The Vegan Autumn 2002

SUFFERING SEAS

BRYAN ADAMS EXCLUSIVE

MILK - NECTAR OR POISON?

RAW FOOD

SUFFERING SEAS

BRYAN ADAMS EXCLUSIVE

MILK - NECTAR OR POISON?

RAW FOOD

9 770307 481000

0 3

ISSN 0307−4811

Laser Proof

The Vegan l Autumn 2002 1

Autumn heralds the harvest. Arisingfrom our Dairy Challenge in the lastmagazine, and thanks to the hard workof the Information Group set up afterlast year’s AGM, a seven page exposeof milk appeared in the Sunday Timeson 21 July (see page 7, or for the fulltext visit www.vegansociety.com). Thishas really brought the vegan argumentsagainst milk into the mainstream.

Other fruits of our labours are ripeningapace. At the beginning of July theSociety moved its accounts to a fullycomputerised accounts system linked toan upgraded membership database.Do bear with us if a few glitches arisefrom the transfer of your details to thenew systems. These new systems willenable us to cope with tens ofthousands of members and collectsubscriptions via direct debit. If you’dlike to pay your subscription by directdebit just [email protected] or giveus a call for the necessary form.

Our Spring and Summer catalogue hasbeen in so much demand that we ranout of copies and had to produce aSummer and Autumn edition in advanceof our usual Winter catalogue. If thereis any particular item you would like tosee in our Winter Catalogue, let usknow and we’ll do our best to oblige.

Do join in our World Vegan Daycelebrations on November 1 and thewhole of National Vegan Week (seepage 15 and visit our special interactivewebsite www.worldveganday.org ). Atthe very least, get your friends togetherand treat them to a delicious veganmeal. After all, vegan food is food thateveryone can enjoy.

Following the redesign of the magazinelast issue, we have now moved to fullcolour – enjoy!

Rick Savage

The Vegan Society l Donald Watson House l 7 Battle Road l St Leonards-on-Sea l East Sussex l TN37 7AA l UK

Local rate 0845 45 88244 l Tel. 01424 427393 l Fax. 01424 717064 l e-mail: [email protected]

Editor Rick Savage

Editorial Support Vanessa Clarke, Stephen Walsh, Karin Ridgers

Design Doughnut Design

Printed by Hastings Printing Company

On G-print chlorine-free paper

Front Cover photo: Sultannah / Kitty

© The Vegan SocietyThe views expressed in The Vegan do not necessarily reflect those of the Editor or of the VeganSociety Council. Nothing printed should be construed to be Vegan Society policy unless so stated.The Society accepts no liability for any matter in the magazine. The acceptance of advertisements(including inserts) does not imply endorsement. The inclusion of product information should not beconstrued as constituting official Vegan Society approval for the product, its intended use, or itsmanufacturer/distributor.Contributions intended for publication are welcomed, but unsolicited materials will not be returnedunless accompanied by a SAE.

2 NEWS

4 SHOPAROUND

7 MILK - NECTAR OR POISON?

9 GROW VEGAN

10 RAW FOOD

13 IVU CONGRESS

14 VEGGIE PRIDE

15 BRYAN ADAMS

17 VEGILANTICS

18 NUT RECIPES

20 SUFFERING SEAS

23 REVIEW & MEGAN

24 CHILDREN’S DIET

27 POSTBAG

29 LOCAL CONTACTS NEWS

30 VEGAN SOCIETY LOCAL CONTACTS

32 CLASSIFIEDS

36 PRIZE CROSSWORD & READERS’ OFFER

in this issue

2 The Vegan l Autumn 2002

� UK VEGAN WEEK, WORLD VEGAN DAY & A NEW CATERING GUIDE

A whole week of celebrations,running from Sunday 27th October toSunday 3rd November, will be launchedat the Vegan Society AGM on Saturday26th October. This year’s theme iswider availability of vegan food foreveryone to enjoy in restaurants, hotels,pubs, hospitals, schools and cafes. Anew guide will help caterers cope withthe increased demand for dairy-free,egg-free, animal-free catering, withdetails of alternative ingredients, advicefrom catering professionals such as themanager of the NHS Better HospitalFood project and marketing tips onhow to tap into the new demand.

� ORGANEX 2002

The premier trade event for theorganic food and drink industry willtake place on 15th and 16th Octoberat Olympia, Earls Court 2, in London.The event will take place duringOrganic Week promoted by the SoilAssociation. The Vegan Society will betaking part and there will be a strongerfocus on the vegetarian and vegansector this year.

� VITAMINS IMPROVE BEHAVIOUR OF YOUNG OFFENDERS RSSL food e news

A joint study including UniversityCollege Cork, the University of Surreyand Imperial College London, assistedby the Home Office and the PrisonService, found that young criminalsgiven dietary supplements weresubstantially less likely to participate incriminal behaviour. There was noformal follow-up, but prison officersreported a 40% increase in behaviouralproblems after the trial ended. Theresults of the experiment imply thatpoor diets in the community mayinfluence criminal behaviour andsuggest a correlation between the risein fast food consumption and youthcrime.

� THE UNITED NATIONS SUMMIT ON WORLD HUNGER

The UN summit in Rome heard morethan one delegate recommend a plant-based diet as a solution to humanstarvation and famine. The EuropeanVegetarian Union submitted adocument to this effect which wassubsequently circulated as a pressrelease in the UK.

� VEGAN CELEBRITIES Madonna and her children,Spiderman (at least in training), ShaniaTwain, the Princess from Star Wars andLynne Franks (one of the founders ofWhatever She Wants) have all recentlybeen reported to be eating vegan. And38-year-old Graham Neale, vegan forover 5 years, was elected to SouthwarkCouncil in May. The tired oldstereotypes are taking a real beating asvegans appear in all walks of life.

Graham Neale with Lib Dem LeaderCharles Kennedy

� NUGGETS OF MISINFORMATION

In June The Guardian published areport showing that chicken nuggetsmay contain little more than 30%chicken meat in some cases while allsorts of highly undesirable ingredients -from recycled pet food and bannedcarcinogenic antibiotics to pork fat andbeef protein - have all been discoveredin chicken meat.

� SEEKING PAST VOLUNTEERS AT VEGGIES OF NOTTINGHAM

Ronny, famous for her vegan CakeScoffer booklet, is writing a history ofthe Veggies Catering Campaign andthe Nottingham Rainbow Centre. Sheis trying to track down and interviewanyone who has ever been associatedwith Veggies. If you have ever helpedVeggies, even just once, please email

to PO Box 2284, London W1 5HU.

� ESCAPING THE RAT RACE?

The first series of No Going Backshowed people transforming their livesto follow their dreams: tending theirown grapes, olives and almonds inscenic rural Spain, setting up a safarilodge in sun-drenched Zambia, runninga hotel in the beautiful Welshmountains, or buying an exotic islandin Nicaragua. Channel 4 is nowpreparing a second series and lookingfor people in the process of pursuingtheir dream, creating a new life, sellingup and planning never to return.Contact

� BRITISH MEDICAL JOURNAL ARTICLE www.bmj.com

The first findings from a prospectivestudy of 38,917 people in Melbourne,Australia, show that those who ate redmeat or pork, or both, more than 10times a week were 1.8 times morelikely to develop bowel cancer duringthe first 10 years of follow-up. Thosewho ate processed meat more than fivetimes a week were 1.5 times morelikely to develop bowel cancer thanthose eating it no more than once aweek. Associate Professor DallasEnglish, an epidemiologist at CancerCouncil Victoria, said: "My feeling isthat people who consume a lot ofmeat, particularly processed meat,could reduce their bowel cancer risk byeating less meat."

News

� WHO SAID VEGANS LACK ENERGY?

Vegan Alan Cooper, the manprimarily responsible for freeing manydolphins imprisoned in little more thanswimming pools, has cycled from Land’sEnd to John O’Groats to raiseawareness of new European fishinglaws which are endangering UKdolphins. Despite early symptoms ofmultiple sclerosis, this seasonedcampaigner then did Ireland top tobottom as well.

Alan Cooper (on cycle) withManchester City Goalkeeper Kevin Phillips

� MEPS BACK FULL GM LABELLING

The European Parliament recentlyvoted for full labelling and traceabilityof GM food and animal feed, agreeingthe following five point plan:� full traceability and labelling of foods

derived from GM crops� labelling of GM animal feed� ban on contamination by

unapproved GM foods � contamination threshold for labelling

set at 0.5 per cent.� ruling out a GM-free labelHowever, MEPs rejected the labelling ofproducts such as milk, meat and eggsfrom animals fed GM feed on thegrounds that it would confuseconsumers.

� RSPCA REPORTS ON UNCAGED DIARIES OF DESPAIR

In September 2000 UncagedCampaigns posted their report, Diariesof Despair, based on 'leaked' materialabout xenotransplantation experimentscarried out by Imutran Ltd. The materialwas made subject to an injunction byImutran Ltd, but in May 2002 theparent company Novartis agreed that itcould be submitted to the RSPCACouncil. The RSPCA’s conclusions canbe viewed at www.rspca.org.uk, or seewww.uncaged.co.uk for fullinformation.

� 'BACK TO NATURE' £400MILLION FARMING FUND Daily Mail 16/7/02

The extra funding will be spread overthree years. Charities and the voluntarysector will benefit from a £125 millioninvestment fund. The money is part ofa radical agenda to shift subsidies fromfactory farming towards organicproduction. Changes are also plannedfor reform of the discredited CommonAgricultural Policy, which has broughthigher food prices and food mountains,and any new EU subsidies could belinked to minimum animal welfarestandards and care for theenvironment.

� FOOD COMMISSION PARENTS JURY

Set up in March, the Parents Jury([email protected]) hasvoted for healthier lunch boxes and lessjunk food, describing children’s food asoften low in essential nutrients but highin fat, salt and sugar and relying onartificial colourings and flavourings forappeal. The jury awarded the AdditiveNightmare Award to Sunny Delightwhile the Pester Power Award formanipulative marketing techniqueswent to McDonald’s Happy Meals.

� NUTS CUT RISK OF HEART DISEASE

A 17-year study conducted in BostonUSA and published in the Archives ofInternal Medicine has shown that theconsumption of 1oz of nuts at leasttwice a week significantly lowers therisk of heart attacks in men. Theseresults are consistent several otherstudies showing a clear benefit fromconsumption of nuts.

� THE BUXTON TRAM

Vegan hot dog stands are not new -there is Veggies of Nottingham andeven one in the Highlands of Scotland -but this one is the latest and surely theprettiest. Nina’s partner Brian had to bedragged kicking and screaming into thisproject, but found that he loved everyminute of it and apparently went off inhis taxi to tell the whole of Buxtonabout the length of the queues and thesize of his vegan hot dogs.[Editor: We have learnt recently thatBrian has been in hospital and wish hima speedy recovery.]

� MAKING A DIFFERENCE

The autumn edition of the Tescovegetarian magazine features recipesauthenticated by the Vegan Society andwe hope that this will be the start ofmuch more. We are also involved inlong-term projects with the NHS andHM Prison Service. The manager of theNHS project has said, “The BetterHospital Food initiative is a long-termproject, not a quick fix, and we willcontinue to take into account theneeds of all patients as we developproposals for future serviceimprovements. We look forward to alasting and productive association withthe Vegan Society”

� BRITONS ARE THE FATSOS OF EUROPE AOL UK News 27/06/02

The British are the second fattestnation on the planet, with one in fiveadults seriously overweight. The UStops the world fat league with 26%obesity among adults and the UK issecond with a hefty 21%, while theSwiss are Europe's trimmest with anobesity rate of only 6.8%. TheJapanese are the world's skinniestnation with a 2.9% obesity rate.Britain's Public Health Minister HazelBlears said: "There are clear linksbetween obesity and our biggest killers- heart disease and cancer. We need toensure everyone has access to a healthydiet and leisure facilities."



� EVERNAT PRODUCTS

Evernat have a full range of organicproducts, many of which are suitablefor vegans. We tried five items to seehow they compared with standardproducts. The Natural Tortilla Chips werecomposed of 99% organic ingredientsand tasted fresh and very crunchy.Served with an organic Tomato andChilli Sauce, the organic spaghetti madea delicious and satisfying meal: thespaghetti was lighter and less stodgythan other whole wheat versions andthe sauce was rich in thick chunkyvegetables. The organic Corn Flakeswere small and very chewy, but still lightand crispy. The strawberry jam, whichwas sweetened with fruit juice, had alovely flavour and smell but was a littlerunny in consistency. More details fromthe distributers: Brewhurst Health FoodSupplies, Byfleet, Surrey KT 14 7JP.

� CLEARSPRING’S ORGANIC OMEGA OIL

Clearspring’s neworganic oil is animpressive blendof cold-pressedextra virgin oliveoil, rapeseed oil,sunflower oil andflax seed oil,creating a mixtureof omega 3, 6and 9 fatty acidsperfect for use insalads, pasta andcold dishes. Theoil has a light,nutty taste and isdelicious pouredover cereals andvegetables,adding a richnessof texture andflavour. The extravirgin olive oil isan antioxidant and helps lowercholesterol, the flax and rapeseed oilsprovide linolenic acid and the sunfloweroil adds further antioxidants and vitaminE to the blend. The oil costs £6-49 for500 ml. Contact: Clearspring,19AActon Park Estate, London, W3 7QEWebsite: www.clearspring.co.uk

� PANTRI NOLWENN

This company pridethemselves onmaking “sustainablenutrition in the bag” andproduce a high qualityrange of breads, cakes,biscuits and savouries attheir wholefood bakery inHwlffordd. These gourmetdelights are sold at a numberof health food stores andmarkets in Wales. As well asoffering organic products theymake wheat-free, yeast-free,salt-free, sugar-free and dairy-free items and produce brochures oftheir wide range of goodies.

We happily munched our way throughtwo sorts of cookies, a cake and somebread. The Oat Lace cookies (packagedin threes for 60p) were wheat free andhad a good shelf life. They had thatglorious home baked smell and tasteand an irregularity of shape that spokeof individual care. Rich in cinnamon,crumbly , sweet and crisp, we enjoyedevery mouthful.

The Lemon Squeeze cookies ( also threefor 60p) were moist and full of naturallemon flavour and zest. Tangy and nottoo sweet, they had a soft, almostdoughy texture. Due to the fresh lemonused, they did not have a very long shelflife - but we defy anyone to keep themfor more than a few days anyway!

Our next conquest was the BananaBread (£2 for a generous loaf). Acouple of our tasters thought it lackedbanana flavour, but most loved thebalanced blend of 40% bananas andwalnuts with subtle undertones oflemon and vanilla and a fresh, moisttexture.

Last, but certainly not least, was theunusual Apricot-Cognac-Chocolate cakeselling at £3-50. With a cognac contentof 10%, it tasted incredibly strong butnot overpowering as the soaked apricotsand chocolate provided different flavoursensations. Eat enough of this and itwouldn’t be safe to drive! Rich, moistand fruity, this cake had a wonderfultexture and made a luxurious snack.

All of the items we tasted reflected thehigh quality ingredients, sourced mainlyfrom Essential Trading Co-operative. Aunique labelling feature was thesourcing of individual ingredients e.g.Apricots (Turkey), Wheat flour (ShiptonMill) and very often the percentageswere recorded e.g. 15% chocolatedrops, 42% lemon. Delicious productsto eat with every confidence.

For more information contact:

Website: www.pantrinolwenn.co.uk

� BAREFOOT BOTANICALS

This company was founded in 1998by two homeopaths who wanted toproduce a range of skin products freefrom synthetic chemicals. The productscontain synergistic blends of plant oilsand extracts designed to work inharmony with the skin. We tested theRosa Fina range of nourishing creamand body lotion which retail for £14-95and £17-95 respectively. Therejuvenating face cream with RosaMosqueta oil from the Andes is sold in50ml pots. Like all of the products, ithad a wonderful smell and lent lastingmoisture to dry skin. The body lotioncomes in 200ml bottles and containsbotanical extracts of borage and apricotkernel which restored elasticity to drytired skin and soaked in easily.

ShoparoundDebbie Holman


The SOS Intensive Skin Rescue range ofcream and bath oil was designed to helpdry, cracked skin as in conditions suchas eczema and psoriasis. The cream wasbeautifully light and had a very pleasantsmell which lingered on the skin. Itworked well on sore flaky patches andbrought relief to dry flaky skin. Thecream costs £7-95 for 50 ml and £13-95for 100 ml. The bath oil made bath timemuch more comfortable for psoriasissuffers, leaving no skin cracks on elbowsand knees. It also took the itch out ofeczema and left the skin pleasantlyfragrant. It is good value at £13-95 for200mls, sufficient for 20 baths.

Finally, the Solace Cooling Moisturiserretails at £13-95 for 100mls. Smellingbeautifully of orange blossom (neroli),this silky smooth cream was refreshingand cooling to hot sun-damaged skin.Rich in aloe vera, calendula andchamomile to combat UVB sun rays andwith nourishing carrot and borage oilsto moisturise, it was non-greasy andanti-inflammatory. The base is composedof shea butter and jojoba. A little wenta long way and lasted for several hours. Barefoot Botanicals, 282 St Pauls Road,Highbury Corner, London N1 2LH. Tel: 0207 288 2977 Fax: 0207288 2978Website: www.barefoot-botanicals.com

� CALVIA CALCIUM- ENRICHED SPREAD

This calcium-fortified margarinewas introduced to boost an importantmineral which can often be deficient. A25 gram serving contains about 17% ofthe daily recommended amount ofcalcium and is sufficient for 3 to 4 slicesof bread or toast. The margarine is alsofree from cholesterol, rich in vitamin Eand contains no hydrogenated fats. Ithas a pleasant flavour and spreads easilystraight from the fridge. It is also quitelow in fat at 38% and a good source ofvitamins A and D. Calvia costs £1-39 fora 500 gram tub and is available atTesco, Sainsbury’s, ASDA, Safeway, Co-op and Budgen’s.For further product information contactMatthews Foods, Customer InformationTel: 0800 0284499www.calvia-spread.com

� REDWOOD’S FISH STYLE FINGERS

This recently introduced item metwith universal approval when tested andhad the authentic smell of fish fingers.Described as a breadcrumbed blend ofwheat, vegetable oil and soya, eachfinger retained its shape beautifully aftercooking and turned a succulent crispybrown. The texture was not quite soreminiscent of fish, and to those of uswho have never eaten fish it was like astiff potato cake, very satisfying anddelicately spiced. See Redwood’sadvertisement on the back cover of thisissue. A word of warning: lock up yourcats when cooking these as even non-vegan cats were very interested; if yourcat is vegan you will have added a newitem to the menu, but don’t forget theVeggiecat to go with it!Redwood can be reached at NorthantsNN17 4DT. Tel: 01536 400557email: [email protected]: www.redfoods.co.uk

� DOLMA’S NEWFRAGRANCES

Dolma haveintroducedtwo newperfumes totheir cruelty-free range

which was firstestablished in

1982 by Jim Payne, apractising vegan and

qualified chemist. The new fragrancesare Anahita: jonquil, mimosa,magnolia, heliotrope and tuberose witha base of sandalwood, vanilla and non-animal musks, and Calista: gardenia,honeysuckle and jasmine with citrusand woody tones. We liked bothfragrances, but found the Anahitalighter and more refreshing. Bothperfumes were long lasting and quicklybecame fragrant on the skin.

6mls of Anahita costs £9-30, 15mls£15-95 while 6mls of Calista will set youback £7-50, 15mls £13-95. Other sizesare available, as well as trial sizes at £2-60 and £2-00 respectively.

Dolma make several other perfumesincluding an animal-free musk calledVegamusk. For more informationcontact Dolma, 19 Royce Avenue,Hucknall, Nottingham, NG15 6FU.Telephone or fax: 0115 963 4237Website: www.veganvillage.co.uk/dolmaemail: [email protected]

� NEW BODYVITAL RANGE FROM ANNEMARIE BORLIND

If the summer sun has highlightedyour cellulite and your skin needs helpbefore it is covered in winter layers thenthis new range from Annemarie Borlindcould be for you. Called the Bodyvitalrange and programmed with the vitalityof the sea the whole range is veganwith the exception of the shower gelwhich contains honey.

We tried out the Cellulite Gel and theFirming Body Cream and over thecourse of a few weeks noticedsignificantly less cellulite and animprovement in skin elasticity. The skinalso improved in texture and felt wellmoisturised. The Body Cream is rich invitamins C and E plus baobab leafextract while the Cellulite Gel containsbutcher’s broom, vitamin C, caffeine andseaweed. The cream costs £14-95 for150mls and the gel costs £15-95 for thesame quantity.

Other items in the Bodyvital rangeinclude Caring Body Lotion Spray, DeoBalm and Crème Scrub. For furtherdetails contact Simply Nature Ltd, 7 OldFactory, Battenhurst Road, Stonegate ,East Sussex , TN5 7DU. Orders: 01580 201687 Fax: 01580 201697Email: [email protected]


Shoparound continued

� TANJERO SOAP

These hand-made soapsare free from addedchemicals and composed oforganic fruit and vegetables whereverpossible. All oils are vegetable, withhempseed oil constituting 10% of thebase oil in every bar. Tanjero test theirsoap on humans and useenvironmentally friendly productionmethods. There are three ranges:

unperfumed soaps at £1-50, aperfumed oil range at £1-50 and anessential oil range which double asaromatherapy bars at £2-50. In theunperfumed range we were intrigued bythe Kitchen Coffee bar containing freshground coffee to neutralise odours suchas onion and garlic on the hands. TheCarrot and Hempseed is excellent forexfoliating but also a rich treatment forchapped and dry skin. The perfume oilrange includes the sensual Musk barwith a warm alluring aroma and the

Apple and Orchid Oil soap with addedapple juice and orchid perfume. Theessential oil range contains Ylang Ylang,which is very good for the scalp, makingthis an ideal body and shampoo bar.This range also contains tea tree oil withoatmeal and other essential oils plus thedeliciously cooling Cucumber and Mintbar for lifting impurities from the skin.For information or to order, contactTanjero, 19 Torbay Road, Sheffield S4 7SN. Tel: 0114 256 2977website: www.tanjero.co.uk

TRADEMARK NEWS

The Vegan Society symbol appears onthousands of animal-free products. Ithelps you make easy, informed choicesabout which products are suitable, andhelps us work with companies who arewilling to recognise their vegancustomers.

Remember to ask the makers of yourfavourite vegan product if they haveregistered with us yet!

The following companies have recentlyjoined our list:

The Redwood Wholefood Company –a large range of exciting veganalternatives. Makers of the well-knownCheatin’ and Cheezly ranges, as well asthe fish-style fingers reviewed in thisissue.

Barefoot Botanicals – their mission isto ‘harness the restorative power ofplants to help everyday skin, hair andbody care challenges’. Skin care andhealth care products - moisturisers,lotions etc.

Chimans – Authentic Indian Spice blends- bringing home the taste of real Indiancooking. Try out their vegan recipe ideasas well.

Clearspring – over 200 vegan products.Over the last two decades Clearspringhave developed an unrivalled range ofwholesome, organic vegetarian foodsfrom Japan, America and Europe. One ofthe world’s largest wholesalers ofJapanese foods. See their new Omega Oilin this issue.

Health & Beauty Solutions – theOriginal Source range – ‘a new, never feltbefore way to care for your hair andbody’. Body gels, shampoos, deodorants,

bath foams, shave gels etc. Zingy, zesty,reviving, refreshing.

HealthQuest – vitality for Body andMind. Bodycare, Massage Oils, moodblends, essential oils and more.

Herbs of Grace – mail order sales ofherbs and other natural health aids. Over300 traditional herbal formulae andrelated products offered. Professionalblended and encapsulated herbs, andsingle herbs available.

Natural Feast Corp – Gourmet foodsand Desserts from America. Pies and piecrusts, chocolate mousses. Nohydrogenated oil, gluten, additives orpreservatives .

Nature’s Plate – mobile caterer based inExeter. A range of delicious vegan options- on the move.

Sarc Health Foods – the Soy Milker - asfeatured in the Vegan Society catalogue.Make your own soya milk. Add your ownflavours and enjoy fresh tasting soya milkevery day. Also suitable for rice milk andalmond milk.

See these companies and their products –and details of all our trademark holders –on our website. Companies registeredwith us may take part in our campaigns,gain a free magazine entry and websitelisting, and are easy to find in the shops -just look out for our symbol.

Redwood Wholefood CompanyRedwood HouseBurkitt RoadEarlstrees Ind. Est.CorbyNorthantsNN17 4DT01536 [email protected]

Barefoot Botanicals272 St Pauls RdLondonN1 2LH020 7354 [email protected]

ChimansCleave FarmEast DownBarnstapleEX31 4NX01271 883864

Clearspring LtdUnit 19AActon Park EstateLondonW3 7QE020 8749 [email protected]

Health & Beauty Solutions Ltd.Combe HouseHolbans Lane Broad Oaknr HeathfieldE SussexTN21 8XE01435 883145www.originalsource.co.uk

Healthquest Limited7 Brampton RoadLondonNW9 9BX0208 206 [email protected]

Herbs of GraceLanwades Business ParkKennettNewmarketSuffolkCB8 7PN01638 750140www.herbsofgrace.co.uk

Natural Feast Corporation36 Old Farm RdBox 481DoverMA02030UNITED STATES508 785 3322www.naturalfeast.com

Nature's Plate8 Taddiford RoadExeterEX4 4AY01392 [email protected]

Sarc Health FoodsPO Box 140HerefordHR1 3YZ01432 [email protected]


The introduction pulled no punches: “Next time you hear adietary ‘expert’ saying, ‘Milk and dairy are essential parts of a

well-balanced diet,’ be advised that you’re in the presence of anincompoop, and an idle one at that” said the author, Peter Martin.

Had this been an article in The Vegan no one would have blinked,but coming from that bastion of Establishment thinking, TheSunday Times, it was revolutionary indeed. The article quotedextensively from information provided by the Vegan Society andexplicitly highlighted our Dairy Challenge, which exposed the DairyCouncil’s wishful thinking and overblown health claims. The articlealso drew on the meticulously researched and referencedinformation provided in Stephen Walsh’s briefing papers for theVegan Society on “Milk and Breast Cancer” and “Diet and BoneHealth,” together with information from Philip Calder ofSouthampton University, T. Colin Campbell of Cornell University,Mike Rayner of Oxford University, John Webster of BristolUniversity veterinary school and last but by no means least thedistinguished epidemiologist Walter Willett of Harvard MedicalSchool.

The ethical issues were also not neglected: the immense sufferingof the dairy cow was evoked by a picture of a dairy cow with herengorged udder trailing to the ground and the pointed quotationfrom Philip Calder, “It’s not cost-effective and it’s cruel”. This wasbacked up by an eloquent summary from the author Peter Martin:

“For us, of course, dear old Daisy will forever be a black-and-whiteFriesian grazing on lush grass. But there’s no Easter bunny, either.

In reality, the modern high-yield dairy cow is a pitiful, ramshackleembodiment of market-driven exploitation.”

The key scientific points were all there, too:

� “Relying on calcium alone to prevent osteoporosis is like fieldinga football team with all strikers and no defenders” (a directquotation from the Vegan Society’s Dairy Challenge).

� “Several substances in milk, particularly protein, contribute tocalcium losses. Result: a third of the calcium initially absorbed bythe body from milk is then wasted, through urine, in losses causedby the milk itself; from cheese, more than two thirds is wasted”(concurring with research summarised in the Vegan Society’sbriefing paper on Diet and Bone Health).

� “Once the cow is milked, the fat from that milk is in the foodsupply, and someone ends up eating or drinking it” (a quotationfrom Walter Willett of Harvard which we used in a press releaseannouncing the Dairy Challenge)

� “The very top of the danger hierarchy is saturated dairy fat,including the stuff that’s found its way back into the food chain.”

� “Frequent milk and dairy consumption can more than doublethe risk of prostate cancer.”

� In relation to breast cancer, “On balance, the best course is toget your calcium and vitamin D from somewhere other than milkand skip the potential hazards of IGF-1” (another direct quotationfrom the Vegan Society).

The Vegan Society contribution to this article is the culmination ofmany months of preparatory work by the Information Group,raising our profile with the media and the international scientificcommunity, ensuring that when it came to scientific researchrelevant to milk and to plant-based diets we had the most up todate and accurate information at our fingertips.

The same background preparation enabled us to respond rapidlywhen comments were invited by the World Health Organisationon its draft report, “Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of ChronicDiseases” (see page 21).

We believe that this is the right strategy for the Vegan Society, asan educational charity, to promote veganism among theunconverted. Having the best research to hand also strengthensour long-standing and equally important role in advising andsupporting new and existing vegans in the UK and throughout theworld.

The Dairy Council totally ignored the Dairy Challenge when wepublished it in the last issue of The Vegan, although we twiceinvited them to take up our offer to publish their response in ourmagazine and on our website. They can no longer ignore our casein the light of Peter Martin’s excellent article. We congratulate theauthor on an excellent article and commend The Sunday Times formaking this important scientific information on the dangers ofdairy more widely available.

[For the full text of The Sunday Times article on milk, the briefingpapers on Diet and Bone Health and on Milk and Breast Cancer,and the full text of the Vegan Society response to the WorldHealth Organisation report on nutrition, seewww.vegansociety.com]

THE SUNDAY TIMES TAKES UP THE DAIRY CHALLENGE

Milk - Nectar or Poison?On July 21, The Sunday Times magazine ran a cover story under the picture reprinted here.


RReessuullttssApril1st Mr J. Birbeck £77.632nd Mr P. Hannay £46.583rd Mr I. Nicholl £31.05

May1st Mr D. Harrison £81.002nd Ms C. Bartels £48.603rd Mr I.R. Davison £32.40

June1st Mrs B. Smith £82.132nd Ms L. Robertson £49.283rd Ms P.L.N. Foley £32.85

July1st Mr I.R. Davison £752nd Ms G. Fenoughty £453rd Mrs S. Tyne-Thomas £30

Thesunf lower

lot tery

SSuuppppoorrttss tthheeVVeeggaann SSoocciieettyyCash prizes every month

The Sunflower LotteryAllows you to make regular donations to theVegan society and stand the chance ofwinning cash prizes every month.

How it worksEvery month three cash prizes - comprising50% of that month’s entry money - aredrawn. A monthly entry is £1.50 but you canpay for as may entries as choose. The drawtakes place on the last working day of eachmonth. A list of winners is published inThe Vegan

There’s moreEvery year, the winners of the preceding 12monthly sunflower lotteries are entered int a‘Super’ Sunflower Lottery for a chance to win£100.

To enterFill out the form below and return it withyour remittance for 3, 6 or 12 months asrequired. Don’t worry about forgetting torenew - you’ll be reminded in good time.Good luck!


One of the key predictions is thatalthough winters will become wetter,

summers may become drier everywhere inthe UK. The document states that therelative changes will be greatest for the‘high emissions’ scenario and in the southand east of the UK, where summerrainfall may decrease by 50% or more bythe 2080s. In addition, summer soilmoisture may be reduced by 40% ormore over large parts of England by the2080s for the high emissions scenario.

Most of us are aware of the need to bevigilant about water consumption, but ifthe predictions in this document areaccepted as gardeners andhorticulturalists we will need to thinkconsiderably more carefully about theplants that we grow, the way in which wegrow them and our access to alternativewater sources. As vegans, our concernwill be not only to safeguard our ownwell being but to ensure that adequatenatural water sources are available forwildlife everywhere.

What can we do?

Aside from the obvious need to tackleclimate change by reducing greenhousegas emissions in every decision that wemake – and by being vegan we arealready making a major positivecontribution - we can also help tominimise and adapt to the effects byreducing water use in the garden. Wecan choose plants that are tolerant ofdrought, retain moisture already in thesoil by mulching, store water from rainfallin water butts, and in some cases use‘grey’ or used water from our homes.There is a wealth of information out thereto tap into, if readers will pardon the pun.

Most perennial plants need very littlewater once established in well preparedsoil, i.e. where compost has been appliedto improve soil structure and with theaddition of a mulch in the spring.However, some plants are particularly welladapted to very dry conditions: forexample Chamaemelum nobile (RomanChamomile); Foeniculum vulgare (Fennel);Hedera helix (Ivy); Hippophae rhamnoides(Sea Buckthorn); Ilex aquifolium (Holly);Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary); Vincaminor (Periwinkle); Achillea millefolium(yarrow); Ajuga reptans (Bugle); Crataegusspecies (Hawthorns). Most of these arenative species and are therefore ideal forBritish wildlife. Others are useful in theproduction of plant tonics, as companionplants and to help create a naturalbalance of insect life, as described inearlier articles.

In a small garden, the use of pots may bethe only practical option for growingplants. Plants growing in pots tend torequire more frequent watering than ifgrowing in the soil as roots are unable toaccess water outside the confines of the

pot. The type of compost used will alsoaffect the amount of water retained inthe pot: a very free draining compost willdry out quickly and be more difficult tore-wet. The correct mix for a particularplant will depend on its growingrequirements for a well drained or morewater-retentive medium. Larger pots canhelp to provide a greater store of availablewater and can be coupled with a mulchto help reduce evaporation. Wateringdirectly into the root areas and in theevening to help prevent evaporation willalso be of benefit.

In the language of permaculture, if we allput our minds to it we can ‘turn problemsinto solutions’: we haven’t got ashortage of water - we’ve got a mulchdeficiency!

Useful sources

‘Climate Change Scenarios for the UnitedKingdom: The UKCIP02 Briefing Report ‘,DEFRA April 2002. See websitewww.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/index.htm.

‘Plants for a Future’, Fern K. 1997Published by Permanent Publications.Useful lists of drought-tolerant and nativespecies and multiple plant uses.

Centre for Alternative Technology,Machynlleth, Powys, SY20 9AZ. Websitewww.cat.org.uk. Tel: 0845-330-4593.Key research and information provider re:use of grey water, sewage watertreatment systems, natural gardening.Members’ magazine Clean Slate and factsheets available.

‘Permaculture: A Beginner’s Guide’,Burnett G. 2000. Published by Land andLiberty. Excellent introduction topermaculture ideas and principles.

Grow VeganGeorgia Wrighton urges us to consider how we can adapt to and minimise the effects ofclimate change in our growing.

Earlier this year the government produced a document entitled ‘Climate Change Scenarios for the United Kingdom’ whichsets out the likely future changes in our climate predominantly as a result of greenhouse gas emissions. One of the statedmain aims of the document is to enable more informed decision making by ‘everyone involved in making investment andpolicy decisions in the public and private sectors’ in adapting to climate change which cannot now be avoided.

Grow Vegan PuzzlerPrize this month:

Signed copy of Vegan Stories

Which of these native plants isdrought-tolerant?

(a) Rosa canina (Dog Rose)(b) Crataegus monogyna (Hawthorn)(c) Salix alba (White willow)

The correct answer to the SummerGrow Vegan puzzler was (c) Dynamicaccumulator and the winner was Ms. R Withy, Co Derry



Raw vegan diets comprise three keyfood groups: sweet fruit, high-fat

plants and green leafy vegetables. Rawfood authorities differ in theproportions recommended, somesuggesting that 2% of calories fromgreen leafy vegetables (about 300 g oflettuce per day) is sufficient whileothers recommend that about 30% ofcalories should come from greenvegetables. Similarly, recommendationson high fat foods such as avocados,olives, nuts, seeds and cold-pressed oilsrange from a few percent to about40% of calories. The Hallelujah dietfounded by George Malkmus putsparticular emphasis on carrot juice andbarley grass, which contribute about15% of calories.

Getting 30% of calories from greenvegetables is probably unrealistic formost people, even with the use ofblended salads and juices. Forinstance, 900 g of lettuce plus 450 g ofkale provides just 300 kcal or about15% of calories. Fortunately, however,such high intakes are unnecessary fornutritional adequacy. Green leafyvegetables and broccoli contain higherlevels of zinc, calcium and protein thanfruit and are therefore an importantpart of raw diets, but about 500 g perday of green vegetables, including amixture of lettuces, broccoli and darkerleaves such as kale and spinach, issufficient to bring mineral and proteinintakes into line with generalrecommendations. Such vegetables alsoprovide vitamin K, which promoteshealthy bones. Other raw vegetablescan be useful: for instance, carrots area good source of calcium and peas agood source of zinc and protein.

The best balance between sweet fruitand fatty foods is probably a matter ofindividual constitution. Some peopleexperience dental problems with a veryhigh fruit intake. This can be aparticular problem for young children.Many people will struggle to maintain

weight if they do not include significantamounts of high fat foods. More than10% of calories as polyunsaturated fatis not recommended. Olives, avocados,almonds, hazelnuts and macadamiasare all dominated by monounsaturatedfats, which are the safest fats toconsume in large quantities. Obtainingup to 40% of calories from these foodsaccording to individual energy needsshould be perfectly healthful. It is alsoimportant to include a good source ofomega-3 fats such as crushed flax seedor its oil. Selenium can be low if thefood is grown in selenium deficient soil,so a Brazil nut a day provides a usefulinsurance policy.

In selecting fruits, there is no need torely on unusual or exotic items.Bananas are a good energy food, beingrelatively low in fibre and high inpotassium. Oranges are rich in calcium,folate, potassium and vitamin C. Thehigh potassium and low sodiumcontent of raw vegan diets reduces theneed for calcium by reducing calciumlosses and can be expected to reduceblood pressure and risk of stroke.

The various raw vegan dietary schoolsdiffer in their approach to B12. Somerecommend that B12 supplementsshould not be taken unless cleardeficiency symptoms occur. DavidWolfe (Nature’s First Law) recommendsseven different potential B12 sources,including unwashed or wild plants,nori, spirulina, fermented foods or aprobiotic, with a B12 supplement as analternative if these are not available.George Malkmus has recommendedregular use of a B12 supplement sincea study of Hallelujah dieters showedsigns of inadequate B12 in most ofthem and showed that a B12supplement or fortified nutritional yeastcorrected this reliably while probioticsdid not.

The confusion in this area arises from aconceptual error. Many raw food ornatural hygiene advocates believe that

our evolutionary diet and that of ourgreat ape relatives did not include anexternal source of B12 and thenconclude that humans shouldn’t needsuch a source. In fact, all the othergreat apes - even the gorillas -consume insects incidentally along withtheir normal diet of fruits, shoots,leaves and nuts. Chimpanzees showparticular enthusiasm for collecting andeating termites, which have highmeasured levels of B12. After capture,the blood B12 levels of most primatesdrops rapidly when they are fed on ahygienically grown and prepared plant-based diet. It is therefore not surprisingthat humans also need an externalsource of B12.

Many of David Wolfe’s proposed B12sources have been directly tested andshown to be inadequate. Nori andspirulina failed to correct deficiency inmacrobiotic children and did notmaintain adequate blood B12 levels ina Finnish raw food community.Probiotics did not consistently correctlow B12 availability in Hallelujahdieters. A UK raw food vegan wentB12 deficient while growing his ownfood and eating it unwashed: based onmeasured B12 levels in soil this isunsurprising. Other proposed sourceshave not been tested so directly, butthe only two published studies of B12levels in raw food vegans both showedinadequate B12 levels. Low B12 levelsgive rise to elevated homocysteinelevels with an associated increased riskof many illnesses, including stroke andheart disease, without any classical B12deficiency symptoms. In children theonset of full blown deficiency can bevery rapid with much greater risk oflong-term damage or even death.

At least 3 micrograms per day of B12from fortified foods or supplements isneeded to minimise homocysteinelevels in adults. Breast milk is anadequate source for infants only if themother’s intake is adequate.

Healthy choices on raw vegan diets Stephen Walsh PhD

Raw FoodA raw food vegan diet may be defined in various ways, but usually entails at least 80% by weight beingraw plants. Many people report feeling healthier and more energetic on adopting such diets, but there aretoo few long-term raw food vegans for direct evaluation of the success of raw vegan diets versus otherdiets. We can, however, evaluate such diets against known human nutritional requirements to gain abetter understanding of the ways in which appropriate raw vegan diets could benefit health.


The main argument for the desirabilityof high raw diets derives fromcomparison with our evolutionary dietand the diets of our great ape relatives.All the great apes eat diets centred onraw fruit (chimps, bonobos,orangutans, lowland gorillas) or rawleaves (highland gorillas) and includinga mixture of fruit (including largeamounts of seeds), leaves, shoots,insects and often nuts. Use of cookedfoods and large amounts of grains isunique to humans. It is furthersuggested that a return to a diet morelike that of our ape relatives wouldbring great benefits to health as it isthe diet to which we are evolutionarilyadapted. This is a plausible argumentand the nutrient content of such a dietmatches modern nutritional knowledgein many ways: e.g. high folate, vitaminC, vitamin K, potassium andmagnesium intakes along with lowsaturated fat and cholesterol. However,there are important limitations to usingthe plant content of great ape diets asa model for ideal human diets.

Firstly, insects cannot be part of avegan diet and are probably the keysource of B12 in most primate diets. Asall B12 comes from bacteria, theabsence of insects is readilycompensated for by using B12produced by bacteria in commercialfermenters and used in fortified foodsand supplements.

Secondly, human exposure to sunlightat high latitudes and when spendingmost of the day indoors is greatlyreduced compared with ourevolutionary exposure. During the UKwinter, vitamin D from foods fortifiedwith the vegan form (ergocalciferol,D2) can help to compensate for limitedlight exposure. A trip to sunnier climesduring the winter allows the vitamin Dto be topped up more naturally. Infantsare particularly vulnerable to vitamin Ddeficiency due to the high rate of bonebuilding taking place and should alwaysreceive a vitamin D supplement inwinter. Breast milk is not an adequatesource: we are designed to live nearerthe equator.

Thirdly, the human gut is smaller overallthan that of the other great apes andthe human colon takes up just 20% ofthe digestive system compared with50% in the other great apes. Thisresults in a dramatically reducedcapability to process fibre, indicatingthat humans are adapted to a lowerfibre diet than the other great apes,who consume several hundred gramsof fibre per day. Our palaeolithic

ancestors consumed around 100 g offibre per day. Simply copying the othergreat apes is therefore not an option.There are three candidate explanationsfor this reduced capacity to processfibre: increased reliance on soft fruit,increased consumption of meat, andincreased food processing. The formeris unlikely to have been the primaryfactor as it represents a restriction ofdiet rather than an expansion.Increased meat consumption probablystarted with homo erectus about 2million years ago, but may only havebecome a major factor about 20,000years ago with an explosion insophisticated hunting techniques. Allthe great apes show some use of foodprocessing. Chimps often use stones tocrack nuts and chew fibrous foods toremove the juice before discarding thefibre. Stone tool use by humanancestors became common about twomillion years ago, but most forms offood processing would leave little trace,so it is difficult to verify how big a rolesuch processing played. However, it isplausible that food processing,including cooking, played a major partin the changes in the human digestivesystem compared with the other greatapes. Humans may have evolved to relyon food processing.

Food processing destroys somenutrients, but can also inactivate toxinsand increase the availability of othernutrients. Conservative cooking such assteaming or boiling causes only modestloss of some nutrients, such as folate,while enhancing the bioavailability ofothers, such as carotenoids. Lycopene,which appears to have profoundprotective effects on health, is betterabsorbed from cooked than from rawtomatoes. Liquidising or juicing alsoincreases carotenoid availability fromcarrots. Cooking increases the energyavailable from starchy foods such aspotatoes and grains and inactivatescertain food toxins, thereby increasingthe range of foods available to us.Whether such foods belong in anoptimal diet remains to be established.The longest-living population in theworld, the Japanese Okinawans, makeextensive use of cooked grains, sweetpotatoes, vegetables and soy productsand little use of raw fruit. However,there is no large group of long-termraw food vegans to provide a directcomparison.

There is good direct evidence that largeamounts of refined grains areassociated with increased risk of heartdisease and diabetes in Westernpopulations. However, higher

consumption of whole grains isassociated with reduced risk of heartdisease and diabetes, so this evidencesuggests that grain should beconsumed in unrefined (whole) formrather than eliminated altogether, atleast for most people. A few individualshave life-threatening adverse reactionsto gluten (present in many grains butnotably absent from rice). Theestablished effects of gluten rangefrom allergies and coeliac disease tovarying degrees of digestive discomfort.In addition, some individuals appear tometabolise gluten poorly with highlevels of opioid protein fragmentsappearing in their urine. This pattern,which also occurs with casein fromanimal milks, has been found in somestudies to be more common in autisticand schizophrenic individuals and thesymptoms of such individualssometimes improve on elimination ofgluten and milk. As a raw food diet isoften a gluten free diet, it is possiblethat some of the people finding suchdiets particularly beneficial may begluten intolerant in varying degrees.

Raw food has particular environmentaladvantages in that it often comes fromtrees (e.g. avoiding soil loss from tilling)and requires little packaging and nocooking. These characteristics benefitthe health of the planet and all whoshare it. On the other hand, raw foodoften requires long-distancetransportation and commercial bananaproduction is an environmental disasterwith high pesticide use affectingplantation workers and local rivers. Thetrade-off is not clear cut. It is likely thatlocal sourcing of cooked foods (e.g.Scottish oats) has the environmentaledge over Jamaican bananas or airliftedstrawberries, but seasonally availablelocal fruits and nuts have the edge overboth.

One universally recognised effect of ahigh raw diet is weight loss, and manyleading exponents of raw diets reportbeing overweight on a conventionaldiet but achieving a desirable weighton switching to a raw vegan diet. Thiseffect is no mystery as raw plant foodsare generally low calorie density highfibre foods which are very filling – idealfor weight loss – and was confirmed bya six-month trial in South Africa. Acommon reason for abandoning rawfood diets, however, is excessive weightloss. Including sufficient tropical fruitssuch as bananas and avocados, or nutsand seeds and cold pressed oils, isimportant for maintaining a healthyweight once any desired weight losshas been achieved. �


Increasing the consumption of rawfruits, nuts and salad vegetablesconsiderably beyond current UKaverage intakes can be expected tobenefit individual health and to benefitthe environment if locally produced.However, evidence to date does notjustify a general recommendation ofraw vegan diets in the sense of morethan 80% of food being consumedraw, particularly for children who needa relatively high calorie density.

The Vegan Society recommends theconsumption of a wide variety of plantfoods, including raw fruit and saladsand cooked foods including a widerange of vegetables and whole grains.It also strongly recommends theconsumption of 3 micrograms per dayof vitamin B12 from fortified foods orsupplements for all vegans and the useof vitamin D supplements for infantsduring the winter.

Example 2000 kcal raw diet for one day

Fruit: 100 g red peppers, 200 gtomatoes, 300 g oranges, 200 gapples, 500 g bananas, 100 g pears,50 g peaches, 50 g raspberries, 200 gkiwi fruit, 100 g strawberries, 50 gmangos.

Green leafy vegetables andbroccoli: 200 g lettuce, 100 g kale,100g spinach, 100g broccoli.

High-fat foods: 200 g avocado, 30 galmonds, 20 g hazelnuts, 10 g flaxseed,3 g Brazil nuts

Other: 100 g carrots, 100 g peas.

This provides 700 mg calcium, 700 mgmagnesium, 9 mg zinc, 50 g protein,100 mcg selenium, 3 g omega-3 fattyacids, 8,000 mg potassium, 1100 mcgfolate, 2 mg vitamin B1, 2.4 mg B2, 6mg B6, 1100 mg vitamin C, 30 mgvitamin E, 6000 mcg of vitamin A (from

carotenoids) and about 1000 mcgvitamin K. It may be too high (80 g) infibre for some people, particularly thevery old or the very young, and itcontains arguably too little sodium (270mg). The iodine content may also below, depending on the soil where theproduce is grown.

The balance of fatty acids is excellent.The diet contains no cholesterol ortrans-fats and just 4% of calories assaturated fat while providing 5%omega-6, 1.5% omega-3 and 18%monounsaturated fat. Intakes ofcarotenoids, vitamin C, folate, vitaminK, vitamin E, magnesium, selenium andpotassium are all much higher than inconventional diets and can be expectedto promote health. Zinc and proteinintakes are adequate. The calciumcontent has been adjusted for the lowavailability of calcium from some of thefoods, particularly spinach, and isprobably adequate. Vitamin B12 andvitamin D must be addressedseparately.

Raw Food

�

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The World Congress in Edinburghattracted nearly 300 people from thirtycountries and every continent on earth.Although the week-long event was notcheap and all attended at their ownexpense, the Vegan Society was very wellrepresented by Chief Executive Rick Savageand five Council members, plus lifemembers, local contacts and ordinarymembers and everyone pitched in to helpkeep the Society’s well stocked bookstallcontinuously staffed. Particularly assiduousin this respect was Julie Rosenfield, whovaliantly signed dozens of copies of VeganStories [see review and picture on page 23].But the prize for devotion well beyond thecall of duty must surely go to Patricia Tricker,who seemed to spend all her waking hourseither on reception or on the bookstall andthen spent the whole of the followingSunday running a highly successful trainingday for local contacts in Scotland.

The Society was also well representedamong the official speakers. Chair GeorgeRodger gave an entertaining and informative

news roundup and took part in a plenarysession on the environment while formerIVU President Maxwell Lee dealt with thehistory of the movement and how to answerdifficult questions. Dietary consultant SandraHood gave talks about diabetes and aboutvegan children, while life member ArthurLing kindly provided free copies of the Plamilbooklet on vegan children. Another lifemember, Paul Appleby from Oxford, dealtwith mortality statistics for vegetarians andother dietary groups. Vice Chair StephenWalsh showed how vegans could improvetheir position relative to other groups bygetting enough vitamin B12 and predictedan extra four years average lifespan if we alldid this. To make sure we get maximumbenefit from the extra years he also gave atalk on vegan nutrition for the elderly.

The animal rights aspect was alsoprominent, with talks by a number of wellknown vegans. Francisco Martin of theSpanish Vegan Society gave a talk on animalrights in a hostile society and took part in aplenary session with Joyce D’Silva of

Compassion in World Farmingand Juliet Gellatley of Viva. TheHong Kong Vegan Society alsopresented a gruelling slide showand a workshop on animalissues in Asia. Closer to home,Nitin Mehta of the UK-basedYoung Indian Vegetarians gavean inspiring talk on multi-cultural campaigning in the 21stcentury and reiterated his callfor the largely vegetarianpopulation of India to give upmilk [they don’t eat eggsanyway] and go vegan.

Tina Fox of the UK VegetarianSociety made a very good job oforganising the Congress onbehalf of the InternationalVegetarian Union. Despite thename, the IVU insists that allcatering is vegan, all recipes onits website must be vegan andmost of its ruling Council arevegan. Vegan Society Councilmembers Vanessa Clarke and Stephen Walsh were elected tothe IVU Council and are nowmagazine editor and sciencecoordinator respectively.

TheIVUwebsitehas beenbrilliantlydevelopedbyWebmasterJohn Davis.As well as2,000 veganrecipes, itincludes pageson news,history,philosophyand a specialsectionwww.ivu.org/congress/2002 with photos, acongress diary and synopses of many of thetalks. There are also details of veggie groupsand restaurants around the world, glossaries,translations, and much more.

Nevertheless, there is no substitute for reallife networking and there was plenty of thisin Edinburgh. The next World Congress willbe in Singapore in 2004, but IVUCoordinator for Latin America MarlyWinckler is organising a South Americanvegan festival in Brazil in autumn 2003.Publicity for this should be ready soon.Meanwhile, anyone interested in this or anyother aspect of promoting veganismworldwide is invited to get in touch withVegan Society International Contact VanessaClarke [see page 31].

In addition to all the hard work and thenetworking [and the eating!] there were allsorts of entertainments and socialgatherings, plus excursions to Loch Lomondand other places of interest. After theCongress about forty people from tencountries went on a tour of Scotlandtogether. In other words, a good time washad by all – as always at these events – andeveryone came away with new ideas, newknowledge and, above all, new friends fromall over the world.

VEGANS OF THE WORLD UNITE!

GeorgeRodger intraditionalgarb, allentirely vegan ofcourse


On Saturday 18th May, vegans andvegetarians from all over Europe joinedin the second Veggie Pride celebration inParis. Vegan Society Council membersAlex Bourke and Vanessa Clarke,together with Vegan Society localcontact and Vegan Views editor HarryMather, were there to demonstratesolidarity with their French counterparts.

Like the first demo last year, the eventwas a public expression of pride in beingveggie for the sake of the animals in acountry where many people are openlyhostile to the idea. Leaflets handed outto the public explained the goals ofVeggie Pride: “To proclaim ourexistence. To express our pride. Todenounce vegephobia. To defend ourrights. To act on behalf of our fellowcreatures whose rights have been takenaway.”

Five hundred people marched throughthe streets of Paris, then took over asquare next to the Sorbonne for a veganstreet festival. The happy, smilingparticipants included a number ofpeople in animal costumes and, to thedelight of the TV crews, a family ofcave-vegans returning from the huntwith a giant carrot.

Estiva Reus, one of the vegan primemovers behind the event, summed upher approach: "Thirty years ago Ibecame vegetarian to avoid killinganimals. For a long time I met no oneelse who thought like me. Only tenyears ago did I meet a few activists.

Last year we had 200 people. This yearwe have 500. That may still not seemlike many. but I expect more and moreuntil one day the slaughterhousesclose."

The event was organised by individualsworking together through the net andno banners or speeches promoting anyparticular organisation were allowed:this was a celebration of individualsmaking a stand for their rights, not apromo stunt for any big organisation orcelebrity.

Parisian English teacher Anne Renon,one of the many vegan co-ordinators,told us: "For me Veggie Pride was thechance to shout loud and hard that I'mvegan for the animals, without fear thatanyone would mock or attack me, andto be with people who share my beliefsand meet new folks. See you all nextyear!"

[For more information about VeggiePride and the full Veggie Pridemanifesto in English, seewww.veggiepride.org/gb]

VEGGIE PRIDECELEBRATION IN PARIS

In the background the Pantheon inParis, in the foreground Vegan Societymember Francisco Martin, Presidentof the Spanish Vegan Society

Alex Bourke


� Spread the word about World Vegan Daythrough internet news groups, messageboards, local newspaper letters pages,notice boards, so everyone has plenty oftime to promote an event.� Celebrate near you. Ask a localrestaurant to lay on a special veganfeast/menu. Get a local shop to askmanufacturers for help with special offers orfree tastings on vegan foods. Share a recipewith your local radio station or newspaper(for chocolate cake, seewww.vegansociety.com).� List all the places to eat in your area thatprovide good vegan food. Ask those listedto donate recipes or special offer vouchersand offer the list and reviews to local media.� Invite your non-vegan friends around for aparty and wow them with delicious veganfood; show them how easy and enjoyable itis to be vegan.

� Print off the PDF ofour Next Stepleaflet or ordersome to hand out. � Involve localalternative andcomplementarytherapists.� Ask doctors’ surgeries,libraries, health centres,supermarkets and sports clubs toprovide space for a WVD display. � Promote the 5-a-dayfruit and vegetablescampaign – phoneNHS Direct 08454647 to trackdown your localhealth promotion unit(part of your Primary CareTrust).

� Look on our website or contact our LocalContacts Coordinator for more ideas;consider becoming a local contact, settingup a local group or attending one of ourtraining days [see page 29].

Win a £5 Voucher for delicious Hemp Ice Cream

The ten £5 vouchers are courtesyof Mother Hemp and The Hemp

Shop T. 01273 818047. Just let usknow what you have organised for

UK Vegan week and World VeganDay; the 10 most newsworthy and

inspiring ideas for enticing people intoincluding a bit more veganism in their liveswill win a voucher. To enter, phone 01424448828 or email [email protected].

Exclusive interview with Council Member Karin Ridgers

VEGAN WEEK 27 OCT – 3 NOV& WORLD VEGAN DAY 1ST NOV

Things you can do to encourage meat eaters to eat more vegan food. www.worldveganday.org

1. What turned you towards veganism?Bryan: A series of events, but the main onewas reading a book called "Fit for Life". Thatbook seriously changed the way I looked atfood and what it was doing to me.

2. When did you first aspire to bevegan?Bryan: 1989

3. What does a typical day’s foodconsist of?Bryan: Fruit in the morning, then usually asalad, maybe an avocado sandwich. I loveMexican food, so sometimes it's guacamole,salsa and a burrito - there are lots of things.I was really happy once soy milk became sogood; it wasn't so popular ten years ago -now it's everywhere.

4. Do you encourage others to govegan or vegetarian?Bryan: I like the expression, "If you loveanimals - don't eat them." I use it on myfather all the time, even if it falls on deafears. People always ask me questions like,“Where do you get your protein?” I answerthat I don't look for it. I eat a balanced dietof fresh fruit and vegetables, grains,almonds and rice. I also love tofu and try toinclude it a few times a week. I'm currentlyinto making my own almond milk, which isheaven with a little maple syrup.

5. What's your favourite food?Bryan: That's a hard question, because itdepends so much on how it's prepared. Forexample, my favourite salad dressing issimply fresh lime and olive oil with a littlesalt and pepper. If someone served me asalad with vinegar on it, I probably wouldn'teat it because I don't eat vinegar. I loveJapanese-style veggie dishes of tofu andmushrooms. But I suppose I have to admitthat I love the Elvis of all vegetables - thepotato.

6. How do you prepare for touring?Bryan: I'm doing shows all the time, so Iusually try to keep in shape by riding mybicycle. That's about it really.

7. Who influences you?Bryan: People whose ideas are based onnature and the path of self healing.

8. Have you always wanted to perform?Bryan: Yes, but I never knew what thatmeant in the beginning - I just got myself aband and went out on the road. I wish I hadbeen a vegan then. I hate to think of thefood I chowed down on when we weretraveling. The thing that strikes me is howmuch things have changed since I firststarted as a musician. Vegetarianism is stillslightly alternative today, but nowhere nearas frowned upon as it used to be. Anavocado sandwich? You must be mad!!

9. What would you like to do if youwere not doing what you are doingnow?Bryan: I'd be in music somewhere, maybe ashop or something. I always liked the ideaof running a factory; maybe I'd start arecycling plant.

10. Where would you like to seeyourself in the future?Bryan: I'll probably do what I'm doing for along time. I may end up as a photographer.

ASPIRING VEGANS:BRYAN ADAMS - ROCK STAR

UK



Bronwyn (life vegan ) is 6. Aisha her sister is 9 and has been vegan as long as Bronwyn and vegetarian since before she was born!

Welcome to the new Kids’ Page

Why are youvegan ?:Aisha: Mummywent vegetarianwhen she was thirteen afterseeing an animal rights stalland discovering factoryfarming.Bronwyn: We went veganwhen I was born, becausemummy thought there was alower chance of developing asthma,eczema and hayfever.What do you like about being vegan?Bronwyn: I like being vegan because it’s stopping themkilling more animals. It means I am definitely not eatingone of the animals I saw in a fieldAisha: I like being vegan because you can take care ofyourself much better by being vegan because it is thehealthiest diet there is.Is it hard at school being a vegan?Aisha: There are a few vegetarians at my school, but I amthe only vegan. In the infant school, I sometimes felt leftout when the other children were getting treats, butmummy came in and organised the cookery classes, andsuddenly everyone was having second, third and fourthpieces of the treats mummy taught! Christmases andEasters are wonderful too, since one of the school helpersasked about veganism at the local healthfood store.Now, everyone else gets one little Easter egg, and I get ahuge bar of Maya Gold! We hear you are both Vegilantes - how do you tryto spread the word?Aisha: At weekends we also do things for animals. Weare members of our local animal rights group, andsometimes help out with stalls. Everyone says they alwaystake more donations when we are there. Bronwynwhizzes around on her roller-blades looking really cute,and getting people’s attention when she falls over. She’ssweet. We recently did a sponsored thirteen mile walk and raisedover £700. People don’t expect children of our ages tobe able to walk that far – but we did the same sponsoredwalk just over two years ago, when I was six andBronwyn was three. We tell everyone it is because we arestrapping vegans!! We also attend lots of demos. Wewent to the End Factory Farming Before It Ends Uscampaign in Oxford last year. I was asked to write andread out a poem, and Bronwyn was interviewed aboutwhy she was vegan. Bronwyn: When there are parties at school, there arealways things there for me to eat that are vegan, likegrapes, hula hoops, carrots… I always get asked to bringcherry tomatoes, but I don’t eat them. Aisha: Mummy just bought the soya milk machine soldby the Vegan Society, and we made sausages and burgerswith the okara from the machine – this is ground-up soyabeans after the milk has been made. Here’s how: Mix theokara and finely chopped mixed veg (onions, peppers,herbs) with pasta sauce and yeast extract to give itflavour. Use oats and potato flour to bind it together.

Aisha’s Poem

I want to cuddle my mummy But she is behind bars Why?A man pulls out my teeth And cuts off my tail It hurtsMummy promises It won’t always be this way It is filthy and dark; She tells stories of nicer daysMummy, why are we in prison?What have we done?Why?One morning men comeAnd take us awayWhy?Mummy calls “Don’t worry, I’ve heard life isbetter outsideBye-bye “I’m inside a lorry nowStill covered in soresBut I see now I’m luckyAt least I can walkThere really is fresh air, Mummywas rightMummy, bye-byeI am kicked from the lorryAnd my feet are tiedThey hang me upside downI scream and I cryAll I smell is blood and fearI don’t want to diePlease stop our sufferingWe’re nice pigs, we are! Thank you

In February, we camped inthe hail and snow to attend amarch in Stratford-upon-Avon.That was really fun. It was sowindy, part of our tent blewaway in the night, but we didn’twake up. We try to help lots ofcampaigns – being vegan andcaring about animals is the nextmost important thing in our livesafter being a family.

We would love to hear from you:Why are you vegan? What doyou like about being vegan? How do you persuade yourfriends to become vegan? Pleasesend your stories, poems,pictures & photos to:Bronwyn & Aisha’s Vegilanticsc/o The Vegan Society, Donald Watson House, 7 Battle Road, St Leonards onSea, East Sussex, TN37 7AA or [email protected] with“Vegilantics” in the subjectline.

Here is a wordsearch containing15 of our favourite foods. Words go up, down, backwards,forwards, and diagonally.

Good luck.

Send us yourphotos.......


Apricot and Almond Spiced RiceServes two

Despite the long list of ingredients, thisis a simple and satisfying storecupboard standby, handy for when yourun out of fresh ingredients. The tangyfruit and warm spices, the almondspeeping out from the steaming rice likejewels – comfort food and luxury inone.

1 onion, chopped4 cardamoms 2 small dried chilliesa few strands of saffron (optionalto taste)2 bay leaves3 cloves5 black peppercorns

teaspoon cumin seedsteaspoon coriander seeds

1 inch cinnamon stickhandful of whole blanchedalmonds, half of them roughlychopped200g long grain rice500ml boiling water or stock1 dessertspoon raisins1 dessertspoon chopped driedapricots (preferably unsulphured)

Cook the onion slowly in a little oiluntil soft. Add the spices and almondsand cook for a minute. Turn the heatup and add the rice, stir a couple oftimes to mix, then add the water orstock and stir again. Cover and simmerfor 10 minutes, stirring once or twiceto avoid sticking. Add the raisins andapricots and stir. Cover and simmer fora further 10 minutes or until the rice iscooked and all the liquid absorbed –this dish should be dry, not stodgy.

Remove cinnamon stick and bay leavesand serve with Sweet and TastyCourgettes.

Sweet and Tasty CourgettesServes two

This dish has been a blessing ever sinceit was invented to take care of a glut ofcourgettes from the back garden. Ittakes no time to make, so if you wantto have it with the spiced rice, just getstarted when you put the rice on tosimmer.

1 courgette, washed, topped andtailed and cut into chunky slices25g hard vegan margarine2 cloves garlic, skinned but whole1 teaspoon fresh or teaspoondried tarragon1 teaspoon fresh or teaspoondried thymeone teaspoon golden syrup orbrown sugar

Preheat oven to 190 C/gas mark 5.Cook the courgette, garlic and herbs inthe margarine for a few minutes untilthe courgette starts to soften andcolour. Add the syrup or sugar and stir.Transfer to an ovenproof dish and placein oven for 20 minutes until sweet andjuicy.

We all know how good nuts are as crunchy, bite-sized kernels of protein, calcium, iron and vitamins. All too often,though, they feature in recipes more for their nutritional value than their understated range of tastes – from thesubtle sweetness of chestnuts and hazelnuts to the creamy luxury of almonds and cashews.

Besides featuring nuts, these meals are linked by being tremendously tasty, and as usual I hope you will love to cookthem for yourself, for guests, and for goodness’ sake.

Putting the nutGraeme Reekie

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back into nutritionStuffed Chillies in Walnut SauceServes two

This is as nice as it sounds and makes aspecial occasion of any meal. I’veadapted it from Laura Esquivel’sexcellent novel ‘Like Water for (Hot)Chocolate’ (Black Swan 1993). I’mafraid I can’t guarantee the samepassionate effect as the original, but asyour belly warms with the heat of thechillies and the strangely delicateflavours zip around your tongue you’llhave magic of a kind.

6 large chilli peppers

Filling:1 small onion, finely chopped1 tomato, chopped

teaspoon cumin seeds25g cashew nuts, chopped1 teaspoon mixed peel1 dessertspoon raisins

Sauce:50g walnuts, roughly ground100ml soya cream25ml soya milk25g vegan cheese, grated (Cheezlyis good)

In a preheated oven (190 C/ Gas 5)bake the chilli peppers for about 10minutes until softening. Remove fromthe oven, make a slit in each from topto bottom and allow to cool. Fry theonion until soft, remove from heat and

add the tomato, cumin, cashews,mixed peel and raisins. Mix well. With aknife or teaspoon, scrape the seedsfrom inside the chilli peppers. Carefullystuff them with the filling. Place in anovenproof dish. Make the sauce byheating all the ingredients together,stirring until the cheese melts. Pour thisover the chilli peppers and bake for 10minutes. Serve with salads, rice, potatowedges or Potato Kievs.

Potato KievsServes Two

A simple, garlicky combination ofroasted and mashed potato.

2 medium potatoes30g vegan margarine50g ground almonds2 cloves garlic, crushedhandful of chopped parsley, totaste

Preheat the oven to 200 C/gas 6. Peel the potatoes and slice in halflengthways. Scoop out a hollow in themiddle with a teaspoon (this is easierthan you think), leaving a rim about thethickness of two one-pound coins.Deep-fry the potato shells until golden,then drain and pat dry. Boil thescooped-out insides for 10 minutesuntil soft, then drain and mash. Fry thegarlic in the margarine without lettingit brown. Add the garlic, margarine,almonds and parsley to the mashedpotato. Fill the potato shells with thismixture, place on a baking tray andbake for 20 minutes.

Almond ThinsTo be perfectly honest, I’ve no ideahow many biscuits this recipe yields asI’ve always eaten the first batch by thetime the second tray comes out of theoven. Best on the day they are made.

60g plain flour30g icing sugar40g hard vegan margarine30g ground almonds3 or 4 drops almond essencesoya milk

Preheat the oven to 190 C/gas 5. Mixthe flour and sugar, then rub in themargarine until the mixture resemblesbreadcrumbs. Add the almonds andalmond essence. Stir well, adding a fewdrops of soya milk to bind. Roll outthinly, cut into circles, place on agreased baking tray and bake for nomore than 7 minutes – they should notbe browning at the edges.

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Fish farming is now the world’s fastestgrowing sector of animal production,

and salmon and trout form themainstay of Britain and Europe’s‘aquaculture’ industry, with furtherspecies such as cod, halibut and turbotbeing added to the list as wildpopulations crash due to overfishing.

Caged, Crowded and Cramped

Fish farms can be as intensive asanything found on terra firma. Up to50,000 salmon are crowded in a singlesea cage where they often swim inconstant circles like caged zoo animals.Often suffering blinding cataracts, finand tail injuries, body deformities,alarmingly high mortality, and infestedwith parasites, salmon are now raisedintensively on the ‘forgotten’ factoryfarms under the sea. Off the Scottishwest coast, for instance, salmon arereared at stocking densities equivalentto each three-quarter metre long (2.5ft) salmon being allocated a bathtub ofwater. Crowding and confinementcause the fish to suffer stress, leadingto greater susceptibility to disease.Wave after wave of serious diseaseoutbreaks have caused the deaths ofmillions of farmed salmon, with officialfigures showing overall death rates of10-30%. Such high mortality wouldsound alarm bells in other types ofanimal farming.

Infested with Parasites

Intensive farming of salmon has led toserious infestation with parasitic sealice, which can cause great sufferingand death in affected fish. These smallcrustaceans feed on the host salmonand damage can be so severe aroundthe head that the living fish’s skull isexposed – a condition known as the“death crown”.

Current treatments centre on the use ofstrong nerve toxins: the fish arecrammed together and bathed inorganophosphates or synthetic

pyrethroids, or receive chemicaltreatments in their feed. Othermethods include bathing fish in theirritant hydrogen peroxide or usinganother fish, the wrasse, as a “cleaner”to literally eat the lice off the backs ofthe caged salmon.

Trout

The situation for farmed trout can beeven worse. They are often packedinto tanks or ponds 2-4 times moretightly than salmon and slaughtered ina way officially condemned for itscruelty. They can be stocked at 30-60kg of fish per cubic metre of water,equivalent to 13 to 27 trout, each afoot (30 cm) long, to one bathtub ofwater. Such high stocking densitieslead to high levels of fin and tailinjuries.

Colorants in the Feed

Wild salmon and trout naturally eatcrustaceans and algae, giving their flesha healthy pink colour. To achieve thiscomplexion in farmed fish, colorantsare added as the flesh would otherwiseappear an unappetising grey colour.The synthetic pigments, canthaxanthinand astaxanthin are used.

Cod, Halibut and Turbot

Sea fish – the last main target for man’sresidual hunter-gatherer instinct – arenow being factory farmed. Codfarming is causing a wave of interest,not least because of the decline in thewild cod population. Cod are likely tobe reared even more intensively thansalmon. Cages or tanks will confinethese ocean-going fish while artificiallighting may be used to manipulate thebreeding cycle. In the year 2001, morethan 15 tonnes of farmed cod wereproduced in Scotland.

One of the largest species of flatfish,the Atlantic halibut, is also firmly in the

farmers’ frame. These enormous fishcan grow to weights of 250 kg or morein the wild, but farmed halibut areslaughtered after 3 years at 2-3 kg. Inthe year 2000, 4.5 tonnes of halibutwere reared in Scotland. Turbot isanother farmed flatfish species and isalready turning up on the shelves ofseveral major supermarkets. In France,900 tons of turbot were produced in1999, with small-scale production alsotaking place in Scotland and Ireland.

Dying Seals & Declining Salmon

It is often claimed that fish farmingtakes the pressure off wild fish byproviding an alternative, but in fact thereverse is true. Farmed fish are fed onwild fish in the form of fish meal:more than 3 tonnes of wild-caught fishare needed to produce 1 tonne offarmed salmon. For the newly farmedmarine species such as halibut and cod,the ratio is over 5 times the weight ofwild fish to produce an equivalentamount of farmed fish. Whilst the fishfarming industry continues to growrapidly worldwide, stocks of wild-caught fish such as anchovies, sardines,sand eels and capelin remain finite,with some already classified as fullyexploited, overexploited or depleted.

Salmon farming has been blamed fordeclines in wild salmon populations andescapes from fish farms have become afact of life with hundreds of thousandsof salmon escaping annually fromScottish farms alone. Competition fromthese escapees, together with thetransmission of diseases and parasitesto wild fish, have been linked topopulation crashes of wild salmon inareas with large numbers of fish farms.The situation is now so bad thatescaped farmed salmon out-number catches of wild salmon by astaggering seven to one. Few consumers realise that the truecost of cheap salmon includes thedeaths of an estimated 3,500 sealsevery year around Scottish fish farmsalone in a bid to ‘control’ predators.

Suffering seasThe rise and rise of Fish Farming Philip Lymbery

The leaping salmon has long been a symbol of freedom and one of nature’s great wonders, but with theadvent of fish farming the ‘king of fish’ has lost its crown. Instead of the ocean wanderer returning to itshome river to spawn, it has been relegated to just one more factory-farmed commodity.


Not surprisingly, huge numbers of fishin one place form an irresistibleattraction to wildlife such as fish-eatingbirds, seals, mink and otters, and somefarmers see the killing of wild animalsas a legitimate part of predator control:animals are chased by boats in anattempt to drive them away and thosethat fail to get the message may beshot.

Environmental Impact

Keeping large numbers of fishconcentrated in a small area has led tothe pollution of the surroundingenvironment. Fish wastes, excess feedand farm chemicals all contribute.Solid wastes settle to form sedimentbeneath the salmon cage and in thesurrounding area, killing underlyingmarine life. Decaying sediment alsocauses deoxygenation of the watercolumn and the release of damagingcompounds such as phosphates,hydrogen sulphide and methane intothe water. The area may becomemore susceptible to deadly toxic algalblooms.

For every tonne of salmon produced,an estimated 100 kg of nitrogenouscompounds such as ammonia arereleased. Scotland’s fish farm industryis estimated to have produced 7,500

tonnes of nitrogen in the year 2000,comparable with the annual sewageoutput of 3.2 million people.

Starvation and Slaughter

About 35 million salmon and as manytrout are slaughtered annually in theUK - more than all the pigs, sheep,cattle and turkeys put together – andthey are often killed in ways whichcause such intolerable suffering thatthe perpetrators would be prosecutedfor slaughtering other farm animals in asimilar way.

Farmed fish are normally starved forabout 7-10 days before slaughter.Killing methods for trout includesuffocation in air or on ice. Thecooling effect of the ice prolongs thetime it takes for the suffocating fish tobecome unconscious and they may stillbe conscious up to 15 minutes afterbeing taken from the water.

Salmon farmers are increasingly usingpercussive stunning techniques,whereby a single blow to the head killsthe fish. However, a particularly cruelslaughter method still used for somesalmon and trout is the use of carbondioxide stunning. The fish are placed ina bath of carbon dioxide saturatedwater, which causes them to thrash

around. They stop moving after 30seconds, but do not lose consciousnessfor 4-9 minutes, so when their gills arecut with a knife as part of the slaughterprocess they may be immobile but stillconscious as they bleed to death.

Troubled Waters

Intensive fish farming has resulted incheap salmon and trout being readilyavailable at the supermarket checkout.However, the true cost includes thesuffering of the fish themselves,declines in wild fish populations, deadseals, and the damage inflicted on theenvironment. As these issues rise tothe surface, the battle for commonsense and compassion beneath thewater has begun.

Philip Lymbery is an internationalanimal welfare consultant based inthe UK. Before going freelance,Philip was campaigns director forleading European farm animalwelfare organisation Compassion InWorld Farming (CIWF), where heworked for a decade (1990-2000).He is author of the CIWF Trustreport, “In Too Deep – The Welfareof Intensively Farmed Fish” (2002)

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Food andAgriculture Organisation (FAO) recently released forconsultation a major draft report on "Diet, nutrition and theprevention of chronic diseases", which generallyrecommended the adoption of a more plant-based diet.

While there was much to praise in the draft report, itcontained one unsubstantiated recommendation - forincreased consumption of fish - which was inconsistent withthe promotion of a plant-based diet.

Vegan Society Vice Chair Stephen Walsh prepared achallenge to the scientific basis for this recommendation, inconsultation with members of the International VegetarianUnion science group, and a response was submitted jointlyby the two organisations.

The response exposed the weakness of evidence suggestingany benefit from fish consumption for people meeting otherrecommendations in the report such as reducing saturatedfat intake and highlighted the far stronger evidence of

benefit from vegetable fats rich in monounsaturated fattyacids [e.g. olive or rapeseed oil] and omega-3polyunsaturated fatty acids [e.g. flax seed or rapeseed oil].

The joint submission also stressed the adverse environmentalimpact of any attempt to increase fish consumption andpointed to evidence that even in populations at high risk ofheart disease due to saturated fat consumption any potentialbenefit from fish consumption may be outweighed by theharmful effects of methyl mercury contamination of fish.

Both common sense and hard science lead to theoverwhelming conclusion that there is no role for fish eatingin an ideal diet to promote the health and well being ofhumans, animals and the environment.

[The full text of our submission to the World HealthOrganisation can be found on the Vegan Society website orordered from the Society on receipt of 4 x 1st class stampsto cover printing and postage.]

VEGAN SOCIETY TELLS WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION EXPERTS:

“THERE’S NO NEED TO EAT FISH!”


"What story would you like? We'vegot travel stories, restaurant stories,stories from around the world - thosevegans get everywhere" - BenjaminZephaniah, vegan poet and contributor.

Edited by former Vegan SocietyCouncil member Julie Rosenfieldand launched at the World VegCongress in Edinburgh lastmonth, this book is a joyfulcelebration of a lifestyleembraced by people of allages and in all walks oflife, with more than 80stories featuring vegansof all ages from 2-year-old children to a 92-year-old lecturer and sometimehot air balloonist. Thereare stories and poemsfrom five continents ontopics covering

health and fitness, travel, dining out,animals, raw food, biographies, loveand much much more, with cartoons,photos and drawings to illustrate them."Storytelling is part of every culture",

says Julie, "This volume gives avoice to vegans everywhere. I

hope that people will share mydelight in reading these

wonderful stories ofcompassion, courage,humour and determinationby exceptional individualswhose stories will inspire,amuse and entertainvegans and non-vegansalike."

"Read them and findout why the butcher's

son went vegan; why Lucky the chick

did not live upto his name;

what the vegan hospital patient wasgiven for dinner and how two veryspecial ladies fought cancer and wonmajor fitness championships by goingvegan", says Benjamin Zephaniah.

These are real people who grab yourattention on every page. Vegan Storiescan be whatever you want it to be: anintroduction to veganism, a source oflaughter and inspiration or just astraightforward story book. But withinthese pages is the power to changepeople's lives and convince the meat-eating world of exactly how and whywe choose to give up all animalproducts and embrace a cruelty-freelifestyle.

"Vegan Stories", ISBN 0-907-33724-4,is available from the Vegan Societyprice 7.99 plus £2.50 p&p. Orders canbe placed by phone, by post or throughthe secure server atwww.vegansociety.com

Reviews"Vegan Stories" - True life tales from around the world

Proud editor Julie Rosenfield signing copies in Edinburgh

The Vegan l Autumn 2002 23The Vegan l Autumn 2002 23


The number of vegans in the UK todayis estimated at 0.5%(1) but we do not

know how many of these are children.In the US, a poll commissioned by theVegetarian Resource Group in the year2000 found that about 0.5% of 6 to 17-year-olds were vegan and did not eatmeat, fish, poultry, dairy products or eggs(2).

Health Benefits of Vegan Diets

Several studies have examined thenutrient intakes of vegan children. Onestudy of British school-age children foundthat they had higher intakes of fibre andthat intakes of all vitamins and mineralsstudied (with the exception of calcium)were comparable with those of meat-eating children(3). Vegan pre-schoolersin the US were found to have generousintakes of protein, vitamins, and mineralsand their diets exceeded recommendedintakes for all nutrients studied with theexception of calcium (4).

The study showing lower calcium intakesby vegan pre-schoolers was conductedbefore calcium-fortified products werereadily available, so calcium intakes ofvegan children may be higher now.Calcium is important for bonedevelopment. Around 45% of adult bonemass is accrued before 8 years of age,another 45% is added between 8 and16years of age and a further 10%accumulates in the next decade. Giventhe importance of calcium intake duringchildhood, all parents should ensure thattheir children’s diets contain calcium-richfoods and meet current recommendationsfor calcium for their age group.

Regrettably, there have been few recentstudies looking at the long-term effectsof a vegan diet*, especially as it isbelieved that the foundations for manychronic diseases of adulthood have theirbeginnings in childhood. For instance,processes initiating atherosclerosis andhigh blood pressure are thought to startvery early in life, and blood pressure andcholesterol levels have been shown totrack from early childhood and to be

related to childhood nutrient intakes(5,6).Body mass also tracks from earlychildhood, with obese children being atan increased risk of obesity inadulthood(7)

When we look at potential long-termhealth benefits of vegan diets, we findthat vegan children have higher intakesof fruits and vegetables, foods that areimportant for health. Vegan childrenhave been shown to have lower intakesof fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol thannon-vegetarian children(9,10). This maybe important in reducing the risk ofdeveloping chronic diseases such as heartdisease and obesity. Finally, vegan dietsmay introduce children to a greatervariety of whole plant foods, thusestablishing healthful lifelong eatinghabits.

Vegan Infants

Up to the age of four to six months, thediets of many infants of vegan and ofnon-vegan parents are identical. Theperfect food for the young infant isbreast milk and supplementary foodsshould not be introduced until after fourto six months of age. Breast-fed infantsof well nourished vegan women tend togrow and develop normally(11). Theinfant receives many benefits from breastfeeding, including some immune systemenhancement, protection againstinfection, and reduced risk ofallergies(12). Moreover, as human breastmilk is the natural food for baby humansit also probably contains substancesneeded by growing infants which are noteven known to be essential and are notincluded in infant formulas. Meanwhile,nursing mothers derive benefits such asreduced risk of premenopausal breastcancer, release of stress-relievinghormones and, for some, sheerconvenience(12). For all these reasons,we strongly encourage breast feeding.

Vitamin B12 and vitamin D are keynutrients for a young infant beingexclusively breast fed by a vegan woman.Mothers whose diets contain little or no

vitamin B12 will produce milk with verylow levels of vitamin B12(13). As thisvitamin is important for the developingnervous system, it is crucial for the infantto have a reliable source of vitamin B12.Some vegan women opt to use a vitaminB12 supplement while others rely onfortified foods such as some breakfastcereals, fortified yeast extracts, non-dairymilks and some soya products in order tomeet both their own and their baby’sneed for vitamin B12. If the mother’sdiet does not contain a reliable dailysource of vitamin B12, the child itselfshould receive a daily source of vitaminB12.

The vitamin D content of breast milkvaries with the mother’s diet and her sunexposure, although vitamin D levels inbreast milk are usually quite low. Allchildren below three years of age have ahigh requirement for vitamin D to enablecalcium deposition in bone. TheDepartment of Health thereforerecommends that vitamin dropscontaining vitamins A, C and D be usedfor all children from 6 months to 5 yearsof age, whether vegan, vegetarian oromnivore. Welfare vitamin drops whichare available at low cost, or free tocertain families, contain no animalproducts and are suitable for vegans.

Readers may also have heard ofdocosahexaenoic acid or DHA, a fattyacid which appears to be important foreye and brain development and is foundprimarily in animal foods. However,vegans can make DHA from another fattyacid called alpha-linolenic acid, which willbe contained in the breast milk if themother’s diet includes good sources suchas flaxseed oil, ground flaxseed andrapeseed oil. Reducing the use of otheroils such as corn oil, sunflower oil, andsafflower oil and limiting foodscontaining hydrogenated fats will alsohelp the breast fed infant to make moreDHA. These oils contain linoleic acid andhydrogenated fats contain trans-fattyacids which interfere with DHAproduction.

Reed Mangels, PhD, RD and Sandra Hood, BSc (Hons), SRD

It takes time and thought to feed infants and children, and all parents, should think carefully about whattheir children eat. The years from birth to adolescence are when eating habits are set, when growth ratesare high, and to a large extent when the size of stores of essential nutrients such as calcium aredetermined. This article will examine the health benefits of vegan diets for children, address potentialconcerns, present information on key nutrients and provide guidelines for feeding vegan infants andchildren.

Veganthe diet for


If breast feeding is not possible or iscontraindicated, there is just one formulafeed suitable for vegan infants: VeganSociety trade mark holder Farley’s SoyaFormula by Heinz. On no account shouldsoya milk, nut milk, rice milk, oat milk,pea milk or other home-prepared“formulas” be used as these do notcontain the appropriate ratio of nutrientsand can lead to potentially life-threatening conditions.

Introduction of Solid Foods

Solid foods should not be introducedbefore 4 months of age. Try to introduceone new food at a time, waiting 2 to 3days before trying another. It is theneasier to identify which food isresponsible if any untoward reactionoccurs.

First weaning foods may include ricebased dishes, pureed and sieved fruitssuch as banana, pear and apple, andvegetables such as carrot, potato andspinach. At 6 months of age, wheat andoat based cereals can be introduced.Foods containing generous amounts ofprotein such as mashed cooked pulses,mashed tofu and soya yogurt aregenerally introduced at around 7 to 8months of age. Children should progressfrom mashed or pureed foods to piecesof soft food. Smooth nut and seedbutters spread on bread or crackers canbe introduced after the first birthday. Inan atopic family, where there is a historyof allergies, peanuts and nuts should beavoided until the child is at least 3 yearsof age (14) to allow the gut to matureand the immune system to develop fully.

As solid foods become a larger part ofthe diet, consideration should be given tofoods which provide concentratedsources of calories and nutrients. Theseinclude mashed firm tofu, bean spreads,mashed avocado and cooked dried fruits.Frequent meals and snacks help toensure adequate energy intakes. The fatintake of healthy infants should not berestricted, and sources such as vegetableoils or soft vegan margarine should beincluded in the older infant's diet.

To minimize the risk of choking, foodssuch as whole nuts, crunchy nut butters,vegan hot dogs, large chunks of hardraw fruits and vegetables, whole grapes,hard sweets, and popcorn should not befed to infants and children younger than3. However, chopping the nuts, slicingthe hot dogs and halving the grapes canreduce the risk and allow such foods tobe eaten by toddlers age 1-3 years. Cornsyrup and honey (the latter is not vegan

anyway) should not be given to infantsyounger than one year because of therisk of botulism, a very serious form offood poisoning.

A note on nuts. In families where thereis a history of allergy, eczema or asthma,it is recommended that peanuts andpeanut products be delayed until thechild is at least 3 years old. Otherchildren may have peanuts and tree nutsof a suitable texture, such as smooth nutbutter, from the age of 6 months orwhen weaned, but not before 4 months.The American Academy of Pediatrics,however, does not recommend any sortof nut butters for children under 3 years.In the UK, it is recommended thatpeanuts be avoided by pregnant orbreastfeeding women if there is a historyof allergies. It is suggested that womenwho are atopic, or where the father orany sibling has atopic disease, may wishto avoid peanuts in their diet to reducethe risk of their children developingpeanut allergy, but this is simplyprecautionary as there has been noconclusive evidence.

Many parents choose to use commerciallyprepared baby foods and there are someproducts suitable for vegan infants,though careful label reading isrecommended. As there is only a limitedselection of commercial products for theolder vegan infant, many parents opt toprepare their own baby foods. Foodsshould be well washed, cookedthoroughly and blended or mashed to anappropriate consistency. Home preparedfoods can be kept in the refrigerator forup to 2 days or frozen in small quantitiesfor later use.

By 6 months of age, iron stores inomnivorous, vegetarian and veganinfants will become depleted and it isimportant that iron-rich foods areincluded in the diet. Iron-fortified infantcereals are a good way to supply iron tovegan infants Other good sourcesinclude whole grains, pulses, green leafyvegetables and dried fruits. To enhanceiron absorption, add a source of vitaminC such as green leafy vegetables, citrusfruits, blackcurrants or orange juice tothe meal.

For the non-vegan child, cow's milk istypically introduced around age 1 year.Commercial fortified non-dairy milks canbe added to the diet of vegan toddlersaround the same age provided that thechild is growing normally, has anappropriate weight and height for age,and is eating a variety of foods includingsoya products, pulses, grains, fruits and

vegetables. For children with slowergrowth who have been weaned frombreast milk, ensure that the diet is energydense by adding some healthful oils suchas olive or rapeseed oil or choosingPlamil’s fortified non-dairy milk or Farley’sSoy Formula; both are Vegan Societytrade mark holders and these product aresuitable as a primary beverage as theyare higher in calories than other fortifiednon-dairy milks. Choosing unflavouredvarieties of non-dairy milk rather thanflavours such as vanilla, cocoa, or carobcan help to avoid the development of apreference for very sweet beverages bythe young child.

Vegan Toddlers & Preschoolers

Toddlers and preschoolers, whethervegan or not, tend to eat less than mostparents think they should. This isgenerally due to a developing sense ofindependence and a slowing in growth.While nutrient needs are also relativelylower than during infancy, an adequatediet remains important to promotegrowth and development. These earlyyears are also important for developinghealthy eating patterns that can establisha foundation for a healthful adult diet.

One important consideration for youngvegan children is the ability to getenough calories. Young children havesmall stomachs and too much high fibrefood may make them feel full beforethey get all the calories they need. Foodssuch as avocados, nut and seed butters,dried fruits, and soya products provide aconcentrated source of calories. Ifnecessary, the fibre content of the dietcan be reduced by giving some refinedgrain products, fruit juices and peeledfruits and vegetables. Eating morefrequent meals, including nutritioussnacks, can also help to ensure adequateenergy intakes.

Growth of Vegan Children

If a child’s diet contains enough calories,normal growth and development can beexpected and studies of vegan childrenhave shown that their caloric intake isclose to recommended levels and similarto intakes of non-vegan children of thesame age(16,17).

Vegan children in the UK and the UShave been found to be slightly shorterand lighter in weight than average butappeared to be growing at a normalrate(15,16). Children need a lot ofenergy in relation to their size andalthough healthy eating should be �

Infants and Children


encouraged it is important that the dietbe energy dense. Including foods suchas vegetable oils, avocados, seeds, nutbutters and pulses can provide bothcalories and nutrients. Dried fruits arealso a concentrated source of energy andare an attractive food for many children.Children from an early age should beencouraged to brush teeth after eatingdried fruits and other sweet foods toprevent tooth decay.

Key Nutrientsfor Vegan Children

Protein needs can be easily met ifchildren eat a variety of plant foods andhave an adequate intake of calories. It isunnecessary to plan and complementamino acids precisely within each meal solong as children eat a variety of foodseach day. Sources of protein for veganchildren include pulses (peas, beans,lentils, soya), grains (wheat, oats, rice,barley, buckwheat, millet, pasta, bread),nuts, meat substitutes and nut butters.

Calcium is an important nutrient forgrowing bones and teeth. Good sourcesinclude fortified non-dairy milks andjuices, calcium-set tofu, baked beans anddark green leafy vegetables low in oxalicacid such as spring greens and kale.Calcium supplementation may beindicated in cases of inadequate dietaryintake.

Children regularly exposed to sunlightunder appropriate conditions (two tothree times per week for about 20-30minutes on hands and face) appear tohave no dietary requirement for vitaminD. Those children who have limitedexposure to sunlight or who are darkskinned and have no dietary source ofvitamin D require supplements. Only afew foods naturally contain vitamin D(D3, cholecalciferol) and all of these areanimal products. Vitamin D3 is usuallyobtained from lanolin, which is derivedfrom sheep’s wool and therefore notacceptable to vegans. Foods fortifiedwith a vegan source of vitamin D (D2,ergocalciferol) include margarine, somenon-dairy milks and fortified breakfastcereals.

Iron deficiency anaemia is the mostcommon childhood nutritional problemand is no more likely to occur in veganthan in non-vegan children(8). Goodsources of iron include whole or enrichedgrains and grain products, iron-fortifiedcereals, legumes, green leafy vegetablesand dried fruits.

Diets of vegan and non-vegan childrenoften contain similar amounts of zinc,though zinc from plant foods is less well

absorbed as they contain phytate, whichinterferes with zinc absorption.Emphasising foods that are good sourcesof zinc and protein such as pulses andnuts can increase the amount of zinc inthe diet and promote absorption. Use ofyeast-leavened bread and fermented soyaproducts such as tempeh and miso canalso improve zinc absorption(8). Zincsupplements may be needed for youngvegan children whose diet is based onhigh-phytate cereals and legumes(19).Vegan Society trademark holder SevenSeas produce vegan vitamin and mineralsupplements suitable for children.

Vegan children should use foods fortifiedwith vitamin B12 or take vitamin B12supplements. A variety of foods fortifiedwith vitamin B12 are available, includingsome brands of vegan milk, meatsubstitutes, yeast extract and somebreakfast cereals. Vegan Society trademark holders Quest and Vega Nutritionalsproduce vegan vitamin B12 supplements.

The Transition to a Vegan Diet

Although today more and more childrenare vegan from birth, many older childrenalso become vegan. There are many waysto make the transition from a non-veganto a vegan diet. Some families graduallyeliminate dairy products and eggs whileothers make a more abrupt transition.Regardless of which approach youchoose, be sure to explain what is goingon and why in a way that the child canunderstand. Offer foods that lookfamiliar at first. Peanut butter sandwichesseem to be universally popular and manychildren like pasta or baked beans.Gradually introduce new foods. Watchyour child's weight closely. Weight loss islikely at first, but if it continues or thechild seems to be growing less rapidly,add more concentrated calories andreduce the amount of fibre in the diet.

What Foods are Popular with Vegan Children?

Many vegan children like:� Bagels with nut butter or hummous � Bean burritos or tacos � Fresh or dried fruit � Mashed potatoes� Oven-cooked chips � Pancakes and waffles � Pasta with tomato sauce � Peanut butter and yeast extract

sandwiches� Pizza without cheese, topped with

vegetables & pulses, tofu, or fake meat� Raw vegetables with dips� Shakes made with soya milk and fruit� Spaghetti with tomato sauce� Tofu/vegan hotdogs� Vegan burgers

Vegan diets planned in line with currentdietary recommendations can meet thenutritional needs of infants and children,give children a better start in life andhelp to establish lifelong healthy eatingpatterns.

* Since 1976 Plamil Foods has producedcase histories on over 100 children andthis is a glowing testimony to veganism.The latest case histories are availablefrom the Vegan Society at the cost of£2.00 plus p&p

References:

1. Gallup: The Realeat Survey 1997 Changingattitudes to meat consumption Haldane Foods19972. How many teens are vegetarian? VegetarianJournal 2000; XX (1):10.3. Sanders TAB, Manning J. The growth anddevelopment of vegan children. J Hum Nutr Diet.1992;5:11-21.4. Fulton JR, Hutton CL, Stitt KR. Preschoolvegetarian children. J Am Diet Assoc.1980;76:360-365.5. McGill HC, McMahan CA, Herderick EE, MalcomGT, Tracy RE, Strong JP. Origin of atherosclerosis inchildhood and adolescence. Am J Clin Nutr.2000;72(suppl):1307S-1315S.6. Falkner B, Sherif K, Michel S, Kushner H.Dietary nutrients and blood pressure in urbanminority adolescents at risk for hypertension. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2000;154:918-922.7. Guo SS, Chumlea WC. Tracking of body massindex in children in relation to overweight inadulthood. Am J Clin Nutr. 1999;70(suppl):145S-148S.8. Messina V, Mangels AR. Considerations inplanning vegan diets: Children. J Am Diet Assoc.2001;101:661-669. 9. Dwyer JT, Dietz WH,Jr, Andrews EM, SuskindRM. Nutritional status of vegetarian children. Am JClin Nutr. 1982;35:204-216.10. vanStaveren WA, Dhuyvetter JHM, Bons A,Zeelen M, Hautvast JGAJ. Food consumption andheight/weight status of Dutch preschool childrenon alternative diets. J Am Diet Assoc.1985;85:1579-1584.11. The American Dietetic Association. Position onvegetarian diets. J Am Diet Assoc. 1997; 97:1317-1321.12. American Dietetic Association. Promotion ofbreastfeeding. J Am Diet Assoc. 1997;97:662-666.13. Specker BL, Black A, Allen L, Morrow F.Vitamin B12: Low milk concentrations are relatedto low serum concentrations in vegetarian womenand to methylmalonic aciduria in their infants. Am J Clin Nutr. 1990;52:1073-1076.14. Committee on Nutrition, American Academyof Pediatrics. Pediatric Nutrition Handbook. 4th ed.Elk Grove Village, IL: AAP; 1998.15. Mangels AR, Messina V. Considerations inplanning vegan diets: Infants. J Am Diet Assoc.2001;101:670-677.16. O'Connell JM, Dibley MJ, Sierra J, Wallace B,Marks JS, Yip R. Growth of vegetarian children.The Farm study. Pediatrics. 1989;84:475-481.17. Sanders TAB. Growth and development ofBritish vegan children. Am J Clin Nutr.1988;48:822-825.18. Specker BL, Valanis B, Hertzberg V, Edwards N,Tsang RC. Sunshine exposure and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations in exclusivelybreast-fed infants. J Pediatr. 1985;107:372-376. 19. Allen LH. Zinc and micronutrient supplementsfor children. Am J Clin Nutr. 1998;68(suppl):495S-498S.

�

Veganthe diet for Infants and Children


I want to thank all those vegansout there who got me going, mostof whom have no idea I followed. Weare probably all a lot more influentialthan we think.

The most influential are thewelcoming, informative, non-judgmental sort, confident in theirbeliefs. Their biggest asset is a healthymind, leading to a healthy body andlife.

Most of us know who influenced us -but do they? I'd like to take theopportunity to name my unsuspectingmentors, sending them my deepestgratitude.

In Aberystwyth in the 1980s: Tim, themature student from Milton Keynes,who was the first vegan I ever met.The barefoot son of the WholefoodBakery, who simply suggested I wentvegan on my veggie anniversary. In the1990s (yes, I was still onlyintermittently vegan till 1993): DaveHogan, the ethical adviser, and allthose yummy Glastonbury food stallsand their leaflets.

Plus all the people who changed soyamilk from dusty water to a drink in itsown right, developed new and excitingfoods, eateries and recipes, wroteinfluential books, supported or workedfor the Vegan Society, all the rest ofyou vegans and vegan sympathiserswho keep me company, and most ofall my husband Stephen who has beenwith me all the way through. Thankyou!

Sophie FenwickVegan Society Local Contact for Berkshire

I write with regard to the article,“How to plan an Eco-wedding” onpage 15 of the Summer 2002 issue ofThe Vegan.

The Torun-Shaws offer some greatadvice. However, I’d like to point outthat the civil marriage legislation hasnot come into effect as yet. Theproposed changes could be institutedas early as 2005, bringing England,

Wales and Northern Ireland into linewith Scotland, where it is alreadypossible to marry at home or up amountain.

For further information, seewww.confetti.co.uk/venues/features/new_civil_legislation.asp There’s also anarticle about planning a veganwedding atwww.confetti.co.uk/weddings/advice_ideas/reception/vegetarian_weddings.asp

I should point out that I work forConfetti Network Ltd, but I’m writingas a supporter of the Vegan Society inthe hope that this information will beof help to the Torun-Shaws or othervegan couples tying the knot.

Regards,Sabrina Fiorini

Further to the letter from ChristineMackay in the Spring 2002 issue aboutunnecessary non-vegan ingredients –particularly milk – added to bread.

Here in New Zealand an even moreamazing ingredient is added to allsupermarket ‘in-store’ baked bread,though not the commercial bakerybread that comes in plastic wrappers.This is an additive mysteriously called‘920’ which turns out to be a flour‘improver’ made from wool andfeathers!

Does anything like this happen in theUK? Does anyone know how this socalled ‘improver’ is supposed to work?What other bizarre ingredients havebeen discovered in the humble loaf?

Perhaps not surprisingly, since NewZealand makes so much money fromdairy, it is also almost impossible tofind biscuits that don’t contain milk orbutter. We have to wait for stocks ofUK manufactured biscuits to arrive ifwe want vegan ones!

Yours sincerely,Steve Reeves, Hamilton, New Zealand.

I am writing to thank everyone for theirsupport and kindness to me and my partnerValerie Ardimento, who died in March this yearafter a long fight against cancer. We wereboth volunteers at the Vegan Society in the pastand worked closely with Bill Palethorpe, whovery kindly came to Valerie’s funeral.Throughout her illness she remained cheerfuland positive and she died, as she had lived, withgreat courage and dignity.

Valerie took her first step into the animal rightsmovement in 1994 when she saw a CIWFpicture in the national press showing a bullhanging by one leg from a crane. We bothjoined CIWF and took part in manydemonstrations against the export of calvesdestined for veal crates in France and Holland.Although Valerie was still working as a nursebehavioural psychotherapist and needed hersleep, we spent many nights protesting. Wealso realised that being vegetarian was notgood enough and in the autumn of 1994 webecame vegan.

In 1995 we organised a public meeting inEastbourne Town Hall and 250 members of thepublic saw the shocking film “For a Few PenniesMore” as part of the campaign to ban liveexports. By the time Valerie retired later thatyear, she was a member of all the major animalrights organisations. At about this time webecame life members of the Vegan Society andbegan volunteering at the St Leonard’s office.

In 1996 we started Eastbourne Animal Rights,despite Valerie’s having been diagnosed withbreast cancer, and over the next three years sheplayed a leading role in this and many othercampaigns – anti-hunt, anti-vivisection, liveexports, Consort, Hillgrove, Huntingdon, we didthem all – as well as our own Rabbit Campaignwhen the local council wanted to gas therabbits on the downs.

From 1999 onwards, despite various treatments,her illness began to get the upper hand, butValerie never complained and always made themost of whatever health and strength she had.It is now 30 years since I first met her and I shallalways miss her, as will her son Marco andbrother Ron. In closing, I must say again howmuch we appreciate the more than a hundredcards and letters and the support and kindnessso many people have shown.

Derek SinfieldEastbourne, East Sussex

PostbagContributions to Postbag are welcomed, but accepted on the understanding that theymay be edited in the interests of brevity or clarity.



eventsUp to date diaries of other events can be viewed at:

www.veggies.org.uk, www.veganlondon.freeserve.co.uk,

www.veganvillage.co.uk

� AUGUST*Fri 30th – Sat 31stThe Scottish Health Show at the Edinburgh InternationalConference Centre. Lectures, exhibitions and cookerydemonstrations. 10.45am Fri and 9.45 Sat to 5pm. For details T.01387 261065

� SEPTEMBER Sun 1stNottingham Green Festival, food by Veggies T. 0845 458 9595

Sun 1st -.7thVegan Summer Gathering, Exmouth, Devon. Contact: MalcolmHorne T. 01395 270280 (eves)

Fri 20th – Sat 21stDiaries of Despair rally in London. Assemble at Temple Place,Victoria Embankment at noon for speeches and march. seewww.xenodiaries.org or phone Uncaged T. 0114 272 2220

*Sun 29thFifth National Vegan Festival 10am - 5pm. Conway Hall, Red LionSquare, London WC1 [nearest tube: Holborn]. Sponsored by TheVegan Society, Veggies and VeganStore.co.uk . Admission: £1.For more information see www.veganfestival.freeserve.co.uk orcontact:

� OCTOBERSat 5th Vegan & Sunfood Festival Guilford – Contact:

*Tues 15th – Wed 16thOrganex - Organic, vegetarian and vegan trade show, Earls Court 2, London 10am – 5pm – register online for freeentry and save £20, www.organex.net

*Sat 26th The Vegan Society Annual General Meeting, Conway Hall, RedLion Square, Holborn, London WC1. Doors open at noon,meeting starts at 2pm

Sun 27th – Sun 3rd NovUK Vegan Week – launch of Sunflower Catering Standard,Caterers’ Guide, Animal Free Shopper 6th Edition, new membersoffer and website.

� NOVEMBERFri 1st World Vegan Day – Veganism’s birthday - we will be 58. Themethis year ‘Food suitable for Everyone’ encouraging the provision ofmore vegan food.

WVD Celebration at Brentwood School Sports Centre, BrentfordEssex from 7pm.

Thurs 7thVegetarian Awards, 7pm at the Waldorf Hotel, London. seewww.vegsoc.org or contact The Vegetarian Society T.0161 925 2000.

� DECEMBER*Sun 1stChristmas Without Cruelty Fayre at Kensington Town Hall,Hornton Street, London W8. 10am to 5pm. Stalls, vegancatering, and celebrity auction. see www.animalaid.org.uk or contact: Animal Aid T.01732 364546.

Tues 10thFifth International Day for Animal Rights – Worldwide eventsincluding candlelit vigils outside sites of animal abuse. UK coordination by Uncaged T. 0114 272 2220

* Vegan Society stalls at these events

After the World Vegetarian Congress in July [see page 13] fourCouncil members plus Chief Executive Rick Savage stayed on in

Edinburgh for a Local Contacts meeting which generated a greatdeal of enthusiasm and ideas as to how to promote veganism northof the border. In addition to the usual sessions on nutrition, mediawork, local groups, and so on, Rick gave a fascinating talk abouthow the Vegan Society office functions and the huge amount ofwork carried out there by our enthusiastic and efficient team ofstaff and volunteers. The meeting lasted from noon till six, with abreak for a shared lunch, and the majority of participants haddinner together at Henderson's Bistro before heading for home.Once again, I'd like to thank all who helped to make the day asuccess.

Two more Saturday meetings have already been arranged:Bristol on 28 September and York on 23 November, bothright in the city centre. These meetings are not just forexisting and potential Local Contacts but for anyone wishingto become more active in promoting veganism in their area.Please contact me for further details.

If you cannot get to either meeting but are interested in becominga Local Contact or would simply like more details of what itinvolves, please also get in touch. I work at home, so it is usuallybetter to ring in the evening. I am still hoping to achieve my aim ofdoubling the number of Local Contacts within a year of becomingNational Coordinator!

I have been doing my best to meet as many existing and potentialLocal Contacts as possible and hope to meet even more when I visitVegan Camp in August. I shall also be at the Vegan Festival inLondon on Sunday 29 September and the Society’s AGM onSaturday 26 October. As usual, the AGM will be preceded by ashort meeting for all LCs attending and is an ideal opportunity tomeet all the Council members face to face and to find out moreabout how your Society functions.

The recent members’ questionnaire showed considerable demandfor a members’ e-mail discussion group, and a proposal will shortlybe put before Council. As there was great support for this at theScottish contacts’ day, the project will probably be piloted inScotland. If you would like to participate, please get in touch.Another popular suggestion was for a monthly e-mail news bulletinlisting local and national events with a predominantly vegan themeor where the Vegan Society or local members will be involved. Ifagreed, this will also be open to all members, so do get in touch ifyou are interested.

Finally, if you are not already a Local Contact or a member of agroup, do get in touch with the one nearest to you to join in plansfor World Vegan Day and National Vegan Week [see page 15].I do hope you are enjoying what's left of the Summer as we have abusy Autumn ahead!

Best wishes,Patricia TrickerNational Local Contacts’ Coordinator

LOCAL CONTACTSNEWS


VEGAN SOCIETY LOCAL CONTACTSNote: Local Contacts are Vegan Societymembers who have offered to act, on avoluntary basis, as a point of contact forthose interested in the Society's work.They are not official representatives ofthe Society. Their levels of activity andknowledge may vary according to theirindividual circumstances.When writing to a Contact pleaseremember to enclose a SAE.

Local Contacts' Coordinator: PatriciaTricker - see under Yorkshire (North)


FounderDonald Watson

Hon PatronsSerena ColesFreya DinshahDr. Michael KlaperArthur LingCor Nouws Wendy Turner Donald WatsonBenjamin Zephaniah

CouncilAlex BourkeVanessa ClarkeLaurence Klein (Hon Treasurer)Laurence MainKarin RidgersGeorge Rodger (Chair) Zofia Torun, Patricia Tricker Stephen Walsh (Vice Chair)

National LocalContacts Co-ordinatorPatricia M. Tricker

STAFF

Chief Executive OfficerRick Savage

Administration/FinanceOfficerJules Farrar

Head of Media/PR Tony Weston

Information OfficerCatriona Toms

Information AssistantsGemma BarclayDebbie Holman

Fundraising/MarketingOfficerJames Southwood

Sales & MembershipOfficerJason Thornton

Sales & MembershipAssistant Virginie Bronzino

Sales AssistantsJohn RawdenDerek Waller

VolunteersLiz CostaJoyce SandgroundErica Wilson

Dietary ConsultantSandra Hood

VEGANISM may bedefined as a way of livingwhich seeks to exclude,as far as possible andpractical, all forms ofexploitation of, andcruelty to, animals forfood, clothing or anyother purpose. In dietaryterms it refers to thepractice of dispensingwith all animal produce— including meat, fish,poultry, eggs, animalmilks, honey, and theirderivatives.

Abhorrence of the cruelpractices inherent in anagricultural system basedon the ab/use of animalsis probably the singlemost common reason forthe adoption ofveganism, but manypeople are drawn to itfor health, ecological,resource, spiritual andother reasons.

If you would like moreinformation on veganisma free Information Pack isavailable from the VeganSociety in exchange fortwo first class stamps.

THE VEGAN SOCIETYwas formed in England inNovember 1944 by agroup of vegetarianswho had recognised theethical compromisesimplicit in lacto-vegetarianism (ie dairydependent). Today, theSociety continues tohighlight the breaking ofthe strong maternal bondbetween the cow and itsnew-born calf within justfour days; the dairy cow’sproneness to lamenessand mastitis; hersubjection to an intensivecycle of pregnancy andlactation; our unnaturaland unhealthy taste forcow’s milk; and the de-oxygenation of riverwater throughcontamination with cattleslurry.

If you are already avegan or vegansympathiser, pleasesupport the Society andhelp increase its influenceby joining. Increasedmembership means moreresources to educate andinform.

LISTINGS

com

LOCALGROUPS


PLANNING A HOLIDAY?Finding a vegan/vegetarian B&B, hotel orrestaurant is made easy with thefollowing guides. Available from theVegan Society catalogue – phone ourorder line now on 01424 427393, orwrite to our standard address with acheque or credit card details to purchase.

Vegetarian London£5.99

Vegetarian Europe£9.95

Vegetarian France£6.99

Plus £2.50 p+p

CORNWALL

CUMBRIA

CUMBRIA

MY HOME IS YOUR HOMEBed and Breakfast. Country cottagebedroom. Plenty of scrumptiousveggie/vegan food. Food lovers and catlovers especially welcome! CockermouthTown Centre, Cumbria 01900 824045£35 per couple £20 per person

DERBYSHIRE

DEVON

DEVON (Lydford) S/C for N/S visitors atVEGFAM’s HQ. SAE to ‘The Sanctuary’, nr Lydford, Okehampton EX20 4AL. Tel/Fax 01822 820203

ISLE OF WIGHT

SCOTLAND

SUSSEX

ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY B&B andRETREATS Magical Victorian countryhouse, natural carpets and paints, veganorganic meals, overlooking stunningcoastal conservation area. Easy for publictransport. South West Wales. 01267 241999 www.heartspring.co.uk

PEMBROKESHIRE. A warm welcome &good food (exclusively Veg/Vegan) inmodern bungalow. Close to Newgalebeach. Coastal paths to explore. Green Haven B&B - Tel. 01437 710756

WEST WALES, near beautiful coast andmountains. ‘Quality with a conscience’.Organic vegetarian/vegan B&B. Private,well equipped bedsitting room withriverside garden. N/S Tel. 01970832708www.peace-meals.co.uk

YORKSHIRE

NORTH YORKSHIRE Comfortable, homely,exclusively vegetarian/vegan B&B from£16.50 p.p./p.n. at Prospect Cottagesituated in Ingleton village. Wonderfulwalking country. Tel: 015242 41328

WHITBY B&B. Vegan/Vegetarian. Organicbread etc. Quiet location, seven minuteswalk from centre and harbour. Loungeand sunny breakfast room. Parking nearhouse. Tea-making facilities. £18 (pluschild reductions) . Tel: 01947 603507

(UK) HOLIDAY

ACCOMMODATION

CLASSIFIEDS


ANDALUCIA CASA. ‘Monchito’ Mountainvillage cottage to rent. Rustic with modcons. Beautiful area, forests, rivers, viewssouth to the Med and North Africabeyond; easy drive up the mountain fromeither Gibraltar or Malaga. Also, limitednumber of space available for all-inclusiveguided tour of the local area invegetarian/vegan Hotel ‘Monchito’. Riverswimming and spa bathing in the naturalorder of the day. Call

WEST CORK self catering apartmentsfor singles, couples and families inpeaceful wooded surroundings. Organicvegetables, bread & vegan wholefoodsavailable. Reasonable rates. Green Lodge,Trawnamadree, Ballylickey, Bantry, CoCork, Ireland. Tel. 003532766146

web:http://homepage.eircom.net/~greenlodge

KERALA, SOUTH INDIA a vegan’s paradise.Tours, accommodation including self-catering. Brochure:Tel: 01892 722440, Voice Mail/Fax: 01892724913. Website:www.keralconnect.co.uk

SPAIN. Sunny Almeria house sleeps six.Pool. Holiday lets. Views, Birds, Walks,Beach 25 minutes. Car essential. Englishowners. 0034 950 469304

PYRENEES: Vegan B+B, dble roomw/shower and organic brek: £27 for two.Contact: Le Guerrat, 09420Rimont, France. Web:http://vegan.port5.com/flashvegangite2.html'.

PROVENCE MEETS THE MOUNTAINS.Gite, large pool, 5 en-suite bedrooms,sleeps 12. Also smaller ‘cabanon’ sleeps2-5. wonderful views, perfect for walking,biking, climbing, relaxing. Tel 0033 492622 053 (English spoken) www.allez-up.com

LEAFU – LEAFCURD … send SAE fordetails on this exciting new vegan foodingredient. Leafcycle, Coombe Farm,Cove, Tiverton, Devon, EX16 7RU

TEMPEH KITS – it’ so easy and cheap tomake this PERFECT protein food forvegans at home. Kits comprise enoughstarter for 10.5kg finished tempeh PLUS acolour instruction/recipe book - £15. CallPolly at PHYTOFOODS – 01547 510242

DELICIOUS Vegan recipe books £3.50each or 2 for £5. Available in electronicformat from www.bowbridgepublishing.com/books/vegan

GREEN/DIY FUNERALS Eco-friendlyinexpensive coffins, memorial tree-planting. Please send £1 in unused stampswith A5 size 33p SAE to Box 328

VEGAN CATS! Animal-free supplement forhome-made recipes. In use since 1986.SAE: Vegecat, The Vegan Society, DonaldWatson House, 7 Battle Road, St-Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex TN37 7AA, UK.

N7, HOLLOWAY, newish house. Vegan girlneeds a house mate. Large room to let.Central heating. Share shower, bath, WC.,kitchen and small garden. 2 3/4 milesfrom City and West End £85/week. Tel.

ROOM FOR RENT. South Croydon. Closeto public transport. Parking available.£280/month including bills (excludestelephone). Female preferred. No DSS 020

ACCOMMODATION OFFERED for rent (or possibly in exchange for help) on ourvegetarian organic smallholding onbeautiful hilltop in mid-Wales.

HOLIDAYS

EATING OUT

ABROAD

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THE VEGAN WHEN

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COSMETICS

MISCELLANEOUS

PERSONAL

BRYNDERWEN VEGAN COMMUNITY

New venture needs people of anyage with energy, vision, humour.Spacious house with garden andland. Live in (or maybe nearby).

Business possibilities.SAE for newsletter:

Malcolm Horne, Brynderwen,Crymlyn Road, Swansea SA7 9XT

Or ring 01792-792442PUBLICATIONS

Box Numbers

When replying to a box numberaddress your envelope as follows:

Box no. _____The Vegan Society, Donald Watson House,

7 Battle Road, St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, TN37 7AA

Dolma offer an exclusive range ofquality original Vegan perfumes,skin care and toiletries. SendS.A.E. for new catalogue or£15.95 for boxed set of ten trial

size perfumes (includes 2 newfragrances). An ideal gift.

Cheques/postal orders made payable to ‘DOLMA’.Special Xmas Offers available during Novemberand December.DOLMA, 19 ROYCE AVENUE, HUCKNALL,NOTTINGHAM. NG15 6FUWebsite: www.veganvillage.co.uk/dolmaEmail: [email protected]

FOOD

ACCOMMODATIONANIMAL CAREA VEGAN TASTE OF MEXICOMain dishes and soups, dips,desserts, cakes and cookies.

£5.99 paperback

A VEGAN TASTE OF INDIASnacks, main dishes, chutney,desserts and drinks: the true

taste of India. £5.99 paperback

Ask for our catalogue ofvegan and related books

POST FREE from Jon Carpenter Publishing (VS),

Direct Sales, 2 Home FarmCottages, Sandy Lane,

St Paul’s Cray, Kent BR5 3HZTel/fax: 01689 870437


CALLING ALL AUTHORS & ARTISTSThe editor invites authors, artists andcartoonists to submit material for possiblepublication in The Vegan. Fees negotiable.Write to:The Editor, The Vegan , 7 Battle road, St-Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex TN37 7AA.To ensure return of your work pleaseenclose an SAE.

ARTICLES AND

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FOR INCLUSION IN

WINTER ISSUE OF

THE VEGAN.

CONDITIONS OF ACCEPTANCE:Advertisements are accepted subject to their satisfying the condition that the

products advertised are entirely free from ingredients derived from animals;

that neither products nor ingredients have been tested on animals; and that

the content of such ads does not promote, or appear to promote, the use of

non-vegan commodities. Books, records, tapes, etc. mentioned in

advertisements should not contain any material contrary to vegan principles.

Advertisements may be accepted from catering establishments that are not

run on exclusively vegan lines, provided that vegan meals are available and

that the wording of such ads reflects this.

CLASSIFIED ORDER FORM (LINEAGE)

CLASSIFIEDS


29

28

Solution to The VeganPrize Crossword

Congratulationsto the Winner

Lucy & Saul KeyworthBedford

Send in a photocopy (or original) of the solution to this crossword,together with your name and address by the 11th October 2002and you’ll be entered into a draw with a chance to win the firstcopy of the new Animal Free Shopper (6th edition) due out at theend of September.Solution in the next issue.

Name...................................................................................

Address................................................................................

............................................................................................

Postcode

Across

6 Energy-producing organic compounds found in foods like pasta and potatoes (13)

9 Prefix relating to milk e.g. _ _ _ _ _vegetarian (5)10 Kitchen implement (7)11 Downy feathers are collected from these ducks

for pillow fillings (6)13 African country, a coffee producer (5)16 Makes the appetite keener; sharpens (5)19 Small kind of mushroom (6)24 Unit of heat energy (7)25 Cool (5)26 Pans for cooking chips, perhaps (4,3,6)

Down

1 Burnt with a hot liquid (7)2 Costed (6)3 Tint, hue, shade (6)4 Thick sweet sticky liquid (5)5 Make extremely cold (6)7 Mouth-watering (5)8 Season (4)12 Potato bud (3)14 Brazil or cashew (3)15 Type of mustard (7)17 Divide into two equal parts (5)18 Frugal; flower (6)20 Open (leaves) (6)21 Lightweight cords used in the garden (6)22 Describes cold coffee or tea; frosted (4)23 Italian sauce made with crushed basil, oil, pine

nuts and garlic (5)

READERS’ OFFER - VEGAN FOOD SUPPLEMENT

Reliv UK is offering 20 % discount on the NEWLY REGISTEREDVEGAN FOOD SUPPLEMENT, CLASSIC.

Normally retailing at £35.40 per can containing 28 day’s supply,CLASSIC is Reliv’s original patented Vegan-registered nutritionalsoya-based powder formula. Containing 7gms of protein perserving, CLASSIC provides a well-balanced complement of vitamins,herbs, minerals and amino acids, including Folic Acid, B vitaminsand Iron.

The exclusive promotional price of £28 plus £3 postage and packingalso includes a complimentary shaker. To redeem this special offer(valid only in UK) please contact Reliv UK , The Gatehouse, Fryersworks, Abercrombie Avenue, High Wycombe, Bucks HP12 3BW orT. 01494 539733 quoting ‘The Vegan’.

For more information see www.reliv.com or speak to Reliv on 01494 539 733.

PRIZE CROSSWORD

Documents

The Vegan Autumn 2002