“Vegan is the new black,” says
the author of a cookbook for optimum health, despite a ban on the
word vegan by the UK
Tabloids.
Even though the word Vegan is considered
a taboo, dirty word by the UK tabloid newspapers, veganism
is reaching out and inspiring
people all over the world like never before in it’s 60
year history.
Tony Bishop Weston author of ‘Vegan’ (a healthy
cookbook by Hamlyn) reveals “A journalist from one of the
top tabloids told me that their editor had banned them from using
the word ‘vegan’ as it was too scary for their readers.
All health and beauty stories have to be dumbed down to use the
word vegetarian instead of vegan. ‘Herb tea’ was
also on the taboo list.”
“The lack of an amiable vegan in a major TV soap and the
apparent UK tabloid decision to reserve the word vegan for crowd
control and shock tactics may be the only 2 things stopping a
tidal wave of veganism being unleashed” says Tony.
The Vegan Society report a threefold increase in applications
to use it’s internationally recognised vegan trademark
symbol that identifies authentic vegan products.
Last year Ford and Toyota in the USA targeted vegans recognising
them through focus groups to be at the epicentre of their targeted
aspirational audience.
Following the World Health Organisation urging world Governments
to promote the eating of more fruit and vegetables, now environmental
organisations are confirming that reliance on animal protein
is completely unsustainable. We no longer have enough land or
water to prioritise feeding cows before people.
One of the largest contract caterers in the world after Compass,
and Sodexho, Aramark, surveyed 100,000 US college students. 24%
said vegan dishes were important to them beating even the lastest
GI craze. Only 18% wanted low-carb dishes on the menu.
A whole host of celebrities have recently come out of the closest
and joined vociferous vegans such as Moby, Andre Benjamin and
Benjamin Zephaniah. With respected sportsman such as Austrailian
Cricket ace Greg Chappell singing the praises of veganism and
a vegan even running for US presidency (Dennis Kuchinich) the
whole world seems perched on the point of critical mass for change.
There are more Vegan cookbooks out at the moment than you can
shake a stick at, the Supersize Me director Morgan Spurlock’s
girlfriend, even Moby the rock star has a cookbook out.
Despite the fierce competition “Vegan” a healthy
but decadent and very innovative new vegan cookbook by Tony and
his nutritionist wife is still number 1 bestselling Vegan cookbook
on Amazon.co.uk and recipes from the book have been featured
on the BBC website.
“When you reach a point when even the straight laced guardians
of the establishment such as the BBC start posting up vegan recipe
sections on their websites then we know an epidemic of enlightenment
is not far away” predicts Bishop-Weston.
The real key to change was manufacturers and retailers finally
realising that you didn’t have to be vegan to want to buy
vegan products. There is a whole complex list of inter related
reasons such as health, environment, allergy issues, religion,
animal welfare, improved taste and availability that have effected
consumers’ buying habits.
Prior to The Vegan Society’s Diamond Jubilee there was
one vegan festival a year (in London) now vegan festivals and
events to celebrate World Vegan Day on 1st of November are springing
up all over the world.
We started with vegan sausages and vegan pork pies, now delicatessens
sell vegan caviar and champagne and chemists sell vegan condoms.
Vegans even have their own Vegan Internet TV channel – veggievision.
|
