tagged w/ vegan products
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Europe's first vegan supermarket opens in Dortmund
Photo: Forget beer and bratwurst, Dortmund now houses Europe's only all-vegan supermarket. Offering chocolates, fake tuna and even dog food, the store is hoping to cash in on a small but rapidly growing market.
Renowned for its mining industry and blue-collar attitude, Dortmund is an unlikely choice for Europe's first vegan supermarket.
"If someone opens a supermarket that has no animal products in them, that seems crazy," said animal ethicist and store owner Ralf Kalkowski. "But people are celebrating."
Vegilicious, which opened on February 26, occupies over 100 square meters in the city-centre, technically making it the only vegan supermarket in Europe.
Using soy, spices, and oils to supplement traditional animal-based ingredients, the shelves are stacked with over 1500 products. Vegilicious offers chocolate bars, cereals, and even meat imitations, like fake chicken wings, which use cane sugar sticks to serve as 'bones.'
"People say they can't live without cheese, but we've got 30 different cheese alternatives," said Kalkowski, who co-owns Vegilicious with wife Kim. "You can have anything you think you might be missing, so there's no need to eat animal products anymore."
Starting with a café and online shop, the Kalkowski's and their 16 staff have so far maintained a customer flow of 120-150 people per day. They have even managed to attract non-human clients, selling vegan dog- and cat food.
"It's ridiculous if you rescue one animal, but feed them with another dead animal," he said.
Chickens are often artificially inseminated to produce large quantities of eggsWhat is veganism?
Vegans abstain from foods containing any animal products, including egg, honey and milk. This differs from vegetarians, who only renounce meat.
"Vegans believe animals should be left alone, it's not just about avoiding cruelty", said Amanda Baker, from the Vegan Society UK. "If animals are farmed, you have to take away their freedom."
Baker told Deutsche Welle that many male animals are killed at birth because they cannot reproduce, while females are exploited for artificial breeding, which dramatically decreases their life expectancy.
"For example, the dairy industry and the meat industry are the same industry. You can't separate one from the other," she said.
Aside from animal ethics, some turn to veganism to stem environmental problems. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the livestock sector is responsible for 18% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, as well as being a major cause of deforestation and water pollution.
Veganism can also reap health benefits, as high meat consumption has been linked to cardio-vascular diseases, which are responsible for 49% of European deaths annually.
Kalkowski explained that many older customers have shopped at Vegilicious for health reasons as his products are cholesterol free.
Veganism has been stigmatized as expensive and excessive and vegans are often regarded as extremists for going beyond vegetarianism, according to Kalkowski, who laments the reactions of some meat-eaters to the opening of Vegilicious.
He said that when his supermarket was first mentioned in the press, the paper was forced to remove online comments inciting a pro-meat flash mob before his store.
He thinks these prejudices are based on myths, of which the biggest is the assumption that a meatless diet deprives the body of vital nutrients.
"You can get all necessary nutrients from a plant based diet, except for vitamin B12," Kalkowski explained, "and that's one thing we supplement with a product from the UK."
Importing products from the UK, US and even Australia is common, but a significant portion of vegan merchandise is produced locally, according to Germany's biggest Vegan Wholesaler, AVE.
AVE owner Tobias Graf believes veganism's popularity is expanding, not least because his business is booming.
"In the last few years a lot of new products were established, produced and discovered," he said. "We've personally grown year by year, 100% for the past three years."
It is not only vegans who are catching onto the craze, "No, I'm not vegan," one Vegilicious shopper explained. "I have never tried real vegan food. I think it's good so I can now try."
Ralf Kalkowski hopes his supermarket will entice more people to buy animal-free food, but the question remains - how do vegan products truly taste?
"It even tastes better," he said, "because you have a good conscience."
Author: Hannah Wandel
Editor: Nathan WitkopEurope's first vegan supermarket opens in Dortmund
Photo: Forget beer and... more
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This week on Vegan Mainstream blog we talk about the vegan consumer -- who is he/she? What is ethical consumption? How can we share resources for a better world, and more. Tune in for great articles Monday thru Friday.
http://www.veganmainstream.com/veganblogsThis week on Vegan Mainstream blog we talk about the vegan consumer -- who is he/she?... more
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This is a message to all vegetarians and vegans out there. From rubber to adhesives to anti-aging creams to medicines to shampoo to instrument strings to plastic to charcoal to wallpaper to air filters: You can't run from beef!This is a message to all vegetarians and vegans out there. From rubber to adhesives to... more
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Just go to http://www.OurLocale.com and click the "Our Locale Entrance" tab in the top left to see the link to our facebook page so that you can become a local food ambassador in your own Locale.Just go to http://www.OurLocale.com and click the "Our Locale Entrance" tab... more
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Please note that:
ingredients that companies define as "synthetic" can have animal ingredients as their starting raw material. One example is vitamin D3, which can be derived from animal ingredients like lanolin, even though a company has defined it as "synthetic".
some substances in this list (even those marked as vegan) can be undesirable for use because of associated health problems.Please note that:
ingredients that companies define as... more
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When asked to write a blog post about ways to live vegan, we immediately thought it was a great idea. When I say we, I am referring to my sisters and I, who have all been vegan since birth. Using the beliefs of Gandhi, (who proved the best path to peace was through truth and non-violent protest), we make up the social action rock band Truth on Earth. We write and perform original songs about major world problems and potential solutions such as Environment, Factory Farming, Animal Abuse, Media Distortion, Child Abuse, Starvation, and many other serious issues. Our mission is to leave a planet worth inheriting for future generations and that’s one of the reasons why we give 70% of our profits to organizations supporting the causes we sing about. Being vegan is not just another diet. It’s a lifestyle, a state of mind. Here at Greenopolis we’ve come aboard to share with you some simple, easy and effective ways to start living a vegan lifestyle today.
When you hear the word vegan, you probably think of vegetables, fruits or plants. Now those foods are all fine and dandy, but we’re here to tell you that at this day in age you can eat incredibly scrumptious foods without having to harm animals. We do eat vegetables and fruits, but vegans can now enjoy a wide variety of ”normal” foods. The great thing is nearly every vegan substitute on the market is so tasty – bonus is it’s good for you and the planet! The days of a vegan only having millet, quinoa, lumps of wheat dough and sprouts to eat are over!
Tip one: Veganize it!
It’s easy to Veganize your old favorite traditional recipes. Simply replace ingredients with vegan options. Here are a few examples of vegan products that you can use to substitute with: ice cream, cream cheese, sour cream, butter, milk, turkey, cheese, bbq’d chicken, hamburgers, shrimp, pepper steak, meatballs, marshmallows, chocolate chip cookies, key lime pie, pancakes, whipped cream, the list goes on and on. Some of our favorite brands are Earth Balance Soy Butter for butter, Silk Soymilk for milk (which you probably have heard of already, or might be using!), Tofutti Cream Cheese and sour cream, Follow Your Heart for mayo (this is the best mayo we've had after trying the countless brands out there), Amy’s Texas and All American Burgers for hamburgers and Purely Decadent Ice Cream (they have about twenty different flavors) for Ice Cream. Most of our non-vegan guests have said that our foods taste much better than the non-vegan foods they’re used to.
Tip two: Buy Organic:
Buying organic could be one of the most simple yet important things you can do. When you eat foods that are not organic, you are not only eating a nutrition deficient food, but you are also eating all of the pesticides and chemicals they use on the vegetables and fruits. Organic produce tastes better, looks better, and is better for you. It's as simple as that.
Tip three: Not buying or wearing fur or leather:
Part of being vegan and more "green", is not only abstaining from eating anything made from an animal, but also not wearing anything that is made from an animal. Not only is the suffering that the animals go through horrible, but the chemicals they use are bad for the environment. With unlimited options, including "leather" jackets – often referred to as pleather, faux suede (also called ultra suede) couches and shoes, the list is endless. The best part is that you can find these options almost anywhere. Just check your favorite store next time you go shopping.
continue reading at: http://3blmedia.com/theCSRfeed/Simple-Tips-Becoming-Vegan#When asked to write a blog post about ways to live vegan, we immediately thought it... more
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FROM: Mylene of My Face Is On Fire...
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Oreos: Where PETA's Got it Wrong
Just before the holidays, Oreos came up in a discussion on Twitter. Was it true? Were they vegan? For some time, PETA's listed them in the snacks section of its "I Can't Believe It's Vegan!" lists of so-called "accidentally" vegan foods on its website. Surely, PETA would have verified this, no?
No!
Or rather, PETA's got a definition of veganism that it keeps flexible enough to include animal products and thinks that your definition should be that flexible, too. The disclaimer on the main page of its "I Can't Believe It's Vegan!" website reads:
Items listed may contain trace amounts of animal-derived ingredients. While PETA supports a strict adherence to veganism, we put the task of vigorously reducing animal suffering ahead of personal purity. Boycotting products that are 99.9 percent vegan sends the message to manufacturers that there is no market for this food, which ends up hurting more animals. For a more detailed explanation of PETA’s position, please visit http://www.caringconsumer.com/labels.html.
Basically, PETA says that fussing over ensuring things you put into your mouth are actually vegan is nitpicking and becomes an obsession over "personal purity". How far PETA takes this was recently reflected in a press release back in May to promote The Animal Activists' Handbook, co-written by its Vice-President Bruce Friedrich and Vegan (?) Outreach's Matt Ball. In it, Friedrich was described as arguing "against questioning waiters in restaurants about the ingredients in menu items". I mean, if PETA thinks you should even ask if any ingredients are animal-derived at all, then one really has to wonder about the work it put into assessing or ascertaining whether anything in its list of purportedly accidentally vegan processed foods is, actually, vegan.
It's one thing to acknowledge that in a world where animal exploitation is rampant that it's impossible to always avoid consuming foods whose ingredients or processing have involved some sort of animal exploitation; it's another matter, however, to fall into the practice of deliberately turning a blind eye where a simple question or two can provide that information and allow you to choose and act accordingly. So? I wrote to Nabisco and asked if its Oreos are animal-free. Specifically, I asked if the sugar used in them is processed with bone char. The response on December 23:
Hi Mylene,
Thank you for visiting http://www.nabiscoworld.com and for your interest in our OREO product.
I understand that knowing what ingredients are in the food products you eat directly affect how you practice your lifestyle, and Kraft Foods does all that it can to assist its consumers in making educated food decisions.
I apologize but unfortunately this ingredient information is not currently available.
As you can imagine our products change frequently, and maintaining a list of products that contain enzymes would be virtually impossible.
Thank you for contacting us and please add our site to your favourites and visit us again soon!
Kim McMiller Associate Director, Consumer Relations
CONTINUED....FROM: Mylene of My Face Is On Fire...
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Oreos: Where... more
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"GO VEGAN with BOB LINDEN"...
The Planet's First and Only Commercial Vegan Radio Show!"GO VEGAN with BOB LINDEN"...
The Planet's First and Only Commercial... more
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Order online anytime or visit our showroom in Marietta, GA
Being vegan is easy. We make it easier!
Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe is a vegan owned, vegan operated online vegan store in Marietta, GA. We are passionate about being vegan and are committed to providing the best cruelty-free, vegan products. All of our products are 100% vegan, dairy-free, cruelty-free and sweat-shop free. We hope you have fun shopping.Order online anytime or visit our showroom in Marietta, GA
Being vegan is easy. We... more
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