Comment by Clare Jones on January 28, 2012 at 9:11pm

Hello! I thought I would set this group up, but this isn't my page. It is your page too! So please feel free to add to it as you will!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetarianism_by_country

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, increasing numbers of people have adopted a vegetarian diet since the end of World War II.^[36] The Food Standards Agency Public Attitudes to Food survey 2009 reported that 3% of respondents were found to be "completely vegetarian", with an additional 5% "partly vegetarian (don't eat some types of fish or meat)".^[37] Some independent market studies suggest that vegetarians constitute 7% to 11% of the UK adult population (4 million people).^[38][39][40]As of 2003^[update], the Vegetarian Society estimates that there are between three and four million vegetarians in the UK.^[41] There are twice as many vegetarian women as men.^[40] Despite the clear classification by the Vegetarian Society, some people in the UK wrongly identify as vegetarians while still eating fish, either for health reasons, or because of differing ethical perspectives on vegetarianism, while others use the term "flexitarian" or part-vegetarian.^[36] As of 2009, people in the UK are now also being identified with the labels "meat-avoiders" and "meat-reducers" by marketeers, denoting people who do not self-identify as vegetarians, but are reducing or avoiding meat for reasons of health or climate change impacts, with one survey identifying 23% of the population as "meat-reducers", and 10% as "meat-avoiders", although the same survey indicated the "vast majority" in the UK still eat meat, with one-in-five liking to eat meat every day.^[36] According to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the UK has the third highest rate of vegetarianism in the European Union.^[22]

"Vegetarian" and "vegan" are not terms defined in law at either a UK or European level. Nonetheless, foods labelled as suitable for vegetarians or vegans are subject to provisions within the Trades Descriptions Act 1968.^[42] The Food Standards Agency issues guidance on the labelling of foods as suitable for vegetarians:

The term 'vegetarian' should not be applied to foods that are, or are made from or with the aid of, products derived from animals that have died, have been slaughtered, or animals that die as a result of being eaten. Animals means farmed, wild or domestic animals, including for example, livestock poultry, game, fish, shellfish, crustaceans, amphibians, tunicates, echinoderms, molluscs, and insects.

—Food Standards Agency^[43]

In addition to voluntary labelling, the Vegetarian Society operates a scheme whereby foods that meet its criteria can be labelled "Vegetarian Society approved".^[44] Under this scheme, a product is vegetarian if it is free of meat, fowl, fish, shellfish, meat or bone stock, animal or carcass fats, gelatin, aspic, or any other ingredient resulting from slaughter, such as rennet.^[45] Cheese is often labelled as well, making it possible to identify cheeses that have been made with rennet derived from non-animal sources. Many hard cheeses in continental Europe contain rennet derived from animal sources

Comment by Rebekka Hegarty-van den Bos on January 31, 2012 at 7:26pm

Hi, I dont live in UK anymore but was born and brought up there until 24 years old! so I feel British through and through (despite being half dutch)

I miss the british humour like nothing else! and I miss the british acceptance of vegetarianism, the fact that you can get veggie breakfast, or veggie burgers almost anywhere! In Holland, unless you go to a Thai or Indian Restaurant you can expect to be eating a lot of mushroom risotto!

Nice to meet you all!

Comment by Kerstin M on February 24, 2012 at 2:41am

Hi there :)

I really like living in the UK. You will always find nice vegeterian food and products. I'll be missing this when I have to go back to Germany in autumn.

Comment by shanny.LIM on March 4, 2012 at 5:10pm

Hello ! I am not British... obviously :P but I live here since 2009 and I find that it is very easy to get vegetarian food compare to Malaysia !!! Apart from the Asian (Chinese) restaurants, most of the restaurants/stalls offer vegetarian meals... and I love it! :) 

Comment by Clare Jones on March 5, 2012 at 12:55am

Paul Mccartney about Vegetarian, Vegan life-style.    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvZQFXqfwu0&feature=player_embedded

Comment by shanny.LIM on March 5, 2012 at 6:11pm

Thanks Clare... It is very cruel ... I can't even finished the video... too sad and to pain!

Comment by Dean Wilkinson on May 30, 2012 at 12:07am

It's hard to get vegan in uk but veggie is not so bad.I get the impression the USA has much more in the way of vegan options in the cities at least.

Comment by Keshav on July 28, 2012 at 11:48pm

I dont know about you guys but I thought macca was horrendous in last nights olympic opening ceremony :s

Comment by ann castle on July 31, 2012 at 3:43am

I've just read the definition of Vegetarian by the Food Standards Agency above, and I must say that there's one bit that I find amusing....

'or animals that die as a result of being eaten.'.... Ummmm, well YEAH! I should think that they would die as a result of being eaten, if not before.

:)

Comment by Chris Vaughan on July 31, 2012 at 3:56am

Ha!

That's really badly worded isn't it?!  I think, as you probably know, that they were trying to convey that a vegetarian would eat/drink, milk, eggs (etc) and products from animals that didn't result in them dying.   Why the didn't word it in as simple terms I don't know!

This is the full wording for anyone who's never seen it:

The term ‘vegetarian’ should not be applied to foods that are, or are made from or with the aid of products derived from animals that have died, have been slaughtered, or animals that die as a result of being eaten. 

Very badly worded and worrying that so little thought was put into the phrasing.  

Comment

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• Next ›
• Page