To show their support, some of the UK’s well-known, independent vegan restaurants are offering discounts to those who will take part in the pledge.
Some of the restaurants that offer discounts for participants of the Summer Vegan Pledge include Café Van Gogh from London, which not only serves affordable vegan food but also offer cooking classes to local children with additional needs; Vx from London, the city’s very first all-vegan shop; and Biff’s Jack Shack, decadent and filthy vegan food using jackfruit as its main ingredient.
Image: Instagram/Café Van Gogh
Other restaurants that offer discounts to show their support are Miami Burger, Chia Naturally Healthy, Vutie Beets, Happy Maki, Vegan Antics, and Earth.
Tod Bradbury, Animal Aid’s Vegan Outreach Campaign Manager, said in a statement sent to Vegan World News: “We are very grateful to all of the amazing restaurants for offering participants a special discount.”
“The Summer Vegan Pledge is the perfect opportunity for those who are curious about a plant-based diet to give it a try. And with vegan options popping up in supermarkets, coffee shops, restaurants, and cafés — both chain and independent — it has never been easier.”
“A plant-based vegan diet is kinder to animals, better for the environment and healthy.”
Image: Instagram/Chia Naturally Healthy
Participants of the Summer Vegan Pledge are offered all the help and advice that they need to stay vegan for 30 days, including a free welcome pack full of recipes, advice about nutrition, and tips on shopping.
The vegan challenge also includes regular updates throughout the month to keep participants motivated and fully informed about the cruelty-free lifestyle, access to exclusive social media channels for sharing tips and advice, details about vegan events and special offers, and one-to-one help if needed.
Other well-known faces who supported this year’s vegan pledge are “A Place in the Sun” presenter Jasmine Harman, stand-up comedian Andrew O’Neill, “Big Brother 2018” contestant Kay Lovelle, sports presenter Laura Winter, and philanthropist Heather Mills.
You can sign up for the 2019 Summer Vegan Pledge on the Animal Aid website.
Around 45% of vegans in the UK felt discriminated at work, even by their employers, says new study.
The study, which was conducted by Crossland Employment Solicitors law firm, found that almost half (45%) of the 1,000 vegan employees questioned about their workplace experiences admitted that they felt discriminated against by employers.
Additionally, almost a third (31%) felt harassed or unfairly treated at work due to being vegan.
“Our research shows that prejudiced attitudes towards vegan workers is endemic among British employers and a lack of understanding as to the potential impact of the Equality Act 2010,” Beverley Sunderland, managing director at Crossland Employments Solicitors, told Vegan Food and Living.
Image: Unsplash/Venveo
Sunderland explained that the vegan lifestyle must be respected at work as it is “cogent, serious, and applies to an important aspect of human life or behavior.”
She added: “For example, case law has already decided that belief in man-made climate change is a philosophical belief and there is little doubt that veganism will be considered also when it comes before the Tribunal later this year in the case Casamitjana v League Against Cruel Sports.”
Image: Unsplash/Headway
The study also questioned 1,000 employers and found that almost half (48%) do not bother accommodating vegans.
Around 3% even admitted that they would not hire vegans, which Crossland Employment Solicitors pointed out to be against the UK’s Equality Act 2010.
Moreover, 24% of employers believe that most people only go vegan to lose weight or look good, while 30% said that accommodating vegans is expensive or difficult.
“We’d advise that employers need to be taking such beliefs seriously and acting against those who are derogatory about vegans,” said Sunderland.
“After all, if an employee was mocking someone’s religion, their sex or their race, an employer would not hesitate to take serious action.”
Fast food giant KFC faces backlash from vegans for its anti-vegan ad despite plans to launch a vegan burger soon.
KFC’s new ad, which features a meat-heavy burger, admits that veganism is tremendously growing around the world.
However, it implies that the fast food chain’s new meat-heavy burger is delicious enough to convince the public to not go vegan yet, saying: “Try one before you turn vegan.”
“Let’s be frank — we’ve timed this burger badly,” the ad continues. “It’s coming out during a time when unprecedented numbers of people are eschewing meat, and embracing aubergine.”
“There’s every chance that you yourself, if not already vegan, are seriously considering it… It might be the worst possible point in history to launch this burger. But bad timing never tasted so good.”
Image Credit: Twitter/sellingpetrol
Vegans were not happy upon seeing the advertisement, with some pointing out that people usually go vegan because they don’t want to hurt animals, not because they hate the taste of meat.
“They act like people go vegan because they don’t like the taste of meat,” a vegan wrote on Twitter.
Another vegan added: “KFC can easily change to stand for ‘Kind, Friendly Cooking’…. it wouldn’t be at all difficult to make the switch from chicken to seitan, ‘Temple of Seitan’ style. The sooner the better @kfc“
“I said it before I’ll say it again . THIS is why we cannot take these chains seriously when they add a vegan option. This is proof that they don’t give a F**K,” said another.
“Look at the positives, this means that the meat industry is shook and struggling, they didn’t expect veganism to spread this far, now they are begging people to buy their product,” another vegan wrote.
Other meat eaters agreed with vegans regarding the issue and advised the fast food chain to just promote the burger without mentioning or attacking other lifestyles.
According to TV presenter Nisha Katona, the fast food giant has created a vegan chicken burger in its UK development kitchen.
Katona got the chance to taste the vegan burger and shared that even though the new vegan burger is still in the development process, it is already “brilliant” and diners “have much to look forward to.”
“Oh my heaven! On a dream job today- filming for the BBC One Show with exclusive access to the actual KFC headquarters development kitchen,” Katona wrote on Twitter.
“Also I was the first member of the public to taste the new vegan chicken burger. This to me is actually living the dream.”
There is still no word on when KFC plans to release the vegan burger in the UK.
McDonald’s France replaced its french fries with cucumbers in Happy Meals to diversify what it offers to diners, especially children.
According to VegNews, McDonald’s France started offering freshly cut cucumbers instead of the classic french fries in Happy Meals to promote fruits and vegetables to children.
“The arrival of the Little Cucumbers is fully in line with our approach to diversifying the range of products for children,” Delphine Smagghe, McDonald’s Vice President of Purchasing, Quality, Sustainable Development, and Communication, said in a statement.
“Today, nearly half of the fruit consumed by children under 15 years of age in commercial catering is at McDonald’s.”
“From now on, we want to carry this commitment further by promoting vegetables to the youngest, while remaining a privileged partner of the French agricultural sectors.”
Image: Vegan Life
Aside from the cucumbers, which are provided by 16 local farms in the country, McDonald’s France also offers carrot sticks and grape tomatoes for Happy Meals.
The fast food giant has also been adding more vegan and vegetarian options in different locations around the world, including vegan Happy Meals.
The Happy Meal, created by the fast food giant in partnership with vegetarian nonprofit The Vegetarian Society and influencer network Britmums, features a breaded red pesto goujon wrap rather than burger or nuggets that usually accompany a Happy Meal.
The goujon is made with yellow split peas, tomato paste, sundried tomato pesto, red pepper, olive oil, sugar, herbs and spices, and Arborio rice all wrapped in a tortilla wrap.
The wrap is then served with tomato ketchup and shredded lettuce to complete the Happy Meal.
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