I am going to tell you two things in this blog post.
You can buy the big tubs of Goody Good Stuff Christmas gummy sweets for just £1 at Whole Foods Market in Fulham. I am not sure if other branches around the UK are offering this deal. Perhaps someone will comment if they have seen it elsewhere. You will probably never see these vegan sweets at this price anywhere else.
2. An activist organisation called Direct Action Everywhereheld protests at Whole Foods Market stores all over the USA a few days ago to raise awareness of animal suffering they allege is taking place on farms supplying the retail giant.
I am a bit confused about the campaign message presented by Direct Action Everywhere. Yes, Whole Foods Market is directly responsible for the death of countless animals but I don’t know what the activists are asking people to do. This action seemed to be about the mislabelling of eggs as humane when Direct Action Everywhere have presented footage they say shows horrendous conditions for birds in farms supplying the chain.
Are they asking Whole Foods to keep better watch of their suppliers or are they asking consumers not to eat animals? I love seeing compassionate people rise up in unison but I wish the message here was clearer and more well-defined.
You can watch a Direct Action Everywhere video about the egg production facilities here. Maybe you will get a clearer idea of the direction of the campaign than I could. The video contains horrifying footage of animal suffering but it is very muddled in its message.
I hope Direct Action Everywhere can tighten up their campaigns and of course I hope activists can convince Whole Foods Market to take animal products out of their stores.
Funky Gourmet is a new vegan food endeavour that you might want to take notice of if you were a fan of Saf.
Fatih Guven (head chef and founder of Funky Gourmet catering) used to work as head chef in Saf at Zerwick in Munich as well as Saf Shoreditch and Saf Kensington in London. Fatih now works as a personal and private chef, preparing meals for clients according to their special nutritional requirements. He caters for events, weddings and birthdays.
This is all sounds wonderful but what if you aren’t getting married anytime soon? Can you still get some of the good stuff?
You bet.
Faith is running an incredible-sounding event for just one night in west London. Check out this menu!
I am a sucker for pro-vegan product labelling and it doesn’t come grander than this carton of Oatly milk.
I didn’t need milk. I bought it anyway. How could I not buy it?
This is one of the most fabulous things I have ever seen printed on the side of a product. There is so much minimising of veganism by food producers for fear of scaring away possible customers, but not by Oatly!
News flash, people. It is 2015 and the general public know, understand and are even beginning to like what the word ‘vegan’ means.
Vegan pride.
BTW: This photo originally appeared on my Instagram feed.
If you follow me on social media, you will be well aware of the launch party I have been planning for Queer Vegan Disco this Saturday (10/1/15).
It is a new monthly dance party set for the second Saturday of every month. The music is set to be a mix of top 40, retro pop, indie, dance and alternative anthems.
In the aftermath of the horrendous murders at the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris, the UK arm of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) published a statement that in part said:
Violence is a social issue, and violence to animals and human beings are interlinked. Yesterday’s losses are being felt by all compassionate people, including those who stand for animal rights. We at PETA stand with Charlie Hebdo in rejecting oppression and violence in all its forms.
I applaud PETA for making this statement but also challenge them to stand by these words in relation to their own campaigns. Reject oppression and violence in all its forms.
PETA, do you understand how your representations of unrealistic body shapes can contribute to unhappiness, depression and feelings of alienation for individuals and whole sections of society?
The projection of a slim body type as the ideal is insulting, unrealistic, hurtful and alienating for tens of millions of vegan activists who do not look like this.
Your campaign images designed to ridicule and shame millions of humans are a form of oppression and violence.
Proposed bus advert from PETA UKDesign used for PETA billboard
PETA, do you see a correlation between hyper sexualisation of women in your campaigns and wider media and the normalisation of the commodification of women in the real world, as well as the staggering amount of physical and sexual violence perpetuated against women?
Your campaigns utilising images of women in sexually compromising situations are perpetuating oppression and violence.
Recent PETA billboard in UK
PETA, are you aware that countless vegan activists want you to stop using sexist, exploitative, body shaming and divisive tactics in your campaigns?
Here are some words from just two of those activists:
“Overall I agree with PETA’s mission wholeheartedly, but I think their often sexist and fat-shaming campaigns cross the line of decency and detract from the AR message that they’re trying to promote.” – Quarrygirl.com
“PETA’s sexist, racist, and body-shaming campaigns do the opposite of spread compassion. Knock it off, nerds.” – Laura Beck, Vegansaurus.com
PETA, did you know that potentially millions of people want to join you in your fight for animals but not at the expense of other social justice issues?
Here are some thoughts on our fight for social justice.
Yes, we know you are desperately racing to stop cruelty to non-human animals.
We are too.
But we are also in a desperate race to stop violence against women. We are in a desperate race to stop debilitating and crippling self-esteem issues. We are in a desperate race to stop body shaming. We are in a desperate race to stop the normalisation of alienating humans based on their appearance. We are millions of people strong and we want to stand beside PETA but are currently unable. We want to stop all kinds of violence, subjugation and perpetuation of negativity.
We know there are individuals within PETA that agree with this sentiment. Please stand shoulder to shoulder with us in our request. You are not losing anything by rejecting outdated campaigns that perpetuate harm to people. You will be gaining millions of supporters who are more than willing to fight alongside you in your quest to end animal exploitation and suffering.
We are committed to improving outcomes for animals and humans alike.
Veganism is an extension of the fight for social justice, not a reason to suspend it.
To repeat the quote from the PETA statement: reject oppression and violence in all its forms.
If you are reading this and would like to see PETA put a stop to sexist and body-shaming campaigns, please voice your feelings in the comments below and share this story with PETA USA and PETA UK via Twitter.
Extra note: this is not an attack to diminish the crucial work PETA has carried out for decades in the name of compassion. You can support the important work they do without supporting some of their tactics. In fact, it is the voices of PETA supporters and campaigners that are most needed when it comes to this issue.
Slowly, but surely, UK supermarket chains are waking up to the demands and needs of vegan shoppers.
Tesco is the latest company to add a previously difficult to find vegan product to their online shopping website. One of the most revolutionary vegan cheeses to ever hit the UK is now available to order online via Tesco.com.
2. An activist organisation called Direct Action Everywhere held protests at Whole Foods Market stores all over the USA a few days ago to raise awareness of animal suffering they allege is taking place on farms supplying the retail giant.
