Europe

‘NEARLY ONE IN FOUR NEW FOOD PRODUCTS IN THE UK IS VEGAN’

Anna Starostinetskaya for Vegnews:

Nearly one in four (23 percent) of new product launches in the United Kingdom in 2019 were labelled “vegan,” according to data compiled by market research firm Mintel. Last year, the UK overtook Germany as the world’s top producer of vegan products after Mintel’s figures showed that one in six (16 percent) of new UK product launches in 2018 were vegan.

Staggering. Almost one in every four products. Go UK go!

‘Netherlands backs nutritional labeling: ‘Nutri-Score is best to promote healthy choices’’

Nutri-Score is new to me, but I’ve been hoping we’d start seeing a food-rating system that could be used to determine the general nutrition of things going into our body. This is how it works…

The health secretary said this news was a ‘major step’ towards empowering citizens to make better dietary choices.

In recent months, Dutch health authorities have conducted research into three different food selection logos: Keyhole, Traffic Lights and Nutri-Score. It found consumers ‘understand Nutri-Score best’.

The score awarded a food is based on the amount of calories, sugars, saturated fat, salt, protein, fibre, fruit, vegetables, legumes and nuts in the product.

NutriScore ranks foods from -15 for the ‘healthiest’ products to +40 for those that are ‘less healthy’. On the basis of this score, the product receives a letter with a corresponding colour code: from dark green (A) to dark red (F).

It’s currently in use or recommended by France, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Slovenia, and Austria. It’s a great start, and I hope it moves to the USA soon.

‘The Origins of the Vegans: 1944–46’

John Davis for VegSource on how the term ‘vegan’ came to be:

The idea of living entirely on plants has been around for a very long time, it was just the word ‘vegan’ that was new in 1944. During the 19th century there were endless debates between those who added eggs and dairy produce to their plants, and those who did not. From 1847, the word ‘vegetarian’ was used by both, with or without various appendages.

Here’s how the word came to be:

The group would also have discussed the rather clumsy name ‘Non-Dairy Produce Group’, and begun the process of looking for something better. The initial informal name change was to replace ‘Non-Dairy Produce Group’ with just ‘Non-Dairy Vegetarians’, possibly agreed at a meeting, or maybe just unilaterally by Watson later that month. In his 2nd Vegan News (February 1945 p.2) Watson reported: Before the appearance of our first issue [November 24, 1944], Mr. and Mrs. G. A. Henderson suggested the word “Allvega”, with “Allvegan” as the magazine title. It was from this that the word Vegan was taken, and recently Mr. and Mrs. Henderson have written stating that they prefer the shorter version. There is no way of knowing how they were initially pronouncing these words. ‘Vega’ was the name of a London vegetarian restaurant at that time, which might have provided some inspiration. It is possible that the Hendersons’ suggestions were made at an Attic Club meeting, though neither they nor Watson ever mentioned that, or he might have received their ideas later by post (probably from Fay, signing as both). By “recently” in the above quote from February 1945, Watson is saying that the Hendersons gave their support during the three months after the publication of the first Vegan News.

And I love that our history of the word gets wrapped in the telling of a story at a funeral:

Another view of the origin of the word vegan emerged at Donald Watson’s funeral in 2005: Speaking at Donald’s funeral, Janet [his only child] mentioned a day that Dorothy and Donald both attended a dance. During the event the two started discussing the founding of a new society; and Dorothy came up with the word vegan as a possible name for it, on the basis that its letters are the beginning and conclusion of vegetarian.

‘New 100- and 200-Euro Notes Are Safer, Sturdier and Vegan Friendly’

From Iliana Magra for the New York Times:

The new notes — worth about $112 and $224 — have a shinier finish and more security features, and are more durable than their predecessors, the central bank said. They are also vegan friendly[.]

Goodness. Glad to hear it. Let’s hope all countries move this direction. There are plenty more to go.