Vegan caterers celebrate 25 years
A VEGAN catering venture based in Nottingham is coming up to 25 years of being in business.
Veggies, which caters at festivals and events across the country, was today holding the fifth East Midlands Vegan Festival, at the Council House from 11am to 5pm.
The event promotes vegan companies, products and charities from around the East Midlands, and has been sponsored by The Vegan Society as well as Veggies.
Patrick Smith of Veggies said they had come a long way in 25 years.
"Back then vegan caterers and businesses were few and far between but now the list of vegan companies in the UK is endless," he said,
The festival will include vegan food sampling, cookery demonstrations, talks, cosmetics, toiletries, ready meals, cakes and other vegan foods that most would consider impossible – including 'fish' and chips, vegan cream eggs and vegan marshmallows.
Comments
by Patrick Smith, Forest Fileds
Monday, December 15 2008, 10:30PM
“Thanks to everyone from a broad coalition of Nottingham's animal rights, vegan and environmental campaign community this event was a huge success.
So... what do vegans eat?
On Saturday 13th December no less that 1,990 people had that question answered at the East Midlands Vegan Festival. Not just what, but why, where and how, with a program of talks, including:
* ¿Vegan Education in Schools and Colleges¿ - - Information and resources for teachers, students and parents too by Rob from the Vegan Society
* ¿By-products of the Livestock Industry¿ - Meet your meat. The work of a local farmed animal rescue, by Jon from Brinsley Animal Rescue
* ¿Campaign for Eco-Veganism¿ by Kevin of Midlands Vegan Campaigns - Livestock has the biggest impact on the climate and other global issues.
* ¿Vegan Nottingham¿ - local projects include the Vegan Nottingham Guide, Free Food Giveaway events and Veggies Campaigns"
* ¿Truffle Making & Cake Baking Tips¿ - Elsa, Pop By Cherry
* ¿Pizzadillas & Vegan Fried Egg¿; Alex, Kiss My Asparagus
* ¿Fridge Cakes & Vegan Cookie Tips¿; Eva, Kiss My Asparagus
* ¿Vegan Q's & A's¿ - our panel of experts answered ¿where, what, how and why to enjoy vegan living¿.
It is appropriate that the East Midlands Vegan Festival was (independently) held at the very same Council House where the Council had a few days earlier passed a policy recognising the threat of 'peak oil'.
We are consuming huge amount of energy in our diet. Ten calories of fossil fuels are used in the production of each calorie of food today.
It requires many times the resources to produce meat and dairy products than plant-based foods. Oil (and gas) is consumed in the production of the fertilizers and pesticides needed to grow animal feeds. Oil is used to fuel tractors, combines, harvesters, and other large machinery, producing crops that are likely to be fed to livestock or processed into the oils used in packaged food. With the largest proportion of the food value being lost by conversion into animal products, it is vital that we eat more direct foods.
We cannot afford to maintain 2 population explosions, that of consumers of western livestock-based diets and that of the billions of animals raised to satisfy this system. A staggering 55 billion animals are raised for meat every year - 55 billion living beings who have to be fed and watered, all of which results in the consumption of more oil.
We should be urging everyone to reduce and eliminate their use and abuse of animals for food and other purposes. This is surely a more compassionate way to reduce the effects of livestock production on peak oil, climate change, excess water use, wasteful use of land and food resources and the promotion of a dangerously unhealthy diet.”