Vegan Society Newsroom

Wed 2 July 2008 was an international day of solidarity with the Austrian Vegan Society internees. A group of around 25 peaceful protestors gathered outside the Austrian Consulate in Birmingham, calling for justice and freedom for our Austrian friends.

We Won!



The Vegan magazine has won the Best Vegan Publication award in the Vegan Environmental Awards 2008. For more details, check out: http://www.bristolveganfayre.co.uk/results.html

Parent Holly Paige told Independent journalist Natasha Mann that her children could not get enough nutrients on ‘a vegan diet’ (Tue 17 Jun 2008 http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-wellbeing/healthy-living/how-our-vegan-diet-made-us-ill-848322.html). A particular raw food regime is repeatedly equated to ‘veganism’ in the article.

The Vegan Society is correctly quoted as having the evidence to show that a balanced vegan diet can support a healthy lifestyle at all ages – including young children. But the piece is otherwise full of unsubstantiated nutritional speculation. For example, the mother states that her children were deficient in vitamin D and protein – but admits that she has no medical advice to support this diagnosis.

It has been widely reported that a 12 year old girl is in hospital in Scotland with a severe case of rickets [see notes 2,3,4].

Vegan Society Vice-Chair, Graham Neale, said, "Here at the Vegan Society we are saddened by this news. As a charity we are devoted to providing information about maintaining a healthy plant-based diet. Anyone thinking of becoming vegan, or caring for vegan children and adults (including caterers) can contact us for simple guidelines on a healthy, animal free diet." [see notes 1, 5]

The Vegan Society is a peaceful organisation promoting a healthy diet for the benefit of people, animals and the environment.

The Board of the Vegan Society is deeply concerned about the arrest and detention without charge on 21st May 2008 of members of our sister organisation the Austrian Vegan Society and similar groups. We understand that those arrested have now been interned for a further four weeks.

We are especially concerned for the welfare of the Chair of the Austrian Vegan Society, Felix Hnat, and about the disruption to the Austrian Vegan Society office and its work.

We ask that the equipment confiscated be returned promptly and that the
arrested individuals be immediately released or charged. For a statement on the case from Amnesty International, please see http://www.vgt.at/presse/news/2008/news20080605_1_en.php

As you can see, the Vegan Society Web site has changed.

A lively discussion of the global ethics of our food choices took place at Warwick University on Thu 6 Mar 2008.

Vegan Society CEO, Nigel Winter will be giving his hard-hitting "Are your meals costing the earth?" presentation as part of the Green Party Spring Conference 'fringe'. The talk is at Reading Town Hall, on Fri 15th Feb 2008 at 19:00. Day membership of the conference is required to attend.

Vegetables and fruits should take centre stage to turn compulsory school cooking into exciting and nutritious dining. All reliable healthy eating advice urges people to focus on plant-based foods [2]. Excellent vegan food is the most inclusive way to cook, delighting the palate and avoiding a minefield of cultural and health issues.

Giles Lane, from Leeds, and Australian Benjamin Potts are reported to have been returned to the Sea Shepherd. The two had been held on Yushin Maru 2 harpoon vessel since Tue 15 Jan.

Vitalite is not currently suitable for vegans.

The developed world’s passion for meat and dairy is driving global climate faster than all our transport systems. The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali over the next two weeks must face up to this reality. The developed world must lead the way in quickly moving away from animal farming to climate-friendly vegan growing.

Choosing to eat a plant-based diet has a big positive impact on our health, on animal welfare and on the planet. Consumer choice, healthy eating and the impact of food on the environment all feature in The National Curriculum. The Vegan Society is launching a major new resource to help teachers get the message across to the next generation.

'Belching Brenda' the pantomime cow celebrated World Vegan Day today by the Birmingham Bullring. Brenda told shoppers of the huge damage that animal farming does to our planet. Her Vegan Society friends handed out hundreds of leaflets and vegan 'green footprint' biscuits to an appreciative audience.

Brenda wore huge red clown shoes, sadly showing off her huge eco-footprint. Her message: "Cows want to save the planet! Please don’t breed us for meat and milk."

Joint statement by the Vegan Society and Ecover

Ecover respects the mission and values of the Vegan Society who acknowledge that Ecover has 27 years of history as a company dedicated to protecting the environment. The Vegan Society recognizes Ecover as a company of integrity. As such the Vegan Society and Ecover are working together to ensure both organizations’ principles are adhered to.

As a pioneering ecological company, Ecover’s responsibility is to continuously improve the environmental performance of its products. A major challenge in developing an ecological washing and cleaning product is minimizing the effects of its use on aquatic systems. Therefore, the toxicity of these products on aquatic life must be measured.

The Vegan Society was founded in 1944 and seeks to exclude, as far as possible and practical, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose. The Society understands the word “animal” to refer to the entire Animal Kingdom, that is all vertebrates and all multicellular invertebrates.