2. Definition:
A vegetarian is an individual who doesn’t consume any meat whereas a vegan doesn’t consume anything taken from an
animal. The vegetarians consider the animals to be harmed and therefore will not consume their produce, even gelatine
which is found inside most jelly sweets. There are lots of different substitutes for vegetarians to discover, including
Quorn for meat, this can be used in many dishes as an actual meat substitution.
Vegetarianism has many roots.
“Far eastern roots are well known and stem almost exclusively from the doctrine of ahimsa”
Which is closely related to Buddhism, Hinduism and Judaism.
“Ahisma is the doctrine of the sanctity of all life, of kindness and non injury”.
This originated in Indian Vedic literature and was made popular by Gautama Buddha who lived in the 15th Century B.C.
(Atlas N (1999) Vegetarian – A rich harvest of wit lore and recipes. New York: Comet . Page Four and Five.
There are some famous cultural people that have been vegetarians in their time being famous;
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950), Mohandas Gandhi 1869- 1948) and Franz Kafka (1883-1924)
3. Demographics:
The stats of the amount of vegetarians dates back from 2000, when three million people in the United Kingdom were
Vegetarians.
Year (2000) – Three million vegetarians are active in the United Kingdom, covering 5% of the population.
Year (2000) – 3,153 adults were now vegetarian
5% households contained a complete vegetarian
6% England, 3% Wales, Scotland and Ireland
7% of households contained at least one person who considered to eat fish but no meat (mainly vegetarian)
Year (2001) - 3,120 adults
5% households contained a completely vegetarian member
6% in England - highest of all UK
6% households contained at least one person who was "mainly vegetarian" i.e. ate fish but no meat
Year (2003) – By the year 2003, 2000 parents had become vegetarians and children under the age of three were already
vegetarians (6%).
Year (2004) - 3,329 adults in households were vegetarians.
56% of UK shoppers (62% across the EU) would abandon their usual supermarket for higher animal welfare standards.
68% of UK citizens (77% across the EU) think that farm animal welfare needs improving. Reference -
https://www.vegsoc.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=755
We can see a pattern of numbers of vegetarians changing within the UK, as in over a year 33 people in the UK had stopped
becoming vegetarians(?) as the number decreased. By 2003 the number of vegetarians in the United Kingdom was still at 6%,
the highest recorded vegetarian count.
The vegetarian society have an alphabetical list of the things that vegetarians and vegans should consider when buying their
foods, this can include cereals containing vitamin D3 and chips fried in animal fat.
https://www.vegsoc.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=753
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetarianism_by_country
http://www.imaner.net/panel/profile.htm
http://libertygb.org.uk/v1/index.php/home/root/news-libertygb/6123-uk-vegetarians
https://www.vegsoc.org/statistics
4. Reasons:
There were two role models, a painter and a leader who were both proud of becoming vegetarians. These vegetarians
were Leonardo Da Vinci and Mohandas Gandhi.
Da Vinci said that his love for animals was cited at the belief to become a vegetarian. He also bought birds (that were to
be slaughtered) and set them free to have a life without being killed.
Gandhi was a vegetarian for most of his life. The Indian leader thought that being a vegetarian would help his spiritual
process when it was time for him to pass. Gandhi also gave credit to the beneficial health benefits and ethical issues
involved with being a vegetarian, he used this in his books and lectures.
Both these vegetarians had strong religious connections and therefore connected their religious beliefs to the spiritual
benefits of being a vegetarian.
Some of the reasons suggested to become a vegetarian, are that eating a vegetarian diet reduces the risks of heart
disease and types of cancer. Vegetarians also consume less animal fat, contributing to a healthier diet i.e. cutting out the
fat from chicken breasts. The nutrition from a vegetarian diet can effect your energy levels – for the better, the benefits
from certain foods, including fibre can help with energy levels. Other reasons to become a vegetarian can be beneficial
to women, increasing female metabolism and easing the symptoms of menopause. The most obvious reason for
becoming a vegetarian is sparing animals lives, and preventing the harm of new-born animals or unborn animals taken
from their mother for the use of wool and fur. People of all ages are drawn to vegetarianism for all different motives,
including to live healthier and longer lives, keeping weight down and ethical reasons.
There is a big section as to why people became vegetarians because of personal health,
there are lots of reasons including; reduce of acne, diabetes, arthritis and gum disease.
5. Companies:
Quorn are a big company that dedicate their products as meat substitutes for vegetarians including sausages and meat
balls.
Quorn products contain a protein that is suitable for people avoiding meat. Quorn products are naturally low in fat and
high in fibre but create the same texture as a meat product would, these products are created for vegetarians but can be
bought by people who want to have a less fattening diet.
Quorn was introduced to the United States in 2002. But was questioned because it was considered a mushroom based
product.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quorn
Veggie Happy had been set up in America, helping to spread the foods of vegan and vegetarians around places where
meat would be the dominant. Veggie Happy now has an endorsement with the NFL who are now obliged to start selling
‘veggie dogs’ and ‘veggie frankfurters’. This company also has celebrity endorsements, a golden globe winner and
authors of different publications.
Linda McCartney foods has had a prominent effect on vegetarians and vegans for a number of years. Before Linda
passed away, she combined the affection she had for animals, and created a range of vegetarian and vegan foods.
Linda McCartney also has her own range of meat substitutions including sausages and burgers. Her website contains
lots about her story on create vegetarian meals, and the variety of meals she created.
http://www.lindamccartneyfoods.co.uk/recipe/speedy-sausage-hot-pot/
6. Non vegetarian products:
An alphabetical list of foods that vegetarians should avoid have been complied by the vegetarian society. A-C:
• Albumen – found in egg whites, used as a food binder. May come from caged/barn eggs.
• Alcohol – some drinks are fined/clarified using animal ingredients.
• Alpaca – animal derived clothing material.
• Ambergris – obtained from the intestine of sperm whale, used in perfumes.
• Anchovies - small fish, found on pizzas and in some brands of Worcester sauce.
• Angora - rabbit derived clothing material.
• Animal Fat – rendered tissue fats obtained from a variety of animals.
• Aspic - savoury jelly derived from meat or fish, used as a glazing agent.
• Bone - used in bone china and cutlery handles.
• Bread - most large producers use vegetable based emulsifiers (E471, E472 etc.), but local bakers may not.
• Breakfast cereals - often fortified with vitamin D3.
• Bristles – stiff animal hair, used in brushes (paint/shaving)
• Butter - Unadulterated butter is suitable for vegetarians.
• Capsules - usually made from gelatine, vegetarian alternatives are becoming widely available.
• Cashmere - Animal derived clothing material.
• Catering/Cookery - training may require the handling of meat.
• Caviar/Roe Fish eggs - the fish must be killed to obtain the eggs.
• Cheese - may have been produced using animal rennet.
• Chips - may have been fried in animal fat.
• Chitin - produced from crab & shrimp shells.
• Chocolate – may contain whey/emulsifiers.
• Cochineal E120 - made from crushed insects.
• Crisps – Can contain whey powder which may be derived using animal rennet.
These are a few of the foods that vegetarians and vegans cannot consume, even the smallest of foods and vitamins can
include animal produce that is harmful to the profound vegetarians.
Reference for the list of foods: https://www.vegsoc.org/veggieaware
7. Bibliography:
(List the books, magazines and websites you looked at to gain information for
this fact file.)
Book:
Atlas N (1999) Vegetariana – A Rich Harvest of Wit, Lore and Recipes, New York, Comet, Page 4 and 5.
Website:
https://www.vegsoc.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=755 – the original vegetarian society website
Website:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quorn - the Wikipedia page for Quorn.
Website:
https://www.vegsoc.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=755 – this website was used again to describe a short list of food that is
unacceptable for vegetarians and vegans.
Website:
http://www.veggiehappy.com/ - this website was used as another example to support the companies for vegetarians.
Website:
http://www.lindamccartneyfoods.co.uk/recipe/speedy-sausage-hot-pot/ - this website was used to support Linda
McCartney foods.
