Happy Egg Company, who funded some of her research, and who Viva! exposed, revealing appalling conditions on their farms www.viva.org.uk/what-we-do/happyegg-company.)
th e dom esticated ch icken is som eth ing of a ph enom enon
Continued on page 41 Juliet with Brenda, a rescued hen at Farm Animal Sanctuary
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! t i d i d e W Heston
dumps foie-gras cruelty By Justin Kerswell, Campaigns Manager elebrity chef, Heston Blumenthal, has bowed to Viva! pressure and stopped using foie-gras in his restaurants. He is the face of Waitrose and our threat to urge the supermarket chain to dump him if he persisted with promoting foie-gras cruelty clearly worked. Mr Blumenthal had boasted about how great were the French suppliers to his flagship restaurant – ironically called The Fat Duck – but covert footage revealed suffering on a huge scale. Because his other eateries used a different supplier, he did not immediately drop foie-gras in its entirety. We argued strongly – and successfully – that there simply is no such thing as ethical foie-gras. He listened to us and we watched delightedly as, one by one, his other eateries dropped the ‘delicacy’. Thousands of your postcards were deposited on his doorstep and a similar gargantuan cascade of emails flooded his PA’s inbox which added to the pressure. And the result? No foie-gras on any of his
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menus. This is a great victory for the animals and shows just how powerful we can be when we work together. Heston’s compassionate u-turn follows another media blitz, with a major two page spread featuring Viva! in the Mirror national newspaper. The images they showed included some of the worst foiegras footage we have ever seen. So shocking were the conditions at Maison Mitteault that respected vet, Amir Kashiv, described it as: “A representation of hell”. COUNTRYSIDE HELL-HOLE Over a five-months period, brave undercover investigators filmed the horrors of ‘fatty liver’ production. The sheds full of caged birds have one purpose only and that is to pump ducks so full of corn mush that their livers expand to obscene sizes. They are purposefully diseased. This is how all French foie-gras is produced; if fact, by French law, they cannot label anything as foie-gras unless the birds have been subjected to this torture. The state demands acute animal
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imported into Britain, quoting ‘trade rules’ in its defence.
abuse as part of its ‘culture’. A hidden static camera captured the terrifying moment when a worker with the forced-feeding pipe moved along the rows of individually caged birds. No matter how hard they tried to duck and weave, for these ducks there was no escape. One-by-one they were grabbed, the pipe forced down their throats and a pneumatic pump filled their stomachs almost to bursting point. One duck simply couldn’t take any more and the yellow feed spewed out of his mouth and into the air. As the worker went along the line, the ducks jerked and twisted in obvious terror in the hope of escaping their turn. It was fruitless. Some of the ducks were housed in group cages – a system laughably claiming to improve their welfare. Metal prongs descended to pin them to the floor of the cage and hold them immobile – to facilitate their twice-daily torture, every day for about two weeks. Everywhere the camera pointed was heartbreak. Ducks jostled for room in the welfare-enriched cages with those exhausted or ill from the regular torment being trampled underfoot. Blood splattered one cage; nearby a duck hobbled with a bloody foot injury; another bled from the nostrils in his beak; one duck struggled desperately to stand, flapping his wings and leaning on another bird for support. In another cage, one duck appeared to be nearing his end and lay against the bare metal, repeatedly trying to lift his head off the floor. Dumped beside the cages were piles of dead ducks that hadn’t managed to survive the fortnight of barbaric, violent forced-
feeding. The open mouth of one was clogged with corn and blood; his eyes lifeless and dull. NOT A BAD APPLE We were determined not to let Heston deploy the old ‘one bad apple’ excuse – that this farm was in some way unusually bad. We know from our previous exposés that if he wanted to he could see similar scenes on any foie-gras farm. Force-fed birds are between 10 and 20 times more likely to die an early death than those in other types of poultry production. Viva!’s undercover cameras have been into dozens of poultry farms in Britain – broiler units – and found squalor, disease and misery in every one we’ve visited. They are appalling places but conditions on French foie-gras farms are even worse. Foie-gras production is banned in Britain so it beggars belief that our Government still allows this cruel produce to be
Take action You can also sign our petition calling for a ban on foie-gras imports and get active at www.viva.org.uk/foiegras. Or write directly to the minister: George Eustice, Parliamentary Under Secretary for farming, food and marine environment, Defra, Nobel House, 17 Smith Square, London SW1P 3JR. Is someone near you selling foie-gras? If so, contact us with their details and we will send you an action pack on 0117 944 1000 or email info@viva.org.uk.
CAN WE BAN IT? As with most of our campaigns, our work on foie-gras continues on different levels. Exposing its cruelty is key to educating the public whist shaming chefs and businesses into changing their ways. Some, however, simply don’t care. Because of that, we will continue our call for a ban on imports so they will no longer have a choice! Successive Governments have said that anyone who tried to force feed ducks and geese in Britain would be hauled up in court on animal cruelty charges. The logic is unarguable: you should not be allowed to import a product that would be illegal to produce here. They have also said that they would like to see a ban on imports but that international trade rules prevent them from doing so. We have looked at the rules and this claim is untrue. The World Trade Organisation (WTO) have ruled that public opinion can be a deciding factor in upholding international trade bans, such as the recent EU ban on the importation of seal products (which Viva! Poland fought for so effectively). Even the very specific EU trade rules that the Government quotes for its inaction also have specific clauses that allow for various limitations on trade and these include public opinion. This is why we are working with campaigner Fiona Munro and other groups to secure legal advice on a ban. We have been offered highly discounted rates by animal-friendly barristers who are experts in trade law. Once we have chapter and verse of the right to reject cruel imports we will call the Government’s bluff and force them to take action. We are currently fundraising to pay for this legal advice. If you would like to contribute, please send whatever you can afford (payable to Viva!) to: Foie-gras legal challenge, Viva!, 8 York Court, Wilder St, Bristol BS2 8QH. Together we will challenge these cruel traders in torture.
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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
Can a vegan diet reverse heart disease? Based on a study of 198 patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD), a low-fat, wholesome vegan diet can literally save your life. Of the 198 patients, 177 largely adhered to a diet of wholegrains, pulses (lentils, beans, soya, peas, chickpeas), vegetables and fruit for an average of 3.7 years. They were also encouraged to take multivitamin and vitamin B12 supplements and advised to use flax seed meal as an additional source of omega-6 and omega-3 essential fatty acids. As well as avoiding animal foods, patients were also told to avoid added oils and processed foods that contain oils as well as avocados, nuts, sugary foods and drinks and excess salt. At the start of the study, 112 had angina and by the end of the follow-up period, 104 experienced improvement in or disappearance of symptoms. Of those who had blocked coronary arteries at the start, 39 experienced complete reversal of the disease and 27 were able to avoid the surgery that had previously been recommended. Only one cardiac event occurred in the study group – a non-fatal stroke. On the other hand, 13 of the 21 who didn’t adhere to the diet experienced cardiac events – two sudden deaths, one heart transplant, two strokes, four surgeries with stent placement, three coronary artery bypass surgeries and one carotid artery surgery. Get our guide for preventing and treating heart disease through diet, including a menu plan and recipes: www.viva.org.uk/heart-guide. Esselstyn CB Jr et al., 2014. A way to reverse CAD? The Journal of Family Practice. 63(7): 356-364b.
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Lactose intolerant? You’re less likely to get cancer People who have lactose intolerance are unable to digest lactose, the sugar in milk, and need to avoid dairy products. Milk and dairy products are thought to play a role in some types of cancer so Swedish scientists carried out a population study to see if lactose intolerant people get less cancer, in particular lung, breast and ovary. They identified nearly 23,000 lactose intolerant people and compared their cancer incidence with that of the general population. The results showed that their risk of lung cancer was 45 per cent lower, breast cancer 21 per cent lower and ovary cancer 39 per cent lower. The study also looked at cancer incidence in the families of these people but it was diet that played the main role not genetics. Relatives of the lactoseintolerant group had similar cancer rates to the general population. Authors of the study suggest that three main factors might be to blame for dairy products increasing cancer risk – their high fat content, particularly saturated fat, and growth factors, such as insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), all of which have been linked to various types of cancers. A third factor was that avoiding milk may encourage a ‘friendly’ environment for gut bacteria. Get more information on preventing and beating breast cancer through diet in our guide A Fighting Chance: www.viva.org.uk/fighting-chance. Ji J, Sundquist J and Sundquist K, 2015. Lactose intolerance and risk of lung, breast and ovarian cancers: aetiological clues from a population-based study in Sweden. British Journal of Cancer. 112(1): 149-152.
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Almond dream One of the main complications of heart disease is impaired blood vessel function – they stiffen over time and don’t regulate blood flow and blood pressure as they should. They can be partially or entirely blocked with plaques and the quality of blood vessel walls is compromised. Based on previous research, it was suggested that eating almonds may improve blood vessel function through the supply of vitamin E, a natural antioxidant, and unsaturated fats that encourage positive changes in fat metabolism. In a four-week study of young and middle-aged men, they were asked
to eat a handful (50 grams) of almonds a day for four weeks. At the end of the study, blood levels of vitamin E were significantly increased, blood flow improved and blood pressure decreased. Almonds are not a miracle food but can be a part of a healthy diet (in limited amounts because of their high fat content). They are a good source of vitamin E, healthy fats, protein, fibre and calcium. Choudhury K, Clark J and Griffiths HR, 2014. An almond-enriched diet increases plasma a -tocopherol and improves vascular function but does not affect oxidative stress markers or lipid levels. Free Radical Research, May. 48(5): 599–606.
Vegans have the friendliest guts As vegan diets gain popularity, more and more studies are looking into their potential health benefits. There are junk food vegans, of course, who binge on processed, fatty and sugary foods, but on average, vegans tend to fare better than other groups and their numbers are growing. A recent study reviewed available data on vegan, vegetarian and omnivore (meat-eater) gut health and the many types of gut bacteria, which vary with the food we eat. Some feed on starchy foods and carbohydrates, others thrive on fat and they’re not all good. The study discovered that the relationship between diet and gut bacteria follows a continuum, with the biggest difference being between vegans and omnivores.
Does soya affect girls’ development? Early onset of menarche (the first period) may negatively influence the future health of women. It has been linked to an increased risk of hormonerelated cancers such as ovarian and breast. Meat, milk, animal protein and fats in general have been linked with it and now scientists have also examined whether high soya-consumption plays a part. The study included 339 girls aged 12-18 years old living in California and Michigan and their soya consumption was monitored, including meat alternatives, tofu/traditional soya foods and soya beverages. Their average intake was 13 servings of soya a week – seven portions of meat alternatives, just over two servings of tofu or traditional soya foods and four servings of soya beverages per week. For many the intake was much higher. The results revealed that neither total soya intake nor any of the three types of soya foods were associated with an early or late onset of menarche – yet more evidence that soya is a healthy food. Find out more about soya and download our fact sheet and The Soya Story guide at: www.safetyofsoya.com. Segovia-Siapco et al., 2014. Is soy intake related to age at onset of menarche? A cross-sectional study among adolescents with a wide range of soy food consumption. Nutrition Journal. 13:54.
Vegan gut bacteria are the friendliest – they produce fewest unwanted by-products and include most protective species, resulting in reduced levels of inflammation – often a problem in overweight people. The fact that vegans tend to have a higher fibre intake might also play a role. It seems that although bacteria populations in our intestines react to changes relatively fast, any significant changes can only happen in the long-term. Glick-Bauer M and Yeh m-C, 2014. The Health Advantage of a Vegan Diet: Exploring the Gut Microbiota Connection. Nutrients. 6(11): 4822-4838
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ca mpa ign s
d n a l e c I o t e n Mum’s go
…in a box
V
iva! virtually destroyed the trade in ‘exotic’ meats in Britain 15 years ago, as many of you will remember. Supermarkets tripped over themselves to clear their shelves of dead wildlife but unfortunately, one of them has again raised the spectre of wildlife being put up for sale. We are determined to fight it so it is back into action once more. Lidl have periodically tried to sell kangaroo meat for short periods, but our campaigning has stopped it from becoming a regular line. But now, Iceland is boasting of its new permanent line of speciality meat and game – kangaroo, venison, ostrich, buffalo and crocodile. In the past, we’ve seen failing restaurants clutching at these novelties in the hope they’ll bring salvation. They rarely do but in the interim, the consequences for wildlife can be devastating. Most of these species are farmed but kangaroos are not – they find it much too stressful and their muscles literally waste away. As a consequence, they are hunted in the wilds of the Australian Outback, being shot at from the back of trucks away from prying eyes. Of course, in the dark, many animals are miss-shot and have their jaws or arms blasted off. Females will often have two young – a baby joey in pouch and an
adolescent at foot. The joeys are pulled from their dying mother’s pouch and beaten to death with tyre levers or similar, or decapitated. Older joeys are meant to be shot but many hop away in panic and inevitably fall victims to predators without their mothers’ protection. These little lives are the trash of the kangaroo industry and are discarded in the bush, their numbers not even appearing in the official kill tallies. We sometimes get asked why we choose to campaign for kangaroos instead of, say, chickens. We don’t, we campaign and advocate for all animals killed for juman consumption and by successfully promoting veganism we are taking the most effective action possible. There are, however, specific issues around the commercialisation of wildlife, particularly for kangaroos.
Take action Complain to Iceland via our website www.savethekangaroo.com Contact Iceland direct: Tel: 0800 328 0800 Web: www.iceland.co.uk Mail: Iceland Foods Ltd, Second Avenue, Deeside Industrial Park, Deeside, Flintshire CH5 2NW
The numbers of farmed animals is tightly controlled and dictated by demand. Populations of truly wild animals such as kangaroos, however, can fluctuate wildly for a variety of reasons, including drought, disease and over-hunting. Although the Australian Government says it tightly monitors numbers it is just so much guesswork. Once you commercialise wildlife, you sign its death warrant and Australia has the world’s worst record in modern times for extinctions – with several kangaroo species gone for ever. So, whilst Iceland sees selling kangaroo and other wildlife meats as a novelty, a way of boosting diminishing sales, we know better. Working closely with friends and colleagues in Australia, we understand precisely the devastating slaughter that has been unleashed – and it has nothing to do with ‘saving the environment,’ it’s simply an industry – a killing industry in which babies are a nuisance. It’s for this reason that we held a Day of Action against Iceland for Mother’s Day, highlighting the violent onslaught against kangaroos and their young. We told Iceland that trying to prop up their failing business with the slaughter of wildlife was irresponsible and unacceptable. Please join us in our condemnation.
Viva!’s staff protesting outside Iceland in Bristol. Later they did a slow, funereal procession through the store itself
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Restaurant reviews
The Mighty Food Fight, Bristol
Baobab Juice Bar, Fuerteventura
By Viva!Health’s Dr Justine Butler
By Tony Wardle, Viva!life editor
Along with vegan pop-up cafés and restaurants, we are now seeing a new phenomenon – the vegan food van! Bristol already has the Spotless Leopard and now a new addition… The Mighty Food Fight. I went along to try their food with Viva! Campaigns Manager, Justin Kerswell. The Mighty Food Fight is, in fact, Hannah, Isabel and a skyblue, corrugated, 1978 Citroen van called René. They make fresh, vibrant street-style food packed with flavour. These ladies specialise in balls! Quinoa pizza balls and chipotle chilli balls as well as southern fried tofu slices and these are some of the fillings you might find on offer for your Mighty sub roll. We had breaded aubergine bites with lime-coriander slaw and a generous helping of spicy peanut satay sauce. At £4 it’s a pretty good deal. They make various side dishes too – we had Cajun-style okra fries (£1.50) with smoked paprika and tahini sauce. The doughnuts are very good and jam-filled – cinnamon sugar, chocolate or mini Oreos and they might even have UFOs with tiny stars on them! The salted caramel was my favourite; authentic caramel flavour with a hint of salt. The day we went they also had a huge chocolate, orange and cardamom cake, smothered with a chocolate ganache and chopped pistachios. Very tasty, with a good texture and a lovely hint of cardamom. If that’s not enough for you, they also serve coffee and luxury raw cacao truffles. Street-food meets rather posh deli at affordable prices.
Anyone who knows me knows of my love affair with Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands. A new arrival has stoked that passion – the Baobab Juice Bar on the edge of Corralejo’s little old town. Entirely vegan, it is open throughout the day but not in the evening. Tell Christina Cantadore, or her husband Andrea, that you’re vegan and you’re likely to get a big hug and a smile a mile wide. Christina’s sister Cinzia makes up the family trio who run the bar – all from Turin in Italy. Why Fuerteventura? “I fell in love with her and she has welcomed me with open arms. I love her wind, the ocean with its golden beaches, the profiles of the volcanoes, the desert dunes,” says Christina. Well, that’s sold the place better than any guide book but what’s on offer? A truly eclectic choice of juices is served in wide-necked glass bottles with a decanter chain and label around their necks to confirm the name. It’s almost a meal in itself. If you want to eat, cutlery and napkin arrive neatly tied in ribbon. The cooked dishes include cubed tofu, stir fried with crushed nuts, omega-3 seeds, chili, garlic, and capers and served with salad and a little jug of home-made vegan mayo. It is delicious but the star for me was a little basket of home-made breads – three different varieties thinly sliced. Heaven. There is also Milanese seiten patties, spinach cutlets, mille-feuille of lentils and beetroot and thinly-sliced tempeh with ginger and lemon, all costing €10. It is a lovely little gem on an island with almost permanent springlike weather.
THE MIGHTY FOOD FIGHT are on the corner of Narrow Plain and Temple Way in Bristol, Mondays and Tuesdays 11am-4pm. www.themightyfoodfight.com
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G L O G B N I AL O GFOR A TREAT OF TASTES Chava Eichner brings you some utterly delicious dishes from around the world, including her own, all-time family favourite from Germany – Black Forest gateaux but with a vegan twist
Teriyaki Tofu SERVES 4 This salad is brimming with delicious, zingy flavours as well as lots of vitamins and minerals. A fabulous way to boost your calcium and iron intake. Marinade n 5 tbsp dark soya sauce n 3 tbsp maple syrup n 1 tbsp mirin n 1 medium hot chilli n 1 large garlic clove n 1 tbsp grated ginger n 1 tsp cornflour n 5 tbsp water n 3 tbsp oil
Main ingredients n 400g firm tofu (eg Cauldron) n 3 blood oranges n 100g/3½oz watercress n 1 red onion, thinly sliced n 3 tbsp pumpkin seeds n ½ tsp ground cumin and coriander n ½ tsp ground coriander 1 Wrap tofu in several layers of kitchen paper. Place on a plate with a chopping board and heavy weight on top (I use cookbooks!). Press tofu for an hour. 2 In the meantime, make the marinade by blending all ingredients together and heating slowly in a saucepan until thickened. Add a splash more water if too thick. 3 Cut drained tofu into four triangles. Slice each triangle into halves lengthwise. Place pieces in a dish and coat with marinade. Cover and set aside for an hour.
4 Transfer tofu to a lined tray (retaining leftover marinade). Bake in preheated oven at 180˚C/350˚F/Gas Mark 4 for 25 minutes or until browned. 5 Drizzle ½ tsp of vegetable oil over pumpkin seeds, stir in cumin and coriander. Spread seeds on a tray and roast for 15-20 minutes, turning occasionally. 6 While tofu and seeds are roasting, cut off orange peel. Slice oranges into thin slices and arrange on a plate with watercress and sliced red onion. 7 Place hot tofu on top, sprinkle with the seeds and drizzle with remaining marinade. TIP: The texture of pressed tofu is so lovely it is worth the extra effort. Prepare extra marinated tofu – it will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days and makes a wonderful sandwich filling. www.viva.org.uk 21
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Thai Sweet Potato Cakes MAKES 10-12 Aromatic spices transform the humble sweet potato into an attractive and mouth-watering meal. Easy for a midweek dinner and stunning as part of a special celebration meal or buffet. n 750g/1lb 11oz sweet potatoes n 1 tbsp finely grated ginger n 2 cloves garlic n 1 tbsp finely chopped lemongrass n ½ medium red chili, finely chopped n 1 level tsp salt n 1 large onion, chopped n ½ pepper, finely chopped
n 100g/3½oz gram flour (chickpea flour) n 1 tsp ground cumin n 10g fresh coriander, chopped n 3 tbsp sunflower seeds For the coriander mayonnaise: n 3 tbsp roughly chopped coriander n 3 tbsp dairy-free mayonnaise (eg Plamil)
1 Peel and cut sweet potatoes into chunks. Boil for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain and mash roughly with a fork. 2 In a pestle and mortar, crush chopped lemongrass, garlic, grated ginger, chili and salt until smooth. 3 Sauté onion and pepper pieces until softened. Add spice mixture and stir for a couple of minutes. 4 Add mashed sweet potato, coriander, sunflower seeds and chickpea flour and combine well. Allow mixture to cool. 5 Shape 10-12 round cakes with wet hands, as mixture is sticky. 6 Line baking tray and brush it with vegetable oil. Place cakes on tray, brush with more oil and bake in a preheated oven at 190˚C/375˚F/Gas Mark 5 for 25 minutes. Alternatively, shallow fry in a non-stick pan. 7 For the coriander mayo, crush chopped coriander in pestle and stir in mayonnaise. 8 Serve Sweet Potato cakes with coriander mayo, new potatoes and a green salad. TIP: These cakes will become firmer when they’re cold and are perfect party finger food.
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Vegetable Tempura from Viva!’s www.veganrecipeclub.org.uk SERVES 4 AS MAIN COURSE, 8 AS STARTER This is based on a traditional Japanese dish and is fantastic as an occasional treat! Can also be made using mushrooms only – served with vegan garlic mayo. n 180g/6oz fine wholemeal self-raising flour or glutenfree equivalent n 3 tbsp gram flour n 275ml/10fl oz sparkling water n Pinch salt n Vegetables thin, cut on diagonal – mushrooms, red pepper rings, onion rings; carrot and cauliflower all work well, as do plain tofu chunks. Main course: 8-10
pieces per person. Starter: 45 pieces per person n To fry – plain vegetable oil. If using a deep-fat fryer, follow manufacturer’s instructions. If not, use a deep pan and fill ⅓ with oil – use at least 1.5L Dip n 2 tbsp soya sauce – shoyu or tamari n 2 tbsp cold water n ½ tsp grated root ginger
1 Sieve flours in a large bowl. Make a well and add water gradually, using balloon whisk or stick blender to eliminate lumps. Set aside. 2 Prepare vegetables – small enough pieces to cook quickly in the batter; e.g. cauliflower should be about 3cm/1½ inches wide at the ‘flower’ end. 3 Pre-heat oven to 160°C/325°F/Gas Mark 3. Have an oven tray ready, lined with kitchen paper. 4 Heat oil and do the batter test: drop in a dollop of batter. Hot enough it will float; if it sinks, the oil is too cool. Make dip while oil is heating. Set aside. 5 Fry vegetables in batches – adding a little water to batter if too thick. Dip first batch in batter and coat well, shaking to remove excess. Using basket/slotted spoon, place carefully into the hot oil. 6 Toss gently to ensure pieces don’t stick. Fry until golden brown, using a toothpick to test if tender – carrots will take longer than mushrooms. 7 Drain and transfer to oven tray. Place in oven and repeat process, ensuring oil remains hot to avoid sogginess. Do batter test for each batch and skim surface if necessary. 8 Serve hot with dip and dishes of your choice.
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Black Forest Gateau SERVES 10-12 Probably the most well-known German dessert. As a child, we used to have this cake most weekends but it took me until now to attempt a vegan version. With its indulgent creamy filling, it is set to become a family favourite all over again! n 125g/4oz margarine n 175g/6oz caster sugar n 125g/4oz vanilla soya yoghurt n 2 heaped tbsp cocoa n 200g/7oz self-raising flour n 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda n 2 tsp finely ground flax seeds n 4 tbsp water n ½ jar of Frank Cooper Oxford cherry conserve
n 250g/9oz dairy-free cream cheese n 1 tin (400ml) full fat coconut milk, chilled overnight n 40-50g/1½oz icing sugar, to taste n zest of ½ orange n 12-15 fresh cherries n dark chocolate for decoration
1 Mix ground flax seed and water and place in fridge for 20 minutes. 2 Preheat the oven to 180˚C/350˚F/Gas Mark 4. 3 Blend margarine and sugar until light and fluffy, add yoghurt, cocoa and ‘flax egg’ mixture. 4 Sift in flour and bicarbonate and combine well. 5 Pour cake mix into a lined 7in tin and bake for about 35 minutes. It is ready when an inserted wooden skewer comes out clean. Set aside until completely cool. 6 Scoop thick coconut cream from the top of tin (don’t use the liquid). Use 175g/6oz and blend together with cream cheese, orange zest and icing sugar until smooth. Keep chilled. 7 Slice cake in half, spread half the cherry jam and fresh cherry halves (optional) onto bottom layer. Top with two-thirds of the cream and cover with second cake half. Spread remaining cream on top. 8 Decorate with fresh cherries and grated dark chocolate. Chill before serving and enjoy!
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all Overner n i w
ie Deboo
2nd prize: Debb
Overall winner: Paul Freestone, More than a number
Animal c
20th Anniversary Photo Co So much of Viva!’s work over the past 20 years has involved portraying farmed animals in pictures. We asked you to send us photos that give us an insight into an individual animal’s personality, as part of our 20th anniversary celebrations. The judges include world renowned photographer Chris Rimmer.
Commendation: Nick Board 3rd prize: Nicky Croydon 24
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1st prize goes to Helen Brand with her beautiful portrait of a pig that features on the front cover of this issue. Congratulations Helen!
Commendation: Nick Board
Commendation: Chris Duggan
l crackers
Commen
dation: D
ebbie De
boo
to Competition results
2nd prize under 18s: Isobel Renn
Under 18s 1st prize
3rd prize under 18s: Aimee Lynh am
1st prize under 18s: Isobel Renn
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WE ARE CHARLIE BY TONY WARDLE ust an hour or so after the barbaric slaughter of the Charlie Hebdo journalists, French people appeared on the streets and in the squares of Paris holding pens or pencils aloft and carrying placards stating, Je suis Charlie – I am Charlie. It was the most spontaneous, emotional and humbling display of support for freedom of speech I have ever seen. It was the perfect response to blinkered bigotry. Whatever name the psychopathic perpetrators choose to call themselves; whatever religious perversion they shelter beneath, their demands are absolute and brook no contradiction. They demand an end to democracy, the erasure of all freedoms and the establishment of a theocracy in which a Caliph determines every aspect of our lives based on medieval codes. If you fail to buy into it, challenge or question it you will be executed for apostasy. Yep, you know where you stand with these people. The freedoms we take for granted weren’t handed down to us by a
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beneficient government but were fought for and many of those who led the way paid a heavy price. These barbaric ‘jihadist’ murderers are the obvious challengers to those freedoms but there are far greater threats much closer to home. I have been a journalist and writer for 50 years or more and even during this recent and comparatively short period, the fight for freedom of speech was still playing out. In 1960, Penguin Books were prosecuted under the Obscene Publications Act (1959) for publishing D H Lawrence’s Lady Chatterly’s Lover. A controlling, tight-arsed, prudish establishment and its love of euphemism took on liberalism and the alternative society – and thankfully the latter won. Philip Larkin summed up the period beautifully:
Sexual intercourse began In nineteen sixty-three (which was rather late for me) – Between the end of the Chatterly ban And the Beatles’ first LP In 1971, a psychedelic hippy magazine called Oz invited a group of school kids to produce one issue and a 15-year-old boy drew a cartoon loosely depicting a sex act but superimposed Rupert Bear’s face on one of the participants. It was the kind of thing that Steve Bell might draw today without comment. The editors were charged with corrupting public morals and faced possible life imprisonment. After a month-long trial, they were sentenced to 15 months and deportation for the two Australians. Notable people of conscience flocked to their support, including our late old friend Tony Benn. The Oz team were acquitted on appeal but with the extraordinary caveat that they ceased to work on Oz. Bravely, they ignored the court. Between these events, other civilising
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victories were being won – the abolition of capital punishment (1965), the Sexual Offences Act that decriminalised homosexuality (1967) and the Abortion Act (1967). It was an exciting time of change. However, freedom of speech is not a pinnacle that once surmounted remains inviolate. When our attention is diverted elsewhere, there are those who try to whittle away at it or hypocritically try to bask in its glow even while planning its emasculation. The demonstration by millions of French people was obscenely grandstanded by a handful of world leaders, Christian, Jewish and Muslim, some of whom have spat on far too many freedoms. They ignored the essentially secularist stance of Charlie Hebdo and our own leader announced his intention to curtail British freedoms before the murdered journalists were even buried. Freedom of speech was never meant to include the right to take sneaky pictures of Britney Spears’ knickers, hack a murdered teenager’s phone or relentlessly pursue a vicious, sexist campaign against someone just because the media view her as an outspoken, uppity, working-class, Geordie who doesn’t know her place – as happened to our patron, Heather Mills (and is still playing out). Viva! is used to being abused in the name of freedom of speech – or rather our tabloids’ version of it. Obsessives, a cult, liars, radicals, akin to the Hitler Youth, terrorists and bullies are all epithets that have been thrown at us. Without freedom of speech, Viva! could not do what it does and we respect that freedom assiduously. We never break the law, lie or exaggerate and it is why we get such an enormous amount of publicity for such a comparatively small organisation – we can be trusted! What you, our supporters, never see is the work that goes on behind the scenes. It can take months to place an investigator in a particular job or to establish how we can safely enter a factory farm at night. There are often detailed negotiations with a particular newspaper – checking satnav co-ordinates, swearing affidavits, seeking veterinary opinions, tracking the supply chain from farm to supermarket, allowing farm owners and retailers to comment on our findings. We have to be precise because the first response of most organisations we expose is to lie: “We don’t deal with that producer, it’s the wrong farm, the wrong shed, old footage, foreign footage, faked footage.” And then they concede – because they have no choice! We so respect the freedoms that allow us to expose cruelty
that in 20 years we have never been sued and have never had so much as a phone call from the police about our activities. There are, however, those who would have that freedom taken from us and turn us into criminals – a process that has already started in the US and is being copied across the world. Leading it is a US group of right-wing state legislators (ALEC) who draw up model laws and distribute them to sympathetic legislators in every US State. One of these, known as the Ag-Gag law, criminalises farm cruelty whistle blowers, those who film inside a farm to expose suffering or even reports by investigative journalists. Eleven States have tried to get it passed and a couple have succeeded. In those States we would be sent to prison for our work. The pressure is also on in Australia and in 2013, a NSW minister, Katrina Hodgkinson, bitterly condemned animal activists, referring to “these people” as vandals akin to terrorists, who deal in fanaticism, radicalism, veganism (I kid you not) and terrorism. Jihadist by any other name! As a society, we are constantly being urged to respect religions and I have heard mumblings in some quarters that the Charlie Hebdo journalists got what was
coming to them for courting disrespect. If freedom of speech means offending no one and bowing to medieval sensibilities then it is no freedom at all. I will not be told to respect religion any more than I will be told to stop exposing animal cruelty. I accept the right of people to be religious without reservation, just as I accept their right to join the Flat Earth Society or the Elvis Never Died club, but I cannot respect those choices. I also cannot respect the fact that most religions originally expressed powerful concern for animals in their teachings but over the centuries, adherents have trampled over these nostrums in pursuit of myopic selfishness. How can I respect teachings that say a woman’s value is half that of a man’s; that birth control is evil in an overpopulated world; where virgin birth is revered as a truth; and where one religion declares its followers as the chosen ones? I will not accept a caste system that enshrines both wealth and poverty in perpetuity; a teaching that says animals are there for our exploitation; or that a child is born sinful. And when I am told that one particular god sat down and individually designed all 5,000 species of mammal, 40,000 species of arachnid, 30,000 types of fish, 950,000 insects and that humans have been here since the start of time… and millions believe it, I will walk away and despair for our world, realising why humankind’s dominance of it has proved such an unmitigated disaster. How can anyone believe that theirs is the only true religion when it is blindingly obvious that for most it is simply an accident of birth? How can each pretend that their hand-me-down faiths are the only true ones? Now, if someone tells me they believe in a God I will respect their conviction because, when I look at the mindnumbing vastness in which our world exists, who am I to deny them this? When they point to the magic of birth, the heartrending vulnerability of new life and the rapture of motherhood, again I will not argue with them. Where I part company is when they happily allow the young of a different species to be taken from her mother, her throat to be cut and her body eviscerated so they can roast it, smack their lips as they devour it and eulogise over its tenderness. How come I, an atheist, can see the gaping absence of compassion that lies at the heart of most religious doctrines when so many adherents can’t? One thing is certain, we will continue to defend our freedoms against all detractors and will use them to expose hypocrisy and suffering whoever it offends. We are Charlie!
I WILL NOT BE TOLD TO RESPECT RELIGION ANY MORE THAN I WILL BE TOLD TO STOP EXPOSING ANIMAL CRUELTY
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Healthier body – By Veronika Powell MSc Health Campaigner Most of us feel the need to lose weight every now and then – and actually achieving it feels great. What could be better? Finding a lifestyle that stops you from putting on weight in the first place – and keeps it that way. Being your ideal weight isn’t just about good looks, it’s about health and wellbeing. Our bodies work best when they’re wellnourished but aren’t carrying an excess load. First things first – a vegan diet is the very best for your health, for animals and the environment but also for keeping weight off. Scientific studies consistently show that vegans have the healthiest body-weight. Of course there are junk-food vegans so being vegan doesn’t automatically make you healthy and slim. But it definitely puts you on the right track because for most people, it cuts down hugely on saturated fats and adds lots more fibre to your diet. So, here are a few tips to make your vegan diet really work. FRUIT AND VEGETABLES ARE YOUR BEST FRIENDS Fresh, frozen, steamed, stirfried, dried (unsweetened) in large quantities. They contain a wealth of nutrients – antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, omega-3 fats – and are the best source of fibre. Fibre is great for keeping your digestive system healthy and keeping your cravings at bay by filling you up. Stay away from fruit juices and go for fresh smoothies made from whole fruit or veg – you get all the goodness and fibre. WHOLEGRAINS RULE They’re a great source of complex (slow energy release) carbohydrates, some vitamins such as B and E, and the minerals zinc and magnesium.
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u o y r e i happ Here’s a kickstart 5:2 Vegan-style by Juliet Gellatley and Jane Easton £1 The diet that’s taken the world by storm! We’ve investigated and vegan-sty l e tried it and the science is sound – and it works! It involves eating 500 Losing we ight f st calories a day (women) a or 600 cals (men) for two days a week. On the remaining five days you eat and drink normally. For those who find it hard to restrict portion sizes or control calories daily, the 5:2 really works. This fabulously simple guide explains why you lose weight fast, how to keep it off and why it’s so healthy. It contains nine vegan recipes for both fasting days and normal eating days.
5:2
By Juliet Gellatley and Jane Easton, Viva!
A simple, delicious, low-calorie breakfast idea from the 5:2 Vegan-style guide (see right)
MAKE PULSES A STAPLE Lentils, beans, soya, chickpeas, peas are all an excellent, low-fat source of protein – and protein makes you feel full. They also contain fibre and complex carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. KEEP IT LOW-FAT Top priority! We don’t need added oils or fats so the more you add, the more you store. Nuts and seeds are a healthy snack but no more than a small handful. For your daily dose of essential omega-3 fats, add a tablespoon of ground flaxseed or hempseed to your cereal or smoothie or stir it into soup or salad. A teaspoon of either oil will also do.
Why intermittent fasting is safe and works! Includes tips and vegan recipes
The V-Plan Diet by Amanda Woodvine £2
PROCESSED OUT Processed foods are often a stumbling block but the facts are, they’re full of fat, refined white flour, sugar and salt. If you must, then make them an occasional indulgence but never a staple.
Handy and simple, this guide explains how to do a low-fat vegan diet really well. Features over 28 tasty recipes so you can get to work immediately. The V-Plan Diet achieves weightloss by restricting calories but with so many lowcalorie foods available to you, you need never feel hungry. If your aim is not weight loss but just good old healthy eating, this guide is also right for you, with increased portion sizes or more snacks. It’s the healthiest lifestyle possible, not just a diet!
HAVE FUN! Keep active and whatever your choice, make sure you enjoy it. Set yourself a target, work towards it and before you know it you’ll end up being proud of yourself and feeling great!
Order guides over the phone on 0117 944 1000, through our web shop: www.vivashop.org.uk/ materials/vivahealth-guides-reports or download them on our main website www.viva.org.uk.
SUGAR – BAD NEWS Well, you knew that already! If you can’t help it, combine dark chocolate or an oat biscuit with fresh or dried fruit.
£1
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life Viva!’s media blitz for the animals BY TONY WARDLE, EDITOR
Once again, our undercover work in bringing together our French associates and the Daily Mirror paid massive dividends with yet another double page spread exposing the shocking horror of French foie-gras production. This time it was leading chef Heston Blumenthal who was the focus as the unit exposed was his supplier. Credit to him, though, he dropped the cruel product from all three of his restaurants when we made it clear that there is no such a thing as animal-friendly foie-gras. Under French law, a product cannot be called foie-gras unless the birds have been subjected to force feeding. How’s that for institutional cruelty?
Times they are a changing There was a time when newspapers viewed anything that might promote veggie thinking as untouchable. But not any more. Well-sourced articles explaining the health impacts of meat and dairy are now jostling with each other for space. One of the latest was from the Daily Express. The headlined screamed out: Vegetable Diet WILL beat diabetes: Meat-free lifestyle cures killer disease, experts claim. And the diet that was recommended was almost exactly what we have been advocating for the last few years as a means of defeating diabetes – The Big D Diet. And it’s not that dissimilar to our weight loss and total health way of eating – The V-Plan diet (see page 28). But not everything has changed. The Guardian ignores entirely anything we produce and has repeatedly run articles on ‘how I went back to eating meat’. Typical of this ‘let’s have a poke at the veggies’ was a piece in the Independent about the growth of vegan supermarkets. It wasn’t a health, food, or cookery writer who wrote the piece but the fashion editor! He didn’t visit one of the stores and didn’t taste the food but went into overdrive about how unstylish it was to be vegan, boring, colourless and samey and he couldn’t possibly ever give up meat. That’s objective journalism for you! But these subjective views are now being eclipsed by more accurate and positive reports.
Doctor, Doctor Dr Justine Butler’s article on soya, published in the Guardian, has been translated and is being used by the Portuguese Vegetarian Association. Twenty copies of her White Lies scientific report have been bought by the College of Naturopathic Medicine. She was also commissioned for a four-page article on the detrimental health effects of cows’ milk in the highlyrated Network Health Dieticians magazine.
Split Personality The Daily Mail seems to have a schizophrenic editorial policy – trashing the whole concept of global warming throughout the entire paper on the one hand yet publishing scientific reports that show the opposite. The latest is from the University of Minnesota which says, in very stark terms, that Western diets must be abandoned for vegetarianism or greenhouse gases will rise by 80 per cent. The cause, they claim, is the growing consumption of sugars, fats, oils and meat and if the growth continues, the amount of meat being eaten could double by 2050. It also adds that a lowering of consumption would lead to fewer cancers and less diabetes. These warnings are supported by previous research from the Universities of Cambridge and Aberdeen. On the brighter side, meat and dairy consumption has been falling for the last five years in the UK and US and public awareness of the role played by livestock in our deteriorating environment and worsening health statistics. (Also see Lifelines, page 5).
The Viva! Cookbook Congratulations to author Jane Easton (Viva!’s cookery coordinator) who has been working hard to promote our all-vegan, all-dishesphotographed, truly-tasy cookery book. The Daily Record – Scotland’s Daily Mirror equivalent, ran an enormous piece with pictures and recipes. Jane is becoming a regular on Bristol Community Radio and the Bristol Evening Post weekend mag is running pictures, recipes and a competition. Optimum Nutrition Magazine (of the Institute of the same name) went to town with colour spreads and there are more in the pipeline.
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2014: A very Viva! review! By Juliet Gellatley, founder and director of Viva! We achieved so much together for the animals last year – and here are just some of the highlights…
Dark Side of Dairy report
Dairy Day of Action Britain’s Hardest Working Mother was the headline for our dairy National Day of Action for Mother’s Day. It highlighted the suffering of cows and their calves with events across Britain. We sent out tens of thousands of new door-dropper leaflets and encouraged people to go vegan.
The Dark Side of Dairy A Viva! Report Updated by: Veronika Powell, MSc Zoology and Animal Behaviour Editor: Juliet Gellatley, BSc Zoology, DipCNM Nutrition
£5
Foie-gras Exposed After forcing online giant Amazon to dump foie-gras in the UK, we took Gordon Ramsay to task and with new undercover footage this year, we persuaded Heston Blumenthal to dump it, too (see pages 12-13).
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Viva! also launched a report on the appalling cruelty caused by the dairy industry to cows and their calves. The Dark Side of Dairy exposes modern dairy farming, shattering its picturesque image and exposing the immeasurable mental and physical suffering inflicted on millions of cows and their calves. Fully referenced and full colour, the report is a wake-up call for everyone who opposes animal cruelty yet continues to buy dairy products. And if that wasn’t convincing enough, we also updated our groundbreaking White Lies report into how dairy damages health.
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20 years of Viva!
20th Anniversary film
Last year marked our 20 years of our lifesaving campaigns and helping people go and stay vegan. We did a sponsored run – in animal onesies! We held a very special fundraising dinner, sailing down the Thames in style to celebrate our 20 year history. There were plenty of special guests and patrons and more supporters than we’ve ever had before! It was a truly lovely way to reflect on the past.
We wanted to share a brief glimpse of the last 20 years with all our supporters, so we produced the Fight for Life 20th Anniversary film. You can view it online: www.viva.org.uk/20thanniversaryfilm.
Compassion on the Road We communicated our positive message in events across Britain – a free Christmas Roadshow in our home base of Bristol and another very successful vegan event in Gloucester. Supporting our 30 Day Vegan programme, a brand new Viva! exhibition of pull-up banners highlighting the benefits of going vegan made a debut at London Vegfest 2014 and will continue at future events throughout 2015 and beyond.
Life is Cheep? We launched a major investigation into the miserable lives endured by chickens by going undercover inside sheds crammed with chickens bred for meat. We used our findings in a popular Day of Action Against Nando’s and suggested plenty of vegan alternatives. Chickens are the most killed animal in Britain by far and we will be focussing on this important campaign through 2015.
At last – the animals are fighting back in this intriguing and utterly gripping novel by Viva!’s Associate Director, Tony Wardle (which was published at the end of 2014). But only one person is aware of it and she is married to the prime minister designate. Jo Aldous’s search for answers threatens the Party – she has to be crushed. Love, betrayal, political corruption, misogyny, friendship and a woman’s journey of discovery weave their way through this page-turner. Jo refuses to be defeated until she finds the driving force behind her discovery. And what a discovery! Order your copy now! Only £8.95 (Plus P&P): www.vivashop.org.uk/pod or phone on 0117 944 1000.
going
Dairy-free!
The handy guide for dairy-free living, including delicious recipes and shopping tips
of dair health y on our and and easy animal wel fare; sources of calc ium
£2.50
I am spectacularly proud of our cookbook – it really is fully inclusive, inventive and inspiring. Jane Easton, our food and cookery coordinator, and all the other people involved, really pulled the stops out. If you haven’t got yourself a copy, we thoroughly recommend it! Order yours today by heading to www.vivashop.org.uk/vivacookbook or phone 0117 944 1000.
Pod
eryone’s ev
By Julie t Gella tley The imp act
Viva! Cookbook
£2
1
New guides published Viva!’s Why You Don’t Need Dairy and Everyone’s Going Dairy-Free were published and were wildly popular!
Phew! That was a lot to talk about – and not nearly everything that happened last year was covered! Thank you for all your wonderful help and support that made it all happen – and we look forward to more to come. As always, we’re here all year round to field any questions you have or help you with anything we can – just get in touch! Yours for the animals Juliet Gellatley Viva! founder & director www.viva.org.uk 31
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Protein Popstars Get your gnashers around Hodmedod’s moreish range of roasted pulses, from the classically flavoured Lightly Salted and Sea Salt & Vinegar Fava Beans, to the exotically dressed Green Peas with Horseradish (our favourite!). Grown on British soil, with a lot of heart and soul, Hodmedod have crafted a sustainable business on a mission to bring back heritage – and some long-forgotten pulses to our plates. Each pea and bean is masterfully roasted in rapeseed oil then lightly seasoned, making for a non-greasy, savoury snack that’s full of fibre. Containing less than one-third the fat of their popular nut counterparts, these healthy grab bags are a quick protein fix and handy to have around the kitchen as a crunchy garnish to your veggie meal. Each 300g snack bag is £2.25. Hodmedod’s range of dried pulses (kabuki peas, split peas, fava beans) range from £1.95 for a 500g box and from £1.19 for a 400g tin of British Baked Beans. Get your pulses online from www.hodmedods.co.uk or check their website for a stockist near you.
lifestyle Viva!’s merch buyer, Katrina Gazley, sips, sniffs, savours and samples her way through the latest and greatest vegan must-haves. For some superb readers’ offers, see the details on the right
Photo © Ken Leeder
You’re so Lush
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You’re So Vegan is the well-styled brainchild of Soraya Radford, a Brit who saw fit to bring boutique vegan apparel and accessories to the wardrobes of the UK. With ethical luxury at its heart, YSV is one step ahead of the game, stocking quality pieces from both established (Cornelia Guest and Vaute Couture) and emerging (Cri De Coeur and Melie Bianco) US designers. We’re in love with YSV’s hand-picked, runway-inspired handbags. For a hold-all that stands up to office duty and out of hours fun, the gorgeouslywoven Belinda Satchel (£145), made from an oh-so-supple faux leather (PU) is well-built and elegant and comes in blue or black. With its electric-pink lining and detachable double-strength strap, the Belinda is full of surprises. If compact is key, the Inez Snakeskin Clutch (£45) is a stylishly slim charmer with metallic accents and constructed from Melie Bianco’s famous highquality vegan leather – available in Black and Stone. Why not invest in a little guilt-free glamour and head to www.youresovegan.co.uk.
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giveaways
Enter our Lifestyle reader giveaways online at www.viva.org.uk/ competitions or send us your entry, including competition name (eg Protein Popstars) and your full name and address, to Viva!, 8 York Court, Wilder Street, Bristol BS2 8QH. The deadline to enter our Lifestyle giveaways is May 29, 2015. Winners are selected at random and will be contacted within a week of the giveaway deadline.
Chocs of Paradise The citrusy colours and fiery flavours of the tropics have inspired Beech’s Fine Chocolates’ latest collection of vegan chocolate creams. Featuring five new centres – Ginger, Lemon, Lime, Pineapple and Violet – the sweet surrender of tropical paradise is now tantalisingly within arm’s reach. The divine pineapple creams are uniquely aromatic and subtley sweet while the citrus duo of lemon and lime both pack a fresh punchiness against the semisweet-dark chocolate coating. All of Beech’s chocolates are hand-finished and made using natural ingredients, with raw materials – including their chocolate! – sourced from responsible suppliers who care for the environment. Each 90g box of creams is £2.99 and a limited range is stocked by www.vivashop.org.uk. Beech’s full range of vegan chocolate creams, choc covered nuts and dark chocolate thins can be bought at www.beechsfinechocolates.com.
PROTEIN POPSTARS Hodmedod is offering two lucky bean freaks their Big Vegan Box, full of British beans, peas and quinoa. All British-grown, of course and worth £35! Get a 10 per cent discount when you buy from www.hodmedods.co.uk. Use code ‘VIVALIFE10’ at the checkout.
Candy Craze Vegan Sweet Treats have tapped into the current foodie trend for homemade vegan confection. On food trucks, market stalls and independent online shops across the country, vegan sweets are having their day. This Cambridge-based, fudge-making family business is on to a winner with their creamy, chewy chunks of this nostalgic sugary treat. The creamy texture is made from a proprietary blend of soya cream and silky vegan butter. The ten perfected flavours including the more adventurous peanut butter, lemon and white chocolate are made with natural extracts, fruits and nuts. Each box is £2.30 for 100g and can be purchased online from www.vegansweettreats.org.
YOU’RE SO LUSH Celebrate your inner fashionista with the Sebastian Weave Satchel by Cornelia Guest, worth £165. You’re So Vegan are giving away one of these glamorous handbags to a lucky winner. You’re So Vegan have a special 2015 launch offer for all new customers making their first purchase, with 10 per cent off the value of their order. Go online to www.youresovegan.co.uk and use code ‘YSV10’. CHOC OF PARADISE Beech’s Fine Chocolates are giving away two mini vegan hampers, each containing a scrummy selection of creams, gingers and chocolate thins worth £20. CANDY CRAZE The sweet confectioners at Vegan Sweet Treats are treating three readers to a multi-flavoured gift box of vegan fudge worth £10.50.
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ANIMAL FRIENDLY FOOTWEAR Send name and address for free colour brochure. Range includes mens and ladies shoes and boots, leisure shoes, walking boots, safety boots, jackets, belts etc‌ 12 Gardner Street, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 1UP Tel/Fax: 01273 691913 E: information@vegetarian-shoes.co.uk
Order Direct Online www.vegetarian-shoes.co.uk
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Attention All (Viva!)Activists!
youth news
we need YOU!
By Connor Davies
Viva! Activists is rebranding, in a big way. With the launch of a new-look website, a Twitter page and an interactive blog that YOU can be a part of, the opportunity for young vegans and vegetarians to let their voices be heard has never been bigger! The website has been totally repackaged, with a more fresh, vibrant and unique look in order to really connect with Activists out there. The website has many ways that you can get involved – Viva! poster and poetry competitions, fundraising activities as well as many campaigns you can get behind. The time to get more involved is now – in fact it has never been easier. The website will be centred around a new blog which will highlight the goods, the bads and the downright absurds in the world of veganism! From crazy recipes that get your mouth watering, to testing issues that will make your blood boil – the blog has something for everyone. It provides a simple way to connect to all of the Activists out there – great in a world where it can often feel as though your views and your voice are not being heard. We want to show that we hear you and that we do great things together. Anything you think might be interesting, no matter what it is, can and will be looked at by our Blog editor and who knows, you might even get a mention in the weekly upload! So log on, join in and let’s show everyone that we are united in our cause! The reason for reaching out is simple, there has never been a better time to accelerate change. Meat and dairy sales are falling and every scientific organisation in the world is insisting we need to seriously slash the consumption of both to reduce conditions such as heart disease and cancer and save the global environment. It is literally our future that is at stake. We want to reach out, get more young people involved and increase our influence. If you look at page 5, an eminent researcher says: “It’s clear the economic system is driving us towards an unsustainable future and people of my daughter’s generation will find it increasingly hard to survive.” That
also includes you and me! He is also clear that the reason why vital global ecosystems are collapsing is because of meat and dairy farming and over fishing. It’s a pretty sad picture of human vandalism and when you add into the equation the devastating extent of animal suffering, you can see why we need to get more active. We are in no way saying that joining Viva!Activists is going to change the world overnight but wouldn’t it be amazing to say that you were part of something really important? Would it not fill you with joy to know that, by joining with lots of other like-minded people, you are bringing about change? Being connected is vital, which is why, through social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, YOU can make your voice a champion for the animals! Follow our accounts to stay in the loop of what we’re doing here at Viva!. So, for your voice to be heard click those ‘Follow’ buttons and let’s get growing! By following our Twitter page @VivaActivists you’ll not only connect socially but also get all the latest on our campaigns, fundraisers and a link to our blog! It couldn’t be any easier to be a Viva!Activist. You’ll be part of probably the single most important cause on planet Earth – saving animals and preserving our own future!
Let’s make something great happen – become a Viva!Activist, and let’s kick start the future today!
If you’re a young supporter and would like to get involved, head to www.vivaactivists.org.uk for ideas on how to get started, or email us at info@viva.org.uk for advice and information. We’re always happy to help!
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T
he meat-free food market is booming. Food company Quorn say that (egg-free) vegan lines will hit supermarket shelves in September, Ikea are introducing vegan meatballs and Jamie Oliver says the future is plant-based! Analysts Mintel say 12 per cent of UK adults are vegetarian or vegan and one in eight meat-eaters would like to eat less meat. There’s a growing awareness of the environmental impact of livestock farming. New dietary guidelines issued by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) have finally addressed the effects of diet on the environment as well as health and have called for a reduction in meat consumption – and the meat industry is up in arms. In the UK, however, there is a resounding silence from our government as it bows to huge pressure from the £7.5 billion meat industry. A report on why some vegetarians return to eating meat found that those who stayed meat-free did so for ethical, ecological and social reasons. The motivation for ‘meat-returners’ originally shunning meat had been health. So why is the health argument failing? Poor journalism and celebrity doctors are sending mixed messages. Recent headlines declared: “Saturated fat ‘ISN’T bad for your heart’” but were based on a study that received overwhelming criticism. Professor Walter Willett, Harvard School of Public Health, said it contained major errors and omissions and the conclusions were seriously misleading. All major health organisations still agree – saturated fat is a risk factor for heart disease. In the BBC Horizon programme Should I Eat Meat? The Big Health Dilemma, Dr Michael Mosley ate 130g of red meat daily
for a month – similar to a fifth of people in the UK. He gained three kilos around his tummy, a place where extra weight can lead to diabetes and heart disease, and his blood pressure and cholesterol levels both soared. At the end of the programme, Michael and his wife agreed they would cut back on processed meat but continue to eat red meat a couple of times a week – a bit like agreeing to smoke only on Fridays! The truth is, doctors and journalists are reluctant to rock a boat that desperately needs rocking! RED ALERT! Red and processed meats can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer by 20-30 per cent and cancers of the pancreas and stomach. The World Cancer Research Fund say that people should “Eat mostly foods of plant origin, limit intake of red meat and avoid processed meat”. That means no sausages or bacon – ever! A review of studies with over 1.5 million participants found that people who ate the most processed meat were more likely to suffer an early death from heart disease and stroke. There’s yet to be a study that says we should eat more meat – and sausages are not part of your five-a-day.
Eat mostly foods of plant origin
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GO GREEN FOR GOOD HEALTH Vegetarians are healthier! Europe’s largest study of vegetarians, the EPIC Oxford study, confirms that vegetarians weigh less, have lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure and rates of type 2 diabetes than meat-eaters. A vegetarian diet can reduce the risk of heart disease by a third. A study
It’s S to Meat The consequences of By Viva!Health’s
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mart be -free being a meat-eater. Dr Justine Butler
Fiona Oakes
from the University of Oxford, the largest yet comparing cardiovascular disease rates between vegetarians and meateaters, found that vegetarians have a 32 per cent lower risk of hospitalisation or death from cardiovascular disease than people who eat meat and fish. Avoiding meat can also lower cancer risk. A UK study of over 60,000 people found cancer incidence was 11 per cent lower in vegetarians and 19 per cent lower in vegans than meat-eaters. A large study from the US reported similar findings. The World Health Organisation (WHO) says that up to 80 per cent of cases of heart disease, 90 per cent of type 2 diabetes and onethird of cancers could be avoided by changing to a healthier diet, increasing physical activity and stopping smoking. They say there are health benefits in eating more fruit, vegetables, nuts and wholegrain foods and moving to unsaturated, plant-based fats.
behind the science. Another misplaced concern is that vegetarians miss out on iron. Iron deficiency is no more common among vegetarians than meat-eaters. The EPIC Oxford study compared over 33,000 meat-eaters, 18,000 vegetarians and 2,500 vegans and found that vegans had the highest intake of iron, followed by vegetarians then meat-eaters. There’s irony for you! It is also a misconception that vitamin B12 is only found in animal foods. B12 is made by bacteria and that’s where animals obtain it – and we can do the same. Industrially grown B12 is used in fortified foods and supplements and is more easily absorbed by the body than from meat. The US Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences recommends that all adults over 50, whatever their diet, take B12 supplements or fortified foods. Any idea that red meat fuels sex drive is nonsense. Fruit, vegetables and wholegrain foods keep the blood pumping and protect against blocked arteries and heart disease. In fact impotence can be an early warning of heart disease. Vegan fire-fighter Rip Esselstyn, son of esteemed heart surgeon, Caldwell Esselstyn, says: “The canary in the coal mine when it comes to heart disease is an underperforming penis”. u
Any idea that red meat fuels sex drive is nonsense
NUTRITION – THE FACTS All the key nutrients, including omega-3 fats, protein, iron, zinc, iodine, calcium, vitamins D and B12 can be obtained from a vegan diet. The American Dietetic Association (ADA) say: “…appropriately planned vegetarian diets, including total vegetarian or vegan diets, are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and may provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases.” They also provide all the protein you need during every stage of life, including pregnancy, breast-feeding, childhood and adolescence. Athletes also get plenty – just look at British vegan marathon runner and triple world record winner, Fiona Oakes, or US track-and-field legend Carl Lewis. Sadly, many sports nutritionists lag
Rip Esselstyn
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Despite all advice to the contrary, chicken is not a ‘healthy’ option. Selective breeding and intensive farming have changed the nature of chicken meat, which now contains more than twice as much fat than it did in 1940. ENVIRONMENT Livestock farming is inefficient and wasteful; it pollutes oceans, rivers and air, uses up water, oil and coal, devastates ecosystems and contributes to climate change. The United Nations’ report Livestock’s Long Shadow revealed how livestock farming is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than all the world’s transport combined (cars, buses, trucks, trains, planes and ships)! What’s the connection between a cheeseburger and deforestation? Soya! All across the world, forests are being felled to grow it and almost all is fed to animals or used to pad out meat pies, pasties and other manufactured foods. Meat is so inefficient that a vegetarian world would require less than half the current amount of agricultural land and less than a quarter in a vegan world – according to Reading University. That on its own would cure most environmental problems. Water is also implicated, with 10 times more being required to produce animal protein than vegetable protein. Not surprisingly, leading scientists have issued stern warnings about global food supplies, saying that the world may have to switch almost completely to a vegetarian diet to avoid catastrophic shortages and that meat production at current levels is unsustainable.
factory-farming methods intensify. Chickens crammed into sheds with no room for compassion, mothering sows routinely caged to deliver and feed their young and zero-grazing cows that never see grass. Every year in Britain, over a billion animals face slaughter having spent their short lives in confinement, pain and misery. Treating animals this way is not without consequence for us and over 90 per cent of retail chickens are contaminated with faecal matter. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) also found that seven in 10 supermarket chickens were infected with the food poisoning bug, Campylobacter. Then there is horsemeat, E. coli O157, avian flu, BSE… It’s a wonder anyone risks eating meat!
Treating animals this way is not without consequence
ANIMAL WELFARE The growing demand for cheap meat has led to a drop in welfare standards as
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MEAT MYTHS AND EVOLUTION A quick trip around the human body reveals that we share more characteristics with herbivores than we do carnivores. Cats, dogs and wolves have strong jaws which can only open and shut and not move side to side; they have sharp teeth and claws to tear off chunks of raw meat and ‘wolf’ them down. Their acidic
stomachs help digest flesh whilst short intestines allow the quick expulsion of rotting meat. Rabbits, horses and sheep chew from side-to-side, their saliva contains digestive enzymes and they have longer intestines to absorb nutrients. Raw meat is hard for humans to cope with and may have prompted the introduction of cooking, say researchers from Harvard. Supporters of the Paleo (huntergatherer) diet say the mismatch between a Paleo-style high protein meaty/fishy diet and a modern diet, including grains and pulses, is to blame for most ailments. Research paints a different picture. Humans continued to evolve past the Palaeolithic era well into Neolithic times and early farmers relied more heavily on plant protein than previously thought. There is no scientific evidence to support the Paleo diet. A recent study in Nature put to bed the notion that meat made us smart. A highquality, largely plant-based diet, some of which was cooked, did contribute to rapid growth of the human brain. But that was not all – energy saved by walking upright, growing more slowly and reproducing later all fuelled the growth in brain size. Prehistoric humans ate some meat but it didn’t make them smart! The truly smart thing to do is give up meat and dairy entirely because the benefits are just so profound.
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ORGANIC & VEGAN
Order online at www.vivashop.org.uk or call 0117 944 1000 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm)
"Why the flesh pots?" Arguably, in terms of stock and innovative new food ideas, the Planet Organic chain is pretty well up there as it has wrapped its corporate tentacles around the health food market The chain is a multi-million dollar business trading on the back of the health food revolution that has spread far away from its late sixties hippie roots and into the back pages of the Daily Mail. Planet Organic’s abrasive, thrusting, modern style refutes the old skool counter culture idea of vegetarianism as one of the happy clappy levers for changing the world. It is now part of the modern lycra’d up health food glow where eating healthily is not the revolution – but about keeping a tight pair of buttocks as trying to live forever to enjoy the benefits of being a baby boomer is all. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to sit in one of their mega stores as they serve an excellent meal but there is something that always makes me cringe and that is the dreaded meat counter. Now, Planet Organic never claim to be a vegetarian emporium. They don’t really claim very much apart from selling pills, powders and potions and the foodstuffs of health. It’s all implied. Sure they look all swish, brash and modern and wear their green credentials on their stainless steel sleeve. For them, selling meat is not contravening any kind of moral code in their eyes. It’s just that since you’ve never ever gone to the blood drenched butchers since you took the green promise and don’t live in a meat household, the site of meat is pretty odd. It really does look like what it is – bits of a corpses chopped up and put into plastic bags as it sits there incongruously and slimy in the middle of the perfectly fine, far healthier and easier to cook vegan stuff on either side. My question to the big cigars who run this chain, as they busily push their bags of loot into the safe, is why bother when surely meat eaters have plenty of places to buy the blood soaked stuff. Can’t we have one space where we don’t have to put up with this vampiric lust for the sins of munching the flesh? It’s not like it’s even a key part of the store’s commercial battle plan. Two shelves of tired old bits of legs and long severed stomachs sit there unappetising and faded, glaring at the world and waiting to be dumped into a soggy stew. Surely the meat eaters can walk another twenty yards to rub the cow innards into their faces?
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Photo © Melanie Smith
Exquisite range of organic anti-ageing skincare bursting with Nourish’s Skin Hero ingredients from vitamin B complex to rosehip oil. Designed to treat different skin types and lifestyles. Choose yours!
Writer, commentator and musician, punk-bred John Robb says:
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Continued from page 9 She has not married, has a long-term relationship and no children – which is the way she wanted it. “But I see my brothers and sisters regularly and have lots and lots of nieces and nephews. I am the perfect aunt – in fact, I have a niece doing work experience with me at the moment.” There are two things that particularly incense me and one is the bleeding of hearts in the media over the fate of dairy farmers – selling milk to the supermarkets at often less than it costs to produce, it is claimed. Funny, I don’t recall similar expressions of concern over steel workers or ship builders or miners when their industries were almost wiped out. But it isn’t just the cruelty inherent in the industry that gets me going. Fortunately, I’m not on my own: “It’s a supply and demand thing. Far too much milk is being produced and if you live by the market you have to risk dying by the market,” says Kerry. My other beef is that, despite overwhelming evidence of meat and dairy damaging our health and environment, it is still hugely subsidised through CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) payments, essentially encouraging its consumption. It’s crazy – and again I’m not on my own.
Kerry McCarthy agrees but as a politician has to make realistic assessments of where change can be made. “Progress on animal welfare is being made at the EU level and I feel it is best left to those campaigning groups working there but in the end it comes down to not eating meat or dairy. I really believe that meat should be treated in exactly the same way as tobacco with public campaigns to
payments are available for grouse shooting, controlling buzzards and forestry. “Progress on health is being made and the number of celebrities who are going vegan is evidence of this. But much more needs to be done. The food industry isn’t serious about becoming healthier and actions such as reducing salt are simply designed to make them look good – a bit like a car wash. For a start, if you seriously want to control obesity you don’t allow fast food joints such as McDonalds to open up near schools!” Over the years we’ve built up a friendly relationship with Kerry McCarthy and I wondered what she thought of Viva!. “Viva! is all about the vegan diet, raising awareness with its vital campaigns and doing absolutely great work in making it easy for people to change. But it’s more than that! The bunch of people you have there and their sensible approach, defy all the stereotypes. Governments will only act when the public demand change and that’s what Viva! does, helps to change minds and cultural change is essential.” It’s become a national sport to trash politicians but Kerry McCarthy shows that conscience and concern are still alive and that honour is not dead.
“Viva!… doing absolutely great work in making it easy for people to change” stop people eating it.” Sadly, I don’t anticipate that being in anyone’s manifesto at the election. “The environment is very difficult to make headway on because there are just too many vested interests involved but in Latin America there is now a growing awareness of the damage being done. But here, the constant challenging of the environmental impact of livestock farming is making me more and more militant, not least that CAP
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Continued from page 11 Despite derogatory terms such as bird brain, hens have good memories. They prefer to mate with males who provide food more often to females in the group although mating doesn’t always follow tidbitting. This reveals two things about the hen’s behaviour: first, she must eavesdrop on the tidbitting of males and, second, she has to recall the behaviour of roosters in order to choose the one she wants to mate with. In The Chicken Challenge, researchers Dr Carolynn Smith and Dr Jane Johnson are clear that chickens “are capable of selfassessment and making comparisons between themselves and others.” They conclude that: “Chickens are not mere automata; instead they have been shown to possess sophisticated cognitive abilities.” For instance, their communication isn’t simply a reflex but takes regard of social and environmental factors. Chickens are aware of themselves as being distinct from other hens; can recognise individuals and understand where each stands in the hierarchy; and chicks have the ability to reason. The researchers’ conclusion? “This growing body of scientific data could inform a rethinking about the treatment of these animals.” Dr Siobhan Abeyesinghe of the Royal Veterinary College, who published a study entitled Do Hens Have Friends?, told the media: “Chickens certainly have more capabilities than people are aware of. I do think they are unjustly maligned.” And, most tellingly: “We have this psychological shielding to devalue animals we use for meat, so we feel less concern about them.”
of the social group to join another group or form their own. They forage on the ground for seeds, fruit and insects, using their feet to scratch away the leaf-litter in search of food, exactly as modern hens do. Red junglefowl have a hierarchical social system in which there is a ‘pecking order’ for both males and females. In the spring, at the onset of the breeding season, each of the stronger cocks maintains a territory with three to five hens. Meanwhile, young cocks live isolated lives in twos and threes. Roosters spend much of their time strutting their stuff, trying to impress females and providing them with food. Hens diligently watch the males, judging them on their behaviour, ability to protect and provide food and they remember past events, shunning nasty or deceptive males. The unrelenting threat from predators also dictates the junglefowls’ behaviour – they have had to evolve different strategies for different threats. Cocks will scan land and sky for potential predators, warning the hens when they sense danger. Naturally living in very small flocks, in factory farms they endure overcrowded sheds of 30,000 birds or more and a potential lifespan of 10 years is cut short to just six weeks. They have been selectively bred to grow so fast that at six weeks old they are obese. Countless millions are in pain as their baby hearts and joints struggle to cope with their adult size. Dr Carolynn L Smith states that the fact that the “common chicken… has such advanced cognition suggests something interesting about the origin of intelligence. Perhaps it is rather more common in the animal kingdom than researchers have thought, emerging whenever social conditions favour it as opposed to being a rare, difficult-to-evolve trait.” The rescued hens I have shared my life with had very different personalities – Lucy being affectionate and curious about everything and finding sneaky ways to get to my bedroom and inside my wardrobe; Cherry chilled and gentle; Rosy pushy, vocal and smart. Their favourite food was Indian curry – devoured in seconds. But how much easier for people to bury their heads and pretend these beautiful and complicated animals feel nothing and think of nothing.
in factory farms th ey endure o vercrowded sh eds of 30,000 birds or more
CHICKENS IN NATURE Domestic chickens originate from the red junglefowl (Gallus gallus) and, to a much lesser degree, the grey junglefowl (Gallus sonneratii). The male red junglefowl is magnificently handsome with a plumage of gold, red, brown, dark maroon and orange and a touch of metallic green and grey and his tail feathers can be 28cm long. They still live wild in southern and Southeast Asia in groups of four to 13 and it’s from these birds that domesticated chickens inherited their smartness. On mating, females craftily retain the sperm of the one or two dominant roosters in the group and eject that of all others. They lay four to six eggs, incubate them alone day and night for up to 20 days and then meticulously protect their chicks for 12 weeks before chasing them out
This is an edited version of a report by Juliet. To view the fully-referenced original, go to www.viva.org.uk/lifeischeep/birdbrain
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Read the latest novel from award-winning vegan activist Tony Wardle – a gripping, politicallydriven drama about the twisted industry of animals and the lengths some will go to hide the truth. At its heart, a modern love story that plays out amongst a cast of complex characters to a scintillating and surprising end.
GET YOUR COPY OF POD FOR ONLY ÂŁ8.95 FROM WWW.VIVASHOP.ORG.UK
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Books for Life Welcome to Viva!’s new Books for Life. Our team of raving reviewers and recipe testers (it’s a hard job!) love shouting about the latest animal-inspired lit, healthy living and vegan cookery! So we’ve come up with a handy guide to help you get the best bits out of each book.
Spring into the kitchen with these
fresh vegan reads But I Could Never Go Vegan
100%
Ideal for newbies, non-vegans and Kristy Turner, paperback, 308pp. £15.99 experienced cooks alike. RATIO OF FOOD IMAGES TO RECIPE In her debut Whip up Pecan Parmesan or Don’t judge a book solely on its mouthcookbook of foolSunflower Sausage Crumbles. watering images! Parmesan-Crusted Avocado & Kale proof, crowd-pleasing Florentine with Smoked Paprika VEGAN KNOW HOW recipes, Kristy serves Hollandaise – ‘nuff said! The more whisks, the more techniques up some straightand knowledge required. talking ripostes to all the ‘I could never give up cheese!’ and ‘What’s a whisk?’ ‘Yes, I’ve made my own nut other ‘naysayers’, one delish dish at a time. Neither preachy milk before!’ nor reprimanding, this author’s approach is heartfelt, ‘Got any agar-agar?’ helpful and humorous – with just a little kick up the WOW FACTOR backside. A former fromagier, Kirsty’s easy-peasy recipe for Things that you make you go ‘Wow!’ Macadamia Ricotta has just four ingredients; and Savoury and maybe a little ‘Pow!,’ too! Corn Cheesecake with Cilantro-Pepita Dressing, takes vegan BOOKSHELF APPEAL cheese to a whole new level. The Eggplant Meatball Subs Why your bookshelf can’t live with Spicy Marinara Sauce will have meat-lovers salivating without this book! and the Salted Caramel Peanut Butter Bars laugh in the Have a peek face of eggs and butter! at our BOOK KEY and make the most of your read!
BOOK KEY
Greens 24/7
Jessica Nadel, paperback, 176pp. £14.99 Gone are the days of limp lettuce and frizzled out frisée garnishes. In Greens 24/7, the good stuff takes centre stage; from a morning sarnie of Avocado Toast with Coconut ‘Bacon’ to a cheeky topping on Cake with Green Goddess Granola Crumble. Nadel’s love of greens really shines through, with diverse recipes from sweet courgettes to earthy beetroot tops.
The Fresh Vegan Kitchen
David & Charlotte Bailey, hardback, 176pp. £16.99 Award-winning, veggie street food couple, the Bailey’s are bringing back wholefood to a new generation of health conscious and flavour demanding punters. The Fresh Vegan expands on their London food truck’s bestselling Buddha Bowl, with a stunning collection of vegan and raw recipes. Be prepared to have a go at making your curry pastes – Massaman, Laksa and Thai Green Curry amongst them. The effort is well worth its weight in golden tofu. Presentation is modern, with an emphasis on vibrancy of vegan food – the Borage and Blueberry Snow Cones are deceptively simple and almost too pretty to eat.
100% Simple, low maintenance recipes with lots of greens. The Superfood Salad is a ridiculously easy mix of nine ingredients dressed to impress with an avocado lemon vinaigrette The Green Fact Files make for tasty reading – gram for gram, kale contains 17 times more vitamin c than carrots. Try a healthy slice of Chard, Coriander and Cashew ‘Cheese’ Pizza!
60% Some recipes require basic knowledge of exotic ingredients, like making seitan from scratch or assembling ‘Pulled’ Jackfruit sliders Cutting edge, global dishes are given the vegan treatment – Beer Battered Tofu ‘Fish’ and Chips and Gyoza Dumplings with Black Vinegar Dipping Sauce for a start! Nutrient dense trip around the world; a must for hip cooks who crave up market street food.
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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 not-sovegan ocean!
V-Biz Spotlight
Viva! Vivani Vivani have upgraded and supersized their mini vegan bars, of which the White Nougat Crisp became an instant best-seller at the Viva! Shop. The iChoc organic range features two vegan milk chocolate bars – Almond Orange Milk and Choco Cookie and two outstanding vegan white bars –White Nougat Crisp and White Vanilla. Each 80g bar is £1.99.
Dunk those Marshies! The marvellous marshmallow makers at Freedom Confectionery have developed a dipping treat that hits the spot for kids and adults alike! The new Mallow Choc Dip is a pre-packed tray of fluffy marshies (gelatin-free) and a carob-based chocolate spread. We know kids of all ages will enjoy dunking their marshies – just don’t expect them to last! 62g. £2.99.
COMING SOON TO WWW.VIVASHOP.ORG.UK
s ’ r e t r m e o e h c S p t n u p o c u s i S D
JACOB’S RIDGE Centre for Horse Whispering, Horse Therapy, Yoga Retreats, Meditation, Musical Therapy, Vegan/Raw Classes and more. Every class and course directly supports the animals at the sanctuary. info@jacobsridge.com www.jacobsridge.com 20% OFF ANY EVENT HELD AT JACOB’S RIDGE
PAPRIKA Somerset-based shop selling ethically-produced and fairtrade home accessories, silver and fashion jewellery plus unique and unusual gifts. 05601 259555 www.paprikashop.co.uk 10% DISCOUNT ONLINE SHOP
VEGANTOWN.CO.UK Specialist online vegan chocolate & sweet shop. info@vegantown.co.uk www.vegantown.co.uk 15% OFF FIRST ORDER WITH COUPON VIVA20
Viva! is proud to work with a lot of like-minded individuals and businesses to help promote a cruelty-free lifestyle for all and to bring you (our members!) amazing discounts on vegan products and services. The following businesses have recently joined our Supporter’s Discount Scheme (SDS) and/or have become Viva! Symbol Holders – check them out! Don’t forget to mention that you are a Viva! Member when making a booking or purchase.
Just out!
When your business joins our SDS, we will send you a snazzy new sticker to proudly pin-up on your shop window. And we also have web stickers available for our online shops!
Get some veggie cred – sign-up your business to our Supporter’s Discount Scheme (it’s FREE!) or use the Viva! Symbol on your products (from £50 per year). Contact katrina@viva.org.uk or visit www.viva.org.uk/vivasupporters-discount-scheme.
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Classifieds HOLIDAYS – ENGLAND
HOLIDAYS – IRELAND
EAST SUSSEX
LONDON B&B – LONDON: Centrally located in comfortable family homes. Direct transport to West End, theatreland and airport. Lots of restaurants and shops. TV in rooms. Double room £54 pn, single room £42 pn. Children’s reduction. Continental breakfast. Tel: 020 7385 4904 www.thewaytostay.co.uk
LAKE DISTRICT
Lakeland ving i l Bed & Breakfast The perfect place to Rest the Soul & Nourish the Body Veg Soc Award Winning Breakfast Packed with nutritious food and oozing 5 star reviews, this tiny B&B is a perfect delight Cockermouth, Cumbria 0776 567 5530 Please visit www.veggielakelandliving.co.uk
HOLIDAYS – FRANCE
NORFOLK Norfolk – two bed bungalow in Snettisham, sleeps four. 1 mile from Beach, 200 yards from RSPB reserve. Dogs Welcome. Tel: 01285 670187 www.norfolkcoastalholidayhomes.co.uk OXFORDSHIRE Heyford Vegan Bed & Breakfast in rural North Oxfordshire. Easy access Oxford, Blenheim, Rousham, Cotswolds, Oxford Canal. Dogs welcome. WiFi available. Train station and bus routes. www.heyfordveganbedandbreakfast@vpweb.co.uk O1869 340 664 / 07773 262 099 jenny@tamblyn2.orangehome.co.uk SHROPSHIRE The Ferns B&B in the historic market town of Newport, Shropshire. Exclusively vegetarian/vegan. Central location for touring Staffordshire & Shropshire. Period town house. Tel: 01952 812174 www.thefernsshropshire.co.uk RUN A B&B? Get bookings through the Viva! Discount Scheme. Contact katrina@viva.org.uk for details
West Cork – Vegetarian selfcatering 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 HOLIDAYS – SCOTLAND Highland Scotland Cuildorag House Vegetarian B&B from £32.50 Evening meals available. Stunning west coast scenery, near Ben Nevis, Glen Coe. Web: www.cuildoraghouse.com Tel: 01855 821529
For Viva! news, info, merchandise and much more visit us online at www.viva.org.uk HOLIDAYS – WALES CARDIGAN BAY ABERPORTH comfy quiet rural cottage 10mins walk safe sandy beaches and coast path. Sleeps 4. 01239 810595 parcllwyd@gmail.com
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For thinking veggie teens and young at heart adults
The Graylings Rising By Nigel Heath Amazon Kindlestore £3.09
Freelance Roving Chef Wanted VfL is the advocacy and educational charity for older vegetarians and vegans. We are looking to recruit a freelance Roving Chef to support and promote our work throughout the UK. Responsibilities include vegetarian/vegan cookery demonstrations for older people and those catering for them; representing VfL at conferences and other events; and giving practical information in support of vegetarian and vegan lifestyles.
Registered Charity No 1120687
Here’s an exciting read!
WWW.BADGERHOUSESITTING.CO.UK seeking vegetarian and vegan clients for any length house sitting contracts. Animals can be cared for inclusively, all our staff are vegetarian or vegan. CRB checked & insurance. Also looking to recruit vegetarian and vegan house sitters, please email CV to michelle@badgerhousesitting.co.uk
Contact admin@vegetarianforlife.org.uk for information pack Closing Date: 12 April 2015
www.vegetarianforlife.org.uk
The Vegetarian Charity Needy young vegetarians up to and including the age of 25 years can receive grants from the Charity, which also provides funds to promote vegetarianism among the young. Donations and legacies are most welcome to ensure that we can continue to satisfy the need for help. 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 473, CREWE CW3 0WU Registered Charity No 294767
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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. Vegan room let in Glasgow £300 pcm includes all bills, more details ctomlinson51@yahoo.co.uk Please reply to Box 58/1 Viva!, 8 York Court, Wilder Street, Bristol BS2 8QH.
CHARITIES & GROUPS
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ES, FAIR-TRADE TTES, VEGAN EE DAIRY-FREE SAWND MORE! READS
HOT OFF THE PRESS!
From animals-fight-back fiction to delectably dairy-free cookery – Viva!’s best-selling books are a guaranteed good read!
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