Vegest London UK Health & Sustainability Event Oct 2013

London's biggest ever event dedicated to solutions for better human health and sustainable ethical living hopes to switch people on the alternatives that are part of the solution for the planet not part of the problem.

VegestUK London - Vegfest Vegetarian Vegan Event in London October 5th 6th 2013

The dates have been confirmed for a brand new vegetarian lifestyle show in the heart of the West
End of London at the world famous Kensington Olympia over two days in October 2013. 10,000 visitors are expected to attend the two day event, which is open from 11am – 7pm.

Comedian Dave Spikey (Phoenix Nights) is amongst the guests participating, which also includes
musician Macka B, comedian Andrew O’Neill, presenters Janey Lee Grace (BBC Radio 2) and Dale Pinnock (TV Herbalist Chef) , athlete Fiona Oakes, chef Chad Sarno (Raw Food Saf Restaurant ), actress Roxy Shahidi, Yvonne Bishop–Weston ( Harley Street, TV Nutritionist, London ), Nutritionists Christine
Bailey and Julie Silver and a number of other leading lights from within the healthy living sector, including top chefs, nutritionists, speakers, entertainers, celebrities and experts, with many more to be confirmed.

The show sees over 150 stalls, all full of the latest vegetarian and vegan products, as well as two
cookery demo theatres, a Living Raw prep zone, 3 talks rooms, 2 cinemas, 2 workshops spaces, a kids- area and a large performance stage, ensuring visitors to the event are spoiled for choice, with many
of the stalls providing free samples and tasters as well as produce at vastly reduced costs.

"Change in normal diet needed"

Admission to the event is £10 each day (£6 concessions, £2 Kids under 14) and tickets are available on the gate or in advance. All tickets bought in advance are on a Buy One Get On free offer too, ensuring real value for visitors from across London and the South East. The event is sponsored by
Fry’s distribution, Yaoh and Out of Hand, with more sponsors to be confirmed.

VegfestUK have organised a number of successful veggie food events in both Brighton and Bristol over the last decade, event attracting up to 25,000 people at a time, with the 2013 Bristol event featuring The Happy Mondays, Peter Hook (New Order), The Farm, 808State, Caravan Palace, The Abyssinians, Macka B and a host of other top acts at what is officially the world’s biggest vegan event. For more information about VegestUK events see the website www.vegfest.co.uk

www.london.vegfest.co.uk

Event details
Who: Anyone interested in leading healthier, more sustainable, more ethical, more fulfilling lives
Dates : Saturday 5th & Sunday 6th October 2013
Tickets : £10 each day (£6 concessions, £2 Kids under 14)
Venue : Kensington Olympia, Exhibition Centre, London - W14 8UX

LindaMcCartneyFoods New TV Advert

LindaMcCartneyFoods (MeatFreeTweets) on Twitter and TV

Linda McCartney Foods, now owned by Hain Europe, tweeted this morning that they are to launch a new TV advertising campaign to claw back some of the market share they've lost to Quorn.

Grassroots vegan activists are dissappointed and exasperated that the Linda McCartney Brand hasn't played to it's vegan strengths to combat egg and dairy containing Quorn. So many of the new Linda McCartney products have dairy or egg in , particularly disappointing are the new vegetarian prawns which contain milk protein making them unsuitable for the Dairy Free, Vegan and Kosher markets.

Other Meat Free Food companies such as Redwoods, Frys, Vegusto, Wheaty, Goodlife, Amy's are managing to keep their Vegan Kudos alive and kicking with a "Sustainable, Delicious and Suitable For Everyone" theme and with a constant stream of new innovative sustainable products that can be enjoyed by all.

Animal Welfare

The trouble is that by adding dairy and egg into the ingredients many of the key USP of the brand and drivers for a greener, more sustainable world fall down. It's not kinder to animals, chickens and dairy cows are some of the most tortured souls on the planet, male chicks are gassed or crushed at birth as they can't lay eggs, baby calfs are dragged away from their mum's so the milk can be used for humans not them.

Health

It's thought that the natural growth hormones in cow's milk to help a calf grow to the size of a shed in a few weeks is like fertiliserfor cancer cells. Certainly it's milk implicated in the China study by Colin T Campbell that he saw switch cancer cells on and off. The other main problem is that milk has so much more saturated fat vs omega 3 fats as most dairy cows don't get a natural diet. Then there's the intolerance, or at least a sub clinical intolerance to dairy protein and lactose that irritates the digestive system.

London Nutritionist Yvonne Bishop-Weston says "New vegetarian products need to be not just as good as, they need to be better than meat. They need to be at least as tasty,  need to be more nutritious and need to be more sustainable and ethically produced than meat. Just being 'meat free' is no longer good enough."

Environment

This is the most perplexing as Sir Paul McCartney himself appeared on National News at 10 to highlight the United Nation's Livestock's Long Shadow report. The Dairy Farming industry is one of the biggest culprits in global warming - we simply no longer have the resources left to feed a cow, water a cow, clean up the waste just for some fatty white liquid that nature designed you to give up by 5 years of age. Second hand food is a luxury we can no longer afford. The clever money is moving into plant food. KFC, McDonalds and their ilk are already looking at plant based meat free alternatives for their products. Old school vegetarian products such as Linda McCartney and Quorn are not on the table.

Avatar director James Cameron says "You cannot call yourself an environmentalist if you are not vegan"

Vegfest 2013

Vegans have already given the Linda McCartney TV advert a makeover to encourage people to try more legitimately,  more sustainable options at The UK Vegfests at Brighton , Bristol and London

Vegans Give Linda McCartney TV advert a pirate vegan  makeover