PETA Global Issue 3

S ix percent of Americans now identify as vegan – an increase of 600% in just three years. The number of vegans in the United Kingdom rose by more than 360% between 2006 and 2016. In Germany, the vegan label is everywhere, Paris even boasts vegan croissants, and more Aussies Google the word “vegan” than any other nationality. It’s official: The vegan revolution is here! When PETA was founded in 1980, almost no one had ever heard the word “vegan,” and even vegetarians were as rare as hen’s teeth. PETA sold the first veggie hot dogs on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.; championed

Since 1980, PETA and its affiliates have distributed millions of free PETA vegan starter kits worldwide. And it’s no wonder …

PETA Is Putting ‘Vegan’ on the Map PETA works with restaurants to add more vegan menu options. For example, PETA and PETA UK contacted pizza chains and urged them to offer vegan cheese, and now, more than 40 US pizza chains, including Blaze, MOD, and Pieology – and UK chains like PizzaExpress, Zizzi, and others – are doing just that! PETA UK has given awards to restaurants that put vegan meals on the menu. Harvester, which has 230 UK locations, is so proud of making PETA UK’s list of vegan-friendly chain restaurants that the company linked to it on its website. Even decidedly nonvegan eateries have earned PETA praise. PETA UK staffers attracted quite a crowd when they promoted the faux fish dishes at popular fish and-chips shops. Hog’s Breath Cafe, an Australian steakhouse chain, won an award from PETA Australia for introducing several vegan items, including a vegan schnitzel burger, and PETA Germany recognized a bakers association for offering courses on becoming a vegan baker.

Italian rugby legend Mirco Bergamasco shows off his fit physique in this scrum ptious PETA UK ad touting the benefits of a vegan lifestyle. “I’m strong and fit, my reflexes are sharp, my mind is awake, and my conscience is clear,” says Bergamasco.

Lettuce Ladies: © Splento – Ekaterina Musatkina | Mirco Bergamasco: © Trevor Leighton | Flags: © iStock.com/dikobraziy

tofu scramble, tempeh, and powdered soy milk made from scratch; and distributed one of the few existing vegan cookbooks, Ten Talents.

’VEGANIZERS’ IN ACTION

Today, there’s everything from vegan mayonnaise to dairy-free ice

cream, Tesco has its own brand of vegan cheese in the UK, there’s vegan Biocheese in Australia, and Veganz has been crowned a “super supermarket” in Germany. You can enjoy soy, almond, and coconut milk lattes at Starbucks; vegan meatballs at IKEA; tofu sofritas at Chipotle in the US; and so on. There are vegan fish and-chips shops in the UK and “vegetarian butchers” offering only the finest “cuts” of vegan chicken, beef,

PETA was the original squeaky wheel, and now the grease is vegan!

and other mock meats in several US states, Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands. This is thanks in no small part to PETA’s headline-grabbing vegan campaigns, which have made it clear that eating vegan is not just kind but also cool.

Take Action Now Always ask local eateries and supermarkets to offer vegan options.

The more requests they get, the sooner they will realize that there is a demand for vegan food.

This summer, when PETA’s honorary director Pamela Anderson challenged the mayor of Jackson, Mississippi – the “Fattest City in America” – to go vegan for 30 days, he said yes, as did four members of his staff, earning some much-publicized praise from longtime PETA pal Russell Simmons. PETA’s “Lettuce Ladies,” already famous in North and South America, recently made their first trips to Russia, Romania, and Cuba, where they met with enthusiastic crowds of people who snapped up their free veggie burgers while also snapping selfies with the “leafy” lovelies.

PETA’s dancing vegetable mascots attend a rally to support peace and equality, which starts with vegan eating. I

Global 23