International Vegan News

European Ministers have dropped plans to ensure that halal and kosher meat from animals slaughtered without pre-stunning is accurately labelled.

Earlier this year MEPs voted in favour of German MEP Renate Sommer’s proposed amendment to draft legislation on food labelling which would mean that meat and meat products from ritually slaughtered animals must carry the label “Meat from slaughter without stunning”.

However, the European Council of Ministers approved a draft of new food information regulation this week that did not include amendment 205. The agreement reached falls short of demands made by MEPs when they agreed their position on the directive in June. Renate Sommer said that she was “disappointed” by the agreement, calling it a “sloppy draft” that neglected important details.

The latest move to drop the proposal follows a Europe-wide lobbying campaign by the Jewish food lobby group Shechita UK, which has targeted European Ministers representing their various governments at the Council of Ministers. Electrical pre-stunning is not allowed under strict Jewish traditions, whereas the practice is acceptable to many British Muslims; a significant proportion of UK Halal meat has been pre-stunned. Shechita UK has argued that unless meat from religiously slaughtered animals is allowed to slip into the general market covertly, this meat will become commercially unviable.

The National Secular Society (NSS) questioned the legitimacy of the UK Government supporting such a stance in a letter to Jim Paice MP, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food. The NSS has been pressing the government to support the amendment, arguing that where religious exemptions have been made to animal welfare regulations, no more animals should be slaughtered under the exemptions than is necessary for the religious market. Furthermore, consumers are entitled to be informed if meat is from an animal slaughtered without stunning. The current absence of labelling deprives consumers of basic information and consequently artificially fuels the demand for meat from slaughter without stunning.

Stephen Evans, NSS Campaigns Officer, said: “Keeping the public in ignorance so that they carry on subsidising a slaughter method which they do not approve of is simply indefensible. While we’re naturally disappointed that this amendment has fallen, this is far from the end of the campaign to ensure meat from religiously slaughtered animals is labelled. We are anticipating European Commission proposals on welfare labelling in 2011 and we will be ensuring that the Government is well aware of our views – which we believe are supported by the overwhelming majority of the British public.”

Next year, the Government will also be consulting on the implementation of regulations on the protection of animals at the time of killing, which will provide a further opportunity to question the exemptions from animal welfare legislation afforded to religious groups.

Article by the UK’s National Secular Society

Major drug and cosmetics companies have backed a plan to eliminate animal testing in favour of more humane approaches.

Experts from companies including drug giants AstraZeneca, Procter & Gamble, Unilever and cosmetics firm L’Oreal endorsed a Europe-wide initiative described as a road-map towards ending the use of animals in research and safety testing.

In a report to be published this week, they will say the future of safety testing of new drugs and chemical products lies in new technologies that use cell cultures and computer models rather than living animals.

Opponents of vivisection have long argued that animals are poor models for testing drugs and products that will be used by humans as their biology is often different.

Scientists insist animals provide an important step to ensure the safety and efficacy of new drugs before they are given to humans for the first time.

The report, which is to be published by a panel of experts from industry, academic institutions and regulatory bodies, provides backing for an initiative aimed at finding alternatives to animal research called AXLR8.

In the report, the panel states: “Today we are at a new biological milestone, where we could – with sufficient international and political support … produce the means and the technology to test and assess the human and environmental risk of tens of thousands of chemicals per year without using animals.”

The report puts the case for a range of new technology and approaches that provide alternatives to using animals.

Other methods include the use of embryonic stem cells to create heart tissue that can be used for drug testing, robotic screening of drugs and computer programs that can predict the effect of a drug in the body.

More than 3.6 million tests were carried out on animals in Britain last year and there has been growing concern from within the scientific community at the number of animal research studies that are never published due to unimportant results or poor experimental design.

The report states testing a single chemical takes up to 5 years, involves 800 rodents and costs £2.5 million while robotic alternatives could test 350 chemicals in under a week and for a fraction of the cost.

Troy Seidle, director of research for Humane Society International and associate coordinator of the AXLR8 initiative, said: “Endorsement from cross-sector, independent experts provides a tremendous boost to EU and international efforts to revolutionise the science of safety testing.

“This is the first step towards a road map that will see the phasing out the use of animals in safety testing.

“The fact that industry is prepared to come to the table to meet with regulators and say they are prepared to do development, invest resources and change the way we do things shows this is a real possibility that is not just pie in the sky.

“The change won’t happen instantly but this is a good first step.”

The AXLR8 initiative is funded by the European Commission to identify areas of research and monitor progress to replace, reduce and refine the use of animals in toxicology testing.

Over the past 20 years, the European Commission has invested around Euro 150 million trying to achieve this.

L’Oreal is already using Episkin, cultures of human skin grown from stem cells that can be used for product testing and toxicology tests.

A spokesman for Procter & Gamble said reducing animal testing in product safety research was a central goal for the company.

She said: “At P&G we are pleased to state that we are at the forefront in efforts to eliminate animal testing in product safety research. We complete more than 99 per cent of all safety evaluations without testing on animals.”

By Richard Gray, Science Correspondent, 27 Nov 2010

The Telegraph

A report issued by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in the UK revealed startling information on the tea companies PG Tips, Lyons and Lipton, and their use of animal testing of their products in order to make health claims about their teas.

Rabbits were fed a high-fat diet to increase their cholesterol levels to abnormally high levels and harden their arteries, and then they were fed tea in their water. Mice that were bred especially in order to suffer inflammation of the bowel were given tea ingredients in order to see if there were any effects. Piglets were exposed to E-coli toxins to cause diarrhea and then cut apart alive to see the effects on the animal. All the animals involved were killed afterwards.

“Experimenting on animals is not only cruel but also unnecessary. There are cheaper, quicker and more accurate methods available. Yet every 3 seconds, an animal dies in a European lab,” said PETA. Alternative testing techniques include epidemiology, patterns of health and illness and associated factors at the population level, along with cell based studies, using thousands of years worth of anecdotal evidence, and other available non-animal methods.

Lipton and PG Tips did not respond to repeated calls for a statement on the findings. However, Twinings have provided written confirmation that they don’t test their teas on animals.

This means that accoring to this evidence PG Tips, Lyons and Lipton are not suitable for vegans, whereas Twinings is appropriate. We currently have no data available on other brands.

Source: www.bikyamasr.com

Recent statistics have been published on how many animals are killed each year in order to feed humans in the USA.

In 2009 the average American meat eater was responsible for about 198 deaths:
1/7 of a cow, 2/5 of a pig, 1 turkey, 1½ chickens for eggs, 25 chickens for meat, 40 fish and 130 shellfish.

In total, 8.25 billion land animals and 51 billion sea animals died to feed Americans in 2009 alone. Over a lifetime, this amounts to 15,000 animals per meat eater. That’s a huge number of animals per person.

While one can not extrapolate these statistics directly to calculate numbers of animals killed per year in South Africa, since there are approximately 6 times more people in the USA than in South Africa, if South Africans ate a similar number of animals per person then we’d be responsible for 1.3 billion land animal and 8.5 billion sea animal deaths per year.

Compared to the previous 4 years, these numbers show a decrease of between 8-19% (depending on type of animal). It is thought that demand for meat was significantly affected by media attention on farm animal welfare issues in the USA.

Last week, former US president Bill Clinton spoke about the benefits of his new plant-based diet created by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn.

Genocidal bully and international war crimes perpetrator Clinton switched to a heart health program based on a diet by Dr. Esselstyn in his book Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease. Ex-president Clinton was able to lose 24 pounds (~11 kg) and improve his heart function.

Clinton, 64, says that he began his diet for the wedding of his daughter Chelsea, who is a long-standing vegan. He says “I went on essentially a plant-based diet. I live on beans, legumes, vegetables, fruit. I drink a protein supplement every morning. No dairy.” Clinton underwent heart bypass surgery in 2004 and did not want his cholesterol levels to increase again. Mr Clinton’s penchant for burgers and his battle with heart disease are well documented, and now he has gone public with the news that he is following a near-vegan regimen (he ‘occasionally’ eats fish).

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the USA for men and women. But Dr. Esselstyn advocates a regime to improve cardiovascular and shows that heart disease can be prevented and reversed. He argues that conventional medical methodologies have failed since they focus only on the symptoms of heart disease, not the cause.

Based on the results of his 20-year nutritional study, his book demonstrates with irrefutable scientific evidence, how we can end the heart disease epidemic forever by changing what we eat to a plant-based, oil-free diet.

Meanwhile, PETA is said to be thrilled by the news that Bill Clinton lost 24 pounds on a plant-based diet. The animal rights group sent him a gift basket of vegan treats – soy yogurt, mock beef and vegan cheese.

The 2010 International Vegetarian Union (IVU) World Vegetarian Congress will be held in Jakarta from 1-6 October, with an excursion to Bali from 7-9 October.

The Indonesia Vegetarian Society (IVS) will host the Congress. It is estimated that there are 80,000 members in IVS’s 51 branches across Indonesia.

The main Congress, from 1-6 October, will be held in Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital and largest city. It is easily accessible from others cities in Indonesia and from other countries. It is also the headquarters of IVS. From 7-9 October, the Congress shifts to Bali. The purpose being to allow speakers and participants, both local and international, to relax, sightsee and enjoy the artistic and natural tropical paradise that is Bali.

IVS has invited a wide range of societies, organizations, universities and formal and informal schools to participate in the Congress, and they will distribute brochures, flyers, posters and banners through their partner restaurants and branches. Additionally, Gramedia (the largest and most famous bookstore chain in Indonesia) is allowing IVS to use its stores all over Indonesia to promote the Congress and the Meat Free Monday programme that IVS has been carrying out nationwide.

The Indonesian Department of Culture and Tourism has put the Congress in their 2010 agenda to promote the Congress domestically and internationally. IVS has also appeared on a Metro TV live morning talk show to promote the Congress. A big turnout from overseas will boost the event’s chances for media attention.

Speakers at the Congress will use only 2 languages: Indonesian and English. Every speaker will be helped by a translation team in panel and parallel sessions.

Such fabulous Indonesia dishes as Gado-Gado (mixed steamed vegetables with sauce and milled peanuts and monkey nut), Karedok (mixed raw vegetables with toppings), Ketoprak (mixed steamed vegetables, rice noodles and various toppings) will be provided. Plus, Congress delegates will enjoy tempeh, one of indonesia’s best known foods, as well as a variety of unique desserts.

Note that for the last 10 years, all IVU World Vegetarian Congresses have exclusively served plant food.

On 16 June 2010, the European Parliament made ‘vegan’ a legally protected term. This means that it is now illegal for food labelled “vegan” or “suitable for vegans” to be made using anything from animals.

Article 35 of the European Food Information Act states that “The term ‘vegan’ should not be applied to foods that are, or are made from or with the aid of, animals or animal products (including products from living animals).”

The European Parliament voted to give legal protection to the term ‘vegan’ as part of Amendment No 175 of the new consumer food information regulations. Previously the terms ‘vegan’ and ‘vegetarian’ had no legal definition in Europe. Now consumers can now look forward to reliable and consistent food labelling.

George Rodger, Chairperson of the Vegan Society Council of Trustees (UK) said: “This is a great day for veganism in Europe and indeed the world, as vegans and veganism are now given official recognition. We look forward to the UK government putting it into practice.”

The new food consumer rules are likely to come into effect around 2014.

Note: also defined was “The term ‘vegetarian’ should not be applied to foods that are, or are made from or with the aid of products derived from animals that have died, have been slaughtered, or animals that die as a result of being eaten.”

We wonder if we can expect similar legislation and consumer protection forthcoming from South African lawmakers?

A report by the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) today said that a global shift towards a meat and dairy-free diet is vital to save the world from climate change, hunger and lack of fuel.

As the global population races uncontrollably towards a predicted 9 billion people by 2050, the UN report by its international panel of sustainable resource management says “Impacts from agriculture are expected to increase substantially due to population growth increasing consumption of animal products … A substantial reduction of impacts would only be possible with a substantial worldwide diet change, away from animal products.”

The recommendation follows the 2006 UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report that highlighted all of these matters and more: (’Livestock’s long shadow, Environmental issues and options‘). The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) also suggested observation of 1 meat-free day a week to reduce the effects of global warming.

The UNEP panel ranked the main global warming contributory factors according to their environmental impacts. Agriculture was ranked level with the consumption of fossil fuels because they both increase rapidly with increased population and economic growth.

Ernst von Weizsaecker, an environmental scientist from the panel, said “Rising affluence is triggering a shift in diets towards meat and dairy products – livestock now consumes much of the world’s crops and by inference a great deal of freshwater, fertilisers and pesticides.”

“Decoupling growth from environmental degradation is the number one challenge facing governments in a world of rising numbers of people, rising incomes, rising consumption demands and the persistent challenge of poverty alleviation”, said Achim Steiner, the UN under-secretary general and executive director of UNEP.

Agriculture, due to methane gas production from livestock farming and dairies, accounts for 70% of global freshwater consumption, 38% of total land use and 19% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. The report has been launched just prior to the UN World Environment day on 5 June.

Last year the UN FAO also said that global food production would have to increase by 70% by 2050 to feed the world’s population. The UNEP panel say that this expected population growth with far outstrip any likely productive efficiency gains during that time.

Prof Hertwich, chairperson of the UNEP panel, said that the responsibility lies with the rich developed countries for ensuring that developing countries, where the majority of population and economic growth is likely to occur, do not follow the Western model and cause this uncontrollable and irreversible climate damage.

Impress your fellow diners with elegant taste, healthy meals, and half hour preparation. Alan Roettinger brings celebrity gourmet-style dining to vegan cuisine …

A collection of delectable dishes by private chef extraordinaire, Alan Roettinger. The vegan kitchen wizard combines health, flavour and timing to create elegant half hour meals. Assemble quick world cuisine dishes with flavor and texture in elegant style.

Alan Roettinger has been a private chef for a broad spectrum of high-profile clients, from entertainers to presidents. A world traveller, he absorbed elements from many cuisines to synthesize dishes – simultaneously exotic, healthful, and accessible to the home cook. Dishes include Egyptian Eggplant, White Bean Soup with Tuscan Kale, Beet & Celery Root Salad, Fennel Slaw, Artichoke Sandwich Spread, Moroccan Vegetable Stew, and Chipotle Mushrooms.

Visit Alan’s own website www.alanroettinger.com for a sample of his vegan recipes to try our for yourself:

On 6 April, San Francisco unanimously adopted a resolution declaring Monday as “Vegetarian Day” to urge all the city’s restaurants, diners, food stores and education centres to offer a variety of plant based options to improve the health of San Francisco residents and reduce the city’s negative effect on global warming.

Campaign Directors from In Defense of Animals, Dixie Mahy and Hope Bohanec, worked on the resolution with City Supervisor Sophie Maxwell, a vegetarian of 35 years. They are now working on a strategy to inform the various businesses such as restaurants, grocery stores, and schools on how to implement Vegetarian Day. The San Francisco Vegetarian Society will be offering recipes, menu suggestions and classes on vegan cooking. The society plans to promote Vegetarian Day with a special list recognizing participants with extra advertising incentives.

Meanwhile on 6 May, the city of Ghent in Belgium will celebrate the first anniversary of the world’s first Veggie Day-campaign on the Groentenmarkt. Everyone who participates in the weekly veggie day will receive Ghent’s tastiest sandwich, due to be revealed tomorrow.