With vegan cheesesteaks showing up at more places than ever in Philly (and everywhere), we want to identify - and eat - the best vegan cheesesteaks around. And at noon today, with the help of Frank Olivieri, Jr. and Christina Pirello, the fourth annual 2017 Best Vegan Cheesesteak in Philly contest launched with the opening of online voting.

Everyone can vote once per day per platform. The online ballot is HERE. Additionally, twitter users with a valid account can vote each day with a tweet containing the venue name and the hashtag #vegancheesesteak. See complete 2017 rules here.

As vegan cheesesteak lovers know, this is an exciting time, with 2016 champion (and first-year winner) Blackbird Pizzeria defending the crown against dozens of fine vegan cheesesteaks including several newcomers this year. Philly voters are encouraged to try the sandwiches at as many venues as possible to assure the highest-quality decision-making in the 'Philly' category. Everyone can vote in the 'Everywhere' category, which will serve to break a tie in the final judging.

Voting results and ranking will be updated on this page every day from March 11 to March 20, when the voting period ends. The top three vote-getters with qualifying sandwiches will advance on to the final round. One voter chosen at random will win a deluxe dinner for 2 at Miss Rachel's Pantry. One twitter voter will be named '2017 Vegan Cheesesteak Superfan' (see rules) and will win a prize package including a custom-cooked cheesesteak and more.

The Final Judging event will occur on March 23rd at 6:00 p.m. at The Ethical Society (1906 Rittenhouse Square) and will be emceed by Frank Olivieri, Jr, owner of Pat's Steaks, the originator of the cheesesteak sandwich. The March 23rd event will feature vegan cheesesteak sampling by at least five venues. (Yes, we know the 2016 event had just two, and the logistical issues behind that have been dealt with to assure a diversity of sampling options this year.)

This event will also feature appetizers by Lenka Zivcovic of The Plough and The Stars, plus special surprises. Advance tickets are $5, or $7 at the door.

The top three finalists will have their sandwiches tasted and judged by a panel of 4 esteemed judges who will be named on Monday, March 13. The winner will become the 2017 champion holding the title of Best Vegan Cheesesteak in Philly!

Published: March 10, 2017 10:34 AM EST | Updated: March 10, 2017 2:17 PM EST Philadelphia Daily News

Over the past year, the Inquirer, the Daily News and Philly.com have uncovered corruption in local and state public offices, shed light on hidden and dangerous environmental risks, and deeply examined the regions growing heroin epidemic. This is indispensable journalism, brought to you by the largest, most experienced newsroom in the region. Fact-based journalism of this caliber isnt cheap. We need your support to keep our talented reporters, editors and photographers holding government accountable, looking out for the public interest, and separating fact from fiction. If you already subscribe, thank you. If not, please consider doing so by clicking on the button below. Subscriptions can be home delivered in print, or digitally read on nearly any mobile device or computer, and start as low as 25 per day. We're thankful for your support in every way.

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The 2017 Best Vegan Cheesesteak in Philly contest - Philly.com (blog)

The prospect of going vegan was a daunting thought. Being a vegan meant giving up all animal by-products. Meat, dairy and many of my usual go-to snacks had to be purged from my diet.

As someone who basically survives off chicken, steak and protein bars, I knew this was going to be tough.

However, the first step to succeeding in any sort of diet is to be prepared. Iresearched foods I could eat, planned out my meals and wrote out a shopping list. I was determined to be ready to tackle any food craving that might hit me throughout my week as a vegan.

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I fixed all of my lunches for the week prior to starting my diet so I wouldnt feel tempted to break my diet due to a time crunch.

The night before I started, I weighed in at 108 pounds. I felt bloated and lethargic and was desperately trying to get rid of my acne. I was ready for a change.

For breakfast, I ate two slices of fresh pumpernickel bread that I purchased from my local bakery, which were preservative free. I topped it with all-natural peanut butter.

Of course, I had to have my coffee as well, and I drank it black. This was difficult, as I normally load my coffee up with cream and sugar, but as the week went on, I began to enjoy having my coffee in its truest form.

For lunch, I had fresh spinach leaves topped with a baked sweet potato. I alternated between eating Vega Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein and Snack Bars and Luna Protein Chocolate Walnut Fudge Barsto satisfy my sweet tooth, as well as an apple for extra nutrients.

The sweet potato was actually really filling, so most days I ate the sweet potato and had trouble finishing the rest of my lunch!

I would rather have too much food packed and save it for later, rather than packing too little and being tempted to dip into that not-so-healthy stash of snacks hidden away at work.

Dinner was the fun part. I was forced to be creative! On the first night, I decided to try out vegan fajitas. Theyconsisted of onions and peppers sauted and seasonedin a flour tortilla.

Im not going to lie, by the end of day one, I had a migraine that I just couldnt shake. I didnt think I could keep it up. My body wasnt handling this new change well, and I was very tempted to give up.

On day two, I had a salad for dinner. I loaded it up with shredded carrots and other vegetables and vegan-friendly Italian dressing. Once again, I ended the day with a migraine that I just couldnt kick.

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By the third day, I no longer had a migraine, as my body was beginningto adjust to my new diet. I ate pineapple barbecue rice for dinner and had whole-wheat pasta the next two nights.

To supplement my protein intake, I drank Vega Protein Power and blended it together with fruit and water to make Vegan-friendly smoothies.

When I got home from work each day, I felt motivated and ready to conquer the rest of the afternoon. Normally after I get home from a full day of teaching third graders, I feel sleepy and take a two-hour nap.

However, this week I felt energized. After those first two days, I spent my afternoons mountain biking, running and hitting up the gym. My running times were faster than usual, and my body didnt feel achy after working out.

By the of the end week, I was no longer bloated, my acne had cleared and when I went to weigh myself, I was 104 pounds.

I had lost four pounds of weight in just one week!

If youre thinking of going vegan, I definitely recommend it. Its difficult at first, and requires a ton of planning, but the end result is totally worth it.

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Courtney is a Raleigh based writer and teacher seeking to do whatever it takes to make the world a little brighter. To collaborate or check out her latest adventure, visit her at courtneylivin.wordpress.com or follow her on insta @courtneylivin

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I Followed A Vegan Diet For 7 Days And What Happened To My Body Was Shocking - Elite Daily

I recently made a plant-based fava bean and mushroom chili, and of course, with chili you have to have cornbread. Making a delicious vegan chili is just a matter of adding some minced mushrooms and char roasted aromatics, but making a flavorful cornbread with a nice crumb without dairy, lard or eggs is a tougher nut to crack.

Despite having a name that makes it sound plant-based, cornbread is actually more like a cake than a bread and relies heavily on butter (or lard), eggs and buttermilk. The butter is what gives cornbread its moist crumb and rich flavor, while the tart buttermilk reacting with the baking soda helps the bread to rise. The eggs also play a hand in moisture retention, they also add structure to the dough.

To make my cornbread vegan, I started with my regular cornbread recipe and started with the easiest substitution first: the butter. Coconut oil with a little nutritional yeast makes for a great butter substitute that will give your cornbread a rich buttery taste, and will even impart a pale yellow color.

Instead of buttermilk, I used a combination of soy milk and lemon juice. Any plant-based milk will do, but the addition of lemon juice is the key to making the bread rise properly.

Finally theres the eggs. Most vegans are probably familiar with flax eggs, but I prefer using chia seeds because they have a more neutral flavor. Chia seeds also contain more fiber and calcium which make them a great way to supplement the nutritional value of this bread.

Cooking the cornbread in a cast-iron skillet renders the outside crisp and buttery, while the interior is moist and crumbly. Its like the difference between a crusty french baguette and a loaf of white sandwich bread. This is one of those breads that becomes more flavorful as you chew, so while its amazing with a bowl of chili, its also delicious on its own.

Vegan cornbread is one of those that becomes more flavorful as you chew, so while it's amazing with a bowl of chili, it's also delicious on its own. (Recipe Credit: Marc Matsumoto of Fresh Tastes.)

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It's Here! The Vegan Cornbread You've Been Waiting For - PBS

Metro

It is now illegal not to offer vegan food at prisons, hospitals and schools in Portugal Metro All public canteens in Portugal will now be legally required to provide a vegan option. The recently-approved new law stipulates that canteens at all schools, universities, hospitals, prisons and other public buildings must start providing food that is ...

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It is now illegal not to offer vegan food at prisons, hospitals and schools in Portugal - Metro

It takes a village to build a citys meatless community. Before the locally renowned Blackbird Pizzeria opened in 2010, there was just a handful of places for adequate meatless meals in Philadelphia, not all of which were strictly vegan: Govindas Vegetarian, Horizons (the precursor to Washington Square Wests Vedge), Kingdom of Vegetarians, Gianna's Grille, the Nile Cafe, Singapore, Harmony, and others in Chinatown.

Just over half a decade later, there are now over 20 different vegan and vegetarian restaurants. In 2012, Nicole Marquis founded local plant-based fast-food chain, HipCityVeg. Horizons chef-owners Rich Landau and Kate Jacoby opened Vedge in fall 2011, then V-Street in 2014, and Wiz Kid in 2016.

Whether its pho, corn dogs or cheesesteaks, its now possible to find the vegan version of it somewhere in the city. This comes as no coincidence. Today, in addition to classic pies, Blackbird offers a wide variety of wings, sandwiches (including a cheesesteak) that have been voted the best in town, salads, baked goods, and even calzones (all vegan).

Community was a huge factor in Blackbird getting started. For instance, about a dozen years ago, Blackbird co-owner and chef Mark Mebus met Mike Barone through a group of vegan, straightedge friends (Barone would later start vegan coffeehouse Grindcore House). It was Barone that pointed out a listing for vacant space, which Blackbird would later turn into their Chestnut Hill storefront. Mebus also notes that Blackbird could never have happened if Barone had not pursued his a business of his own.

It was Mike looking into opening Grindcore House that brought us to finding Blackbirds location, Mebus added. So without him doing Grindcore, Blackbird may not have ever happened.

Barones business started on a similar note. After moving to Pennsport, he noticed there wasnt a close coffee shop. During one afternoons falafel run, he and a friend checked out a vacant corner store. In that moment, Grindcore House then transformed from a wouldn't-it-be-cool-if idea to more of a holy-shit-we're-doing-this-thing one.

Plus, Barone wanted to combine his interests of veganism, music, and anti-authoritarianism into his own establishment. In the backroom, theres a radical library filled with titles about animal liberation, environmentalism, anarchism, and other leftist topics that customers are free to check out. And just like the name suggests, you can expect to hear the restaurants authentic grindcore soundtrack playing in the background all day long.

I know I may sound biased because he is first and foremost a friend, but it would be difficult to find someone who has mastered their craft more than Mark, Barone explains. In addition to raising the bar for restaurants, vegan or otherwise, countless people have benefited from his willingness to share those skills and know-how.

Blackbirds concept not only comes from the lack of options in town, but also from Mark Mebuss passion for pizza. It helped that he has a background working in the vegan food industry at Blossom in New York City, as well as Horizons.

Using his expertise in graphic design, business partner Ryan Moylan chipped in by creating the eaterys website. However, Mebus said he runs most of the businesss operations these days.

Beyond just being a vegan pizzeria, Blackbird has trained employees into tailored vegan cooks, taking their skills with all things meat-free, dairy-free, egg-free with them wherever they go. For instance, former managers Matt Quinn and Jeff Poleon founded Dotties Donuts in 2016, an all-vegan donut shop located in West Philadelphia off Baltimore Avenue.

However, like every veg scene, there is room for improvement.

I would like to see the vegan food scene in Philly to continue to be more diverse as well, Mebus added. I think there is a need for more mid level restaurants that are somewhat casual but still full service.

Even if there could be more meatless full-service alternatives, whats clear is that now, more than ever, theres no shortage of excellent vegan-friendly eateries in Philly even if youre an omnivore.

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Building Up Philly's Vegan Scene A History of Blackbird Pizzeria and Grindcore House - Eater Philly

Vegan food isnt as fussy as it may seem. In fact, you can make vegan versions of just about all of your favorite foods, from vegan cheesetosoul food, at home. But sometimes you get extra busy and nothing but acasserole will do. Luckily, the comfort food versions are just as convenient and tasty as the dishes you grew up loving. In fact, these 21 vegan casserole recipes prove it.

1. Teriyaki Tofu Tempeh Casserole: Sometimes cooking satisfying vegan food is as simple as recreating a favorite dish. This casserole gives takeout a makeover, swapping meat for tofu and tempeh. (via Simple Veganista)

2. Zucchini Corn Tamal Casserole: Skip making fussy individual tamales and try this easy vegan dish instead. Just mix your tamal batter and steam in a cake pan. (via Thyme and Love)

3. Hungarian Potato Casserole: Some potato dishes can feel heavy, but not this one. Its made with a creamy cashew sauce and kidney bean sausage crumbles, and garnished with pickles for an added kick of tangy flavor. (via Green Evi)

4. Vegan Breakfast Casserole: Eating vegan doesnt have to mean giving up convenience. This vegan breakfast casserole is perfect for serving a lot of guests, so your family gatherings and brunch parties dont have to be a chore. (via Vegan Heaven)

5. Kale, Cauliflower, and Sweet Potato Gratin: This casserole is a healthy vegan comfort food that works well as an entree or a side. It features a coconut milk sauce that coats sweet potato, cauliflower, and kale, making each bite taste creamy and rich. (via Foraged Dish)

6. Pumpkin Vegetable Bake: Pumpkin makes this hearty vegan casserole surprisingly creamy. Combined with a variety of veggies, like broccoli, zucchini, and carrots, it doubles as ameal thats comforting and healthy. (via V Nutrition and Wellness)

7. Cauliflower Alfredo Scalloped Sweet Potatoes: Cauliflower is a vegan secret ingredient that makes non-dairy comfort foods possible. Here, it makes a creamy Alfredo sauce thats baked along with sweet potatoes for a lighter but still delicious take on a classic. (via Food Faith Fitness)

8. Crispy Pumpkin Cheese Pasta Bake: Vegan cheese substitutes can weird some people out, but this creamy cheese sauce is made from roasted pumpkin, nutritional yeast, and non-dairy milk. Mix it with pasta, top with crispy breadcrumbs, and youve got a dish that rivals macaroni and cheese. (via Avomaniac)

9. Sweet Potato Green Curry Quinoa Casserole:This sweet potato and quinoa casserole gets a flavor boost thanks to green curry paste. (via Fit Foodie Finds)

10. Vegan Eggplant Moussaka:This vegan moussaka, made with lentils and a vegan bchamel, totally hits the spot. (via Connoisseurus Veg)

11. Creamy Vegan Wild Rice Casserole: Creamy wild rice casserole is always delicious. In this recipe, it gets an extra dose of flavor thanks to lots of sauted mushrooms and a topping of crispy breadcrumbs and herbs. (via Oh My Veggies)

12. Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole: Served alongside a Tofurky roast or with a dollop of cashew milk ice cream, you cant beat this sweet potato casserole. Its sweet and has a celebratory flair, but is totally vegan. (via Wake Up to Waffles)

13. Tomato Pasta Bake: Make dinner for a crowd with this pasta bake. Its a riff on the classic pasta and red sauce that can be made ahead of time for easy weeknight meals. (via A Virtual Vegan)

14. Vegan Taco Cornbread Casserole: Some days, youre just too lazy to make individual tacos from scratch. Thats when this vegan taco cornbread casserole, loaded with veggies, comes in handy. (via The Colorful Kitchen)

15. Mashed Cauliflower Green Bean Casserole:A creamy cauliflower sauce makes this easy green bean casserole a recipe youll turn to time and again. (via Contentedness Cooking)

16. Maple Bourbon Sweet Potato Ribbon Casserole: Finally, a new way to use sweet potato noodles. This casserole bakes them up with flavors of maple syrup, bourbon, and coffee, putting a new spin on a favorite. (via The Endless Meal)

17. Smoky Portobello Mushroom Vegan Cassoulet: Vegan French food may sound like an impossibility, but this recipe proves otherwise. It gives the classic cassoulet a makeover, adding mushrooms for a savory bite along with creamy, garlicky white beans. (via Connoisseurus Veg)

18. Easy Vegan Corn Casserole: Corn casserole goes with almost anything. Try the version alongside faux-roasts, roast potatoes, or as a vegan-friendly side dish that omnivores will also enjoy. (via Namely Marly)

19. Ratatouille Quinoa Casserole: Quinoa adds protein and fiber to this colorful casserole. Its a flavorful way to get all the veggies and nutrients you need for dinner and as lunch the next day. (via My Organic Diary)

20. Cheesy Rice and Broccoli Casserole: Vegan cheese sauce is not without faults cashew-only recipes can be pretty heavy. This recipe makes for a casserole thats slightly lighter, thanks to a sauce thats made with potatoes and carrots, not just nuts. (via Catching Seeds)

21. Tempeh Bacon Zucchini Casserole: Smoky tempeh bacon gives this dish tons of robust flavor. Add a crispy breadcrumb topping and its a vegan dish the whole family will love. (via Contentedness Cooking)

Check out more easy dinner ideas on ourPinterest page.

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21 Vegan Casserole Recipes to Feed a Crowd - Brit + Co

In the food world, plant-based has become a buzzword of late, and Ive been using it interchangeably with the term vegan. But it turns out members of both communities like to draw a distinction, and near as I can figure plant-based espouses ditching animal byproducts and processed foods for the sake of healthier eating practices. Meanwhile, vegan cares more that no animals were harmed in the making of your lifestyle.

To put it another way, vegans are the ones Ill occasionally catch flak from for being an omnivore dipping my toes in animal-free meals. The plant-based side doesnt seem to care where my mouth has been, as long as Ive got a positive attitude and dont keep a strip of beef jerky stashed in my jacket pocket.

Donna Jean calls its menu plant based. The new restaurant recently launched in Bankers Hill, next to Evolution Fast Food (which counts itself vegan, if youre keeping track). Donna Jean is a partnership between Evolutions owners and chef Roy Elam, who, among other things, recently helped open the first vegan restaurant in the Persian Gulf island nation of Bahrain.

According to the website, Donna Jean is named after Elams late mother, and the chef has assembled a wholly plant-based menu of comfort food in her honor not intended to be health food per se, but certainly using healthy ingredients to win carnivores over to the concept.

The menu features stick-to-your-ribs dishes such as chili, mac and cheese, toasted ravioli, and a veggie burger made from black-eyed peas. I was surprised to find the comfort restaurants dining room didnt match the notion, with mostly bare walls and a sheet metal bar top. A spacious patio featuring heatlamps warming private tables with communal bench seating seemed a better fit with the food.

A baked ricotta appetizer looked beautiful, garnished with sorrel, sea grass, and watermelon radish and molded into an folded, origami-like hoja santa an herbal Mesoamerican leaf that is new to me. However, the citrusy flavors coming from all of that didnt read ricotta to me. I might have liked the curdled faux-cheese spread across hard-toasted sourdough if it could be called something else.

I was puzzled that a grits dish wound up featuring a large serving of wild rice, but it was just as well. The grits were overdone, losing their namesake texture, so the rice stepped up to anchor the dish, which, despite grilled squash, confit tomatoes, and some large heirloom variety of butter beans, wanted more flavor to be a satisfying entre.

The Salisbury Tempeh was my favorite of the three, primarily due to the satisfying savor of the mushroom-and-onion gravy and a bed of light mashed potatoes. The house-made ground tempeh patty used beets to redden its meat, which had caramelized into a charry crust a bit to chew on there, but it made for plenty of comforting mouthfuls.

Donna Jean hopes to kick off a larger plant-based conversation in its community and may do so in time. For now, the creativity at work looks a little hit or miss, and though the introduction of atypical plant ingredients may not always mesh with the idea of comfort food, it may appeal to vegans craving such things, even if they prefer to call it something else.

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Careful who you're calling a vegan! - San Diego Reader

Yield: About 8 to 10 (6-inch) pancakes

1 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

teaspoon salt

1 cups water

1 tablespoon oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons soy or almond milk, optional

1. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the water, oil, vanilla and optional soy or almond milk. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Stir until just blended.

A weekly treasure trove of tastiness, featuring reviews from restaurant critic Ian Froeb and how-to videos by food writer Dan Neman.

2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or skillet over medium-high heat. Pour batter onto the griddle or skillet until it forms a 6-inch puddle. Cook until bubbles form and the edges are dry; check underneath to see if the bottom is lightly browned. Flip and cook until browned on the other side. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Per pancake (based on 8): 102 calories; 2g fat; no saturated fat; no cholesterol; 2g protein; 19g carbohydrate; 4g sugar; 1g fiber; 125mg sodium; 78mg calcium

Canola oil and almond milk were used in calculation.

Adapted from allrecipes.com

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Vegan Pancakes | Recipes | stltoday.com - STLtoday.com

If you thinkwineis just made of some crushed up grapes fermented in a barrel, think again. Fish bladder protein, crushed crustacean shells, egg whites, gelatin, and casein milk protein are all commonly-used in wine-making process, from your bottom-shelf rose to a vintage Bordeaux.

So finding an animal-friendly tipple if you're ahardcore veganorvegetariancan be tricky. And may be one of the reasons that while there has been a 360 per cent spike in people dabbling in veganism in the UK since 2006, separate research from the US shows that 84 per cent turn back to consuming meat and animal products soon after.

Animal products find their way in wine as fining ages, which are used to clarify the drinkand to carry unstable proteins. A fining agent is added to the top of a wine vessel. As it sinks to the bottom, the agent binds with proteins in the wine.

The majority of people are unaware that wine, although made from grapes, may have been made using animal-derived products, the PETA animal welfare website readers rather sadly.

But a bit of fish bladder protein or crushed up crab isnt going to stop vegans from enjoying a glass of red. And much like using sweet potatoes as a replacement for eggs in cakes, or even switching cows milk for almond or soy, vegans have thought up plenty of cruelty-free ways to get their wine fix.

According to Peta, carbon, bentonite clay, limestone, kaolin clay, plant casein, silica gel, and vegetable plaques are all used as alternatives to animal products.

AndEliza Frey, assistant winemaker at Frey Vineyards, has been making vegan wine way before the lifestylewas fashionable. She has worked at the Frey Vineyards in Mendocino County, California around 100 miles from San Francisco, for a decade. Pinor Noir, Sangiovese, Merlot and Pinot Grigio are all made by the vineyard.

Founded in 1980, Frey is theoldest certified organic winery in the US. The team there specialise in making additive-free, gluten-free andorganic wines.

There has been an increase in interest in vegan wine, in line with the rising popularity of plant based diets in general," Frey tellsThe Independent. "In the past most people assumed wine was vegan."

We have always worked with vegan wine. We practice low impact winemaking, so we never use sulphites, animal based fining agents, colours, stabilisers, enzymes or extracts. We rely on the quality of fruit to make wines of high quality and character," she adds.

So what does vegan wine taste like, exactly? While we can all argue that a pizza tastes just as good not dripping in mozzarella, its hardly true. Does wine suffer the same fate?

Vegan wine taste similar to other wines, says Frey. In fact, animal products dont seem integral to the winemaking process at all, she argues.Factors like varietal, growing region, the ripeness of the fruit at harvest, choice of yeast, contact with grape skins during fermentation and exposure to oxygen and oak have more of an effect on what a wine will taste like than whether or not it is vegan.

Wine is inherently vegan until an animal based processing aid is chosen by the winemaker, adds Frey. At Frey vineyards we test each batch of wine to see if fining is necessary to ensure that the wine will be stable on the shelf for consumers. We do not fin our red wines, but our white wines often require fining. For batches that need to be fined we use bentonite clay.

But dont be fooled into thinking that vegan wine is any more virtuous than regular plonk.

Vegan wines are not necessarily healthier than others," she warns. "Factors such as growing methods in the vineyard and preservatives in the wine are the biggest factors in determining the healthiness of a wine."

Those intrigued by pairing vegan food and vegan wine should try richer and more robust wines like Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot pair best with heavier, heartier foods like roasted mushrooms in olive oil and lemon, root vegetable puree, or a hearty primavera sauce with olives and rosemary, according to Frey.

For spicy, ethnic cuisine like coconut lemongrass soup or fresh basil spring rolls with peanut sauce choose a crisp white wine, like Sauvignon Blanc, a dry, not sweet, Pinot Grigio, or a light bodied Pinot Noir.Medium bodied reds like Sangiovese, Zinfandel and blended table wines like Frey's Natural Red or Organic Agriculturist are great with grilled vegetables, hearty kale salads or quinoa pilaf with parsley and pumpkin seeds.

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Vegan wine: Meet the woman removing the fish bladders and eggs from our bottles of red - The Independent

Go Vegan World has accused the National Farmers Union of entirely missing the point in its recent criticism of the campaign which has been appearing across the UK and Ireland on billboards, taxis, motorways and at underground stations as well as full page adverts in national newspapers.

The campaign features powerful, highly thought-provoking messages such as Dairy Takes Babies from their Mothers, Humane Milk is a Myth: Dont Buy It and Vegetarianism is Not Enough for male chicks who are killed at birth by the egg industry.

The award-winning advertising campaign is designed to encourage people to question the notion that humans are better than other animals; and to get them to think seriously about the ethics of continuing to use animals as food, clothing, entertainment, and for research.

On 5th February, the Sunday Telegraph ran a full page Go Vegan World advertisement featuring one of the campaigns Dairy Takes Babies from their Mothers slogans.

However, Michael Oakes of the National Farmers Union (NFU) dairy board responded to the advertisement, by writing an open letter criticising the GVW campaign, calling it misleading and claiming standards of animal welfare in dairy production were high.

The Go Vegan World campaign, however, is not trying to mislead anyone. Rather, the adverts portray an accurate picture of the dairy industry, substantiated by evidence which can be researched thoroughly on the Go Vegan World website.

GVW Campaign Director and Founder of the Eden Farmed Animal Sanctuary Sandra Higgins said: For the NFU to defend the dairy industry by referring to animal welfare and benign treatment entirely misses the point of the campaign.

Veganism is about justice. Justice cant be accorded to others unless we are willing to swap places with them. None of us would voluntarily choose the life and death of any mammal used in the dairy industry or any other form of animal agriculture or animal use. The only way to be fair is to abolishalluse of them. Other animals share our capacity to feel and have an interest in living for their own reasons. To respect this fact, we are morally obliged not to use them.

There is no need for farmers to feel threatened or disheartened about veganism. We will need and value farmers more than ever in a vegan world.

Farmers can rest assured that there will be no more vocal and effective a voice in ensuring that they receive all necessary support to transition to alternative, more ethical and sustainable ways of making a living, than that of the vegan community.

Sandra is passionate that the general public has a right to know the facts involved in dairy production, including those farms that carry a Red Tractor quality assured label. These labels are part of the myth of humane farming that the campaign aims to highlight. She points out that most people are not aware of the exploitation of the female reproductive system and the slaughter on which dairy is predicated.

The GVW campaign seeks to dispel the myth that dairy is essential for human health, a myth that the dairy industry has promoted as fact for decades. In fact, studies have demonstrated that consumption of dairy increases the risk of bone fracture, breast and prostate cancer, as well as obesity, cardio-vascular disease and diabetes. There is a growing body of research that shows that a switch to a vegan lifestyle would actually benefit the environment, human health and help alleviate world hunger.

The Go Vegan World Free Vegan Guide can be downloaded click here.

The London Economic published a story of a woman who tried to go Vegan for a week, read her story here

Is it time to let dairy fail? read article here

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Go Vegan World Hits Back At National Farmers' Union For Entirely Missing The Point Of Vegan Campaign - The London Economic