International Vegan News

Avon, Estée Lauder, and Mary Kay have been removed from PeTA’s ‘Companies That Don’t Test on Animals’ list.

According to PeTA’s website, these companies have resumed paying for tests on animals … without letting consumers know. After confirming with each company, PETA has downgraded the companies to our “do test” list. All 3 companies claim it is because of requirements of the Chinese government in order to market products in that country.

However, for each test required by the Chinese government, superior non-animal methods are available. Mary Kay has taken steps to work with Chinese officials on the acceptance of these non-animal tests, but Avon and Estée Lauder seem to have agreed to the tests without any objection.

Visit Vegan SA for cruelty-free personal care products available in South Africa.

Another Uncaged complaint has forced global cosmetics firm Avon to withdraw false claims that they don’t test on animals. Uncaged had written to the Advertising Standards Authority in protest at a deceptive statement on Avon’s UK website that told consumers: “Avon does not test products or ingredients on animals, nor do we request others to do so on our behalf.”

Uncaged, one of the UK’s leading experts on animal experimentation, informed the ASA that this statement was untrue. On the contrary, Avon themselves have admitted in correspondence and on their global website
that they carry out toxicity testing on animals.

Avon explain that their refusal to stop animal testing is due to their desire to be able to incorporate new chemicals into their products, as they believe innovation will maximise their profits.

Uncaged’s victory for truth and decency follows their similar successful complaint against Procter & Gamble last year over deceptive claims regarding their Herbal Essences brand. Uncaged point out that misleading animal testing claims are endemic in the multi-national consumer goods industry, and are calling upon the government to take action to defend consumers and tackle unnecessary cruelty to animals.

Dr Dan Lyons, Uncaged’s Campaigns Director comments: “Sadly, these large animal testing companies appear to have a policy of systematically misleading consumers rather than responding to their overwhelming opposition to gratuitous cruelty to animals. Given that a large majority of people are opposed to these tests, we believe that we are witnessing a multimillion pound fraud as consumers purchase products on the basis of deceptive claims about their provenance.”

“Furthermore, lobbying by the cosmetics industry appears to have forced the EU to break a popular promise to ban animal-tested cosmetics from the European market. Therefore, the need for honest and accurate information to allow consumers to make informed decisions has never been greater.”

Uncaged Campaigns

Avon are not endorsed by Leaping Bunny, Beauty Without Cruelty or PeTA.

Visit VeganSA for more vegan cruelty-free products.

Fake meat chicken, fake meat gyros and fake meat sausages – all this and
much more is available from the Vegetarian Butcher. The chain is the first of its kind in the world. Not only do the foods on sale look exactly like their real meat counterparts, but according to many a meat eater, they taste very similar as well.

Eating meat is on the decline in the Netherlands. These days some 75% of people no longer eat meat on a daily basis. Animal welfare, scary infections in cattle and the presence of antibiotics in chicken meat may be
the reasons for people to cut down on eating meat. That’s probably why Vegetarian Butcher shops are mushrooming. The chain is the first of its kind in the world.

Can’t believe it’s not chicken

“In fact Ferran Adria, aka the best chef in the world, wouldn’t believe it wasn’t chicken he was tasting after being presented with our chicken substitute made from vegetable matter”, says Niko Koffeman, one of the
founders of the Vegetarian Butcher chain.

The first Vegetarian Butcher shop opened its doors in October 2010, in The Hague. Now, less than a year later, there are 30, spread all over the country. The display counter of these shops is a visual challenge because the fake meat products look so much like the real thing that just a glance at it makes many a carnivorous stomach grumble.

Sustainability

80% of the shops’ clientele are hard core vegetarians and vegans, says Koffeman, yet specific target group is people that want to either cut down on meat consumption or to stop eating it completely.

“Animal cruelty is one reason, but also a growing concern for sustainability”, says Koffeman. “After all meat production is highly inefficient. When you start food production with, say, soy or lupin beans and you feed them to animals – as happens with 50% of the worlds’ wheat harvests – 90% gets transformed into manure and body heat. Only 10% of useful proteins are generated.

We say let’s directly make use of these useful proteins for human consumption. Especially since we can
create a product that has the exact same look, taste and bite as the similar meat product. Taking the animal out of the process will provide us with a surplus of vegetable products so large we could nourish more than 5 times the world population.”

No compromise on flavour

Back to the Vegetarian Butcher. The products in the display case are either vegetarian or pure vegan. Koffeman is especially proud of the very popular meatball sandwich – broodje bal is the number one snack food for many people in The Hague. “People love it, but I have to admit, it’s not a 100% vegetable product. We need to add egg to give it just the right flavour. As long as there’s no meat involved we don’t want to compromise on flavour. Some products just taste better when you add some cream or eggs to them.”

Eating fake meat is not necessarily cheap. Fake chicken meat for instance at &eur;15 a kilo is a bit more expensive than the real thing sold at a quality butcher shop. But according to Koffeman, that will change soon enough. “As production goes up, the price will come down substantially.”

By Michel Walraven

Original article appeared on: Radio Netherlands Worldwide

“British Home Office minister Lynne Featherstone has voiced the opinion that inflicting pain and suffering on animals to manufacture household products such as washing up liquid, furniture polish, air freshener and bleach etc is unacceptable and could soon be banned in the UK.

The Government has taken a first step towards ending the practice which will ultimately make household products subject to the same rules as cosmetics. The testing of cosmetics or their ingredients on animals has been illegal in Britain since 2008. In future, a condition added to the 1986 Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act will stop animal testing licences being granted for experiments involving household products, which involve giving animals toxic doses of chemicals or rubbing irritants into their skin. The effects can include vomiting, seizures, internal bleeding and organ damage, following which the animals are killed.”

Source: Beauty Without Cruelty SA

“Yesterday was a truly historic moment for animals … yesterday saw Parliament finally pledge to ban the use of wild animals in circuses once and for all.

All over the media – including the BBC, Guardian, Independent, Channel 4, Daily Mail, and Sky News – the public are celebrating the beginning of the end of a disgraceful practice that has outraged millions since Animal Defenders International (ADI) exposed the horrific abuse of animals in 1992 and at Chipperfield’s circus in 1998.

Over 10 years later, and following more groundbreaking ADI investigations into UK circuses – including the tragic footage of Anne the elephant being savagely beaten this year – politicians have decided enough is enough and they have forced the government to take action.

Thanks to the tireless efforts of our supporters, we can now look forward to a future where there are no longer wild animals languishing in UK circuses.

Now we must ensure that this pledge is turned into a reality. We must make sure that every wild animal currently suffering in UK circuses has freedom in their sights.

The Coalition Government now has to listen to the will of Members of Parliament and propose legislation for a ban. This legislation will still have some hurdles to jump through the process, and we have to be there to make it happen.”

Source: Jan Creamer, ADI Chief Executive

“The Dutch parliament is on the point of passing a law that would end the slaughter of animals by ritual religious methods before they had been stunned or anaesthetised.

Both Jewish and Muslim proponents of halal and kosher meat say that religious rules do not permit the animals to be unconscious when they are killed.

The proposal originated with the Netherlands’ Party for the Animals, whose 2 seats in parliament make it the world’s only animal rights party with representatives in a national legislature. Marianne Thieme, its charismatic young leader, says religious leaders who object to the law are trying to hold back history.

“Here in our society we no longer accept that animals must suffer,” says Ms Thieme. Religious groups have often opposed progressive social change, she adds. “We saw the same thing with women’s rights.”

For some, the argument is a scientific one. Many veterinarians believe animals suffer more during unstunned slaughter and remain conscious for up to a few minutes longer while dying. Ms Thieme says religious-liberty rights do not extend to harming other people or animals. Most in parliament back that view. A government-commissioned report by the University of Wageningen cited the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe and humane-slaughter expert Temple Grandin in support of the ban.

The fury of the religious lobby is acknowledged by Marianne Thieme. She said: “I understand that the emotions run high,” says Ms Thieme, “because you think that your religious community has been doing things the best possible way for thousands of years, and it’s painful to be confronted with scientific facts that show otherwise.”

Source: National Secular Society

“religious-liberty rights do not extend to harming other people or animals” – I wish the same could be said about ritual slaughter laws in South Africa …

It appears that veganism and the demand for vegan food food is spreading further and wide …

The 7th of April 2011 saw the opening of Russia’s first vegan restaurant – the Moscow branch of international franchise ‘Loving Hut’.

The animal rights movement is accelerating by the day in Russia. However despite its growing popularity, Russian vegetarians still have great difficulty in finding the vegetarian food and most cook for themselves (sounds familiar?). The first vegetarian restaurant opened in Moscow in 2001 and there are also several vegetarian cafes.

Vegetarian and vegan products in stores are also difficult to find as ready-made vegetarian dishes, tofu, soya products and such like are still quite uncommon, even in Moscow.

It’s a little hard to believe. Just 2 years ago there was a single blogger talking about the merits of Meatless Monday, the incomparable Kim O’Donnel. And this month, Sodexo, the world’s premier food services provider – serving 10 million customers daily – rolls out Meatless Monday across the nation.

For the Meatless Monday movement, this is a big deal. Sodexo will now add and promote plant-based entrees at its 900+ hospital accounts. Its nearly 2,000 corporate clients and 175 government sites will follow. And then in the fall, Sodexo’s 650 college campuses, nearly 500 school districts and 150 private schools will implement Meatless Monday.

“This fits in so well with our Better Tomorrow Plan, which is all about promoting health and wellness, protecting and restoring the environment, and supporting local community development,” says Nitu Gupta, vice president of brand management for Sodexo health care. “Meatless Monday is a simple thing we can all do in the face of multiple challenges. Little changes in our behavior can have a profound effect.”

It’s this idea of gradual change for personal health that’s being picked up by another national institution, Walmart. Our largest grocer recently announced it will cut sodium by a quarter, reduce sugar from some of its private label products, and decrease the price of its fruits and vegetables.

“It’s easy for health advocates to call for change,” says Sid Lerner, founder and chairman of Meatless Monday, “but it’s a lot more meaningful when the Sodexo’s and Walmart’s of the world do so – when there’s real business on the line.”

Sodexo intends to keep its Meatless Monday program fresh by sending out new tool kits to its client reps every 4 months. These will include newly created recipes, promo materials and educational background. It also hopes to launch other fitness and health programs created by The Monday Campaigns.

Whether it’s about encouraging health and wellness, or simply selling products according to USA Today’s top marketing trends for 2011, Meatless Monday is on the cusp of an extraordinary year of growth. It’s thanks to institutions both big and small that people around the country are adopting this simple message of moderation and choice for their health and the health of the planet.

Original article by Chris Elam in the Huffington Post.

Join our own South African Meat Free Mondays campaign.

It seems to have been only the other week when we reported that Unilever were using animals in experiments for their tea brands Lipton and PG Tips, which made these products not suitable for vegans.

Well today, we bring you some great news! – according to PeTA, Unilever have stated on their website that “Unilever is committing to no animal testing for our tea and tea-based beverages, with immediate effect”.

So Lipton and PG Tips are now suitable for vegans, as seems to be the natural status for tea drinks.

PeTA also claim that over 40,000 supporters joined in their call to action and emailed Unilever to complain about their tests and ask them to stop. It appears that this great collective effort has had the desired effect, so a big “well done” to all those that joined in and made Unilever aware of your concerns. It’s very satisfying to know that our efforts are not wasted and that we can effect positive changes from petitions and email campaigns.

Thanks also to PeTA for instigating the action and bringing us this news.

The European Commission has said it intends sticking to its promise to ban battery cages for egg production from the end of this year (2011).

The assurance has been given to MEP Alyn Smith by Bernard van Goethem, the acting director-general of the commission’s health and consumer affairs directorate. Mr Smith said the pledge was welcome, but expressed fears several member states will flout the embargo and continue to produce eggs from the start of 2012 in a system which by then will be deemed illegal as well as cruel.

If these eggs are allowed to be traded around the EU, then it would undermine producers, including those in Scotland, who have replaced their battery systems with the larger enriched cages demanded by the legislation which entered the statute books in 1999, or who have switched to barn or free-range.

Mr Smith said the fear remained that some EU states will seek exemptions from the rules, although several previous bids to the European Agriculture Council to delay the legislation have failed. He added: “My concern remains what will happen to those eggs that are produced illegally after 1st January 2012. With figures stating that as much as 29% of EU egg and poultry meat production could become illegal if the standards set down in the 1999 regulation are not met, we cannot consider trashing so much food.”

The commission has said it is exploring possible options to deal with this scenario, but the European Parliament has told it the EU-wide trading of these eggs would be wrong. It has asked countries are given the legal powers to ban imports from other member states flouting the rules.

A meeting on Wednesday in Brussels will discuss what happens to eggs produced from battery systems after they are supposedly outlawed. Mr Smith said he would be interested to see the possible solutions, but added he would continue the fight to see Scottish egg producers and high welfare standards protected. The parliament has made its opinion clear in a resolution backed by 459 MEPs which says the commission must stick by the ban and oppose any attempt to grant concessions.

MEP George Lyon said it remained scandalous that 83 million eggs, nearly a third of EU production, are still likely to be produced from battery cages from the start of next year. He added: “European producers have had 10 years to make the transition to the new standards, but it is quite clear that many countries are simply ignoring the deadline.” He said with Scottish producers having invested millions of pounds to upgrade their systems, the commission needed to take tough and robust action against any nation flouting the ban. That should include naming and shaming those who are not compliant by the deadline and taking legal action against them.

NFU Scotland communications director Bob Carruth said it was clear several European states were dragging their heels. He welcomed the parliament’s intervention and its tough demands on the commission. He too urged the commission to make sure those producers who comply with the law change are not undermined by those farms who continue to use battery cages. He also urged the commission to allow trade bans to be imposed on eggs from illegal production systems.

By Joe Watson, published: 15 Jan 2011, Original article