Day: August 12, 2021

Farm Animals, General News, Vegan Recipes

The World’s Largest Restaurant Chain Commits to Improve Chicken Welfare.

The World’s Largest Restaurant Chain Commits to Improve Chicken Welfare

Subway has announced the commitment to improve chicken welfare in its European supply chain by 2026.

August 12, 2021

HISTORIC PROGRESS: On Wednesday, August 11, Subway announced the commitment to improve chicken welfare in its European supply chain by publicly committing to the European Chicken Commitment (ECC). This was not an easy feat, it took 22 non-profit organizations from 16 European countries and 1.5 years of campaigning to push the company to this end. Subway had already committed to the North American version of the ECC, the Better Chicken Commitment, for all its US and Canadian stores.

THE COMMITMENT: Subway now joins the growing list of hundreds of companies that have pledged to improve chicken welfare in their supply chains by adopting the European Chicken Commitment. Other prominent brands include Burger King and Popeyes. The ECC requires companies to provide chickens more space, natural light, enrichment such as perches and pecking substrates, and bans the use of fast-growing breeds, which can cause painful deformities and heart attacks.

Protest in Verona, Italy

THE FORCE BEHIND IT: Animal Equality played a major role in this campaign along with other coalition members of the Open Wing Alliance. We sent campaigners to Amsterdam to protest and attempted to meet with Subway’s leadership, held protests in Italy, Spain, and the UK, and activated our social media networks where thousands of animal advocates from all around the world took part in highly impactful digital actions. Subway couldn’t ignore the importance of raising their animal welfare standards any longer.

THE IMPACT: As of June 2021, Subway has approximately 37,500 locations in 104 countries and territories, and an annual revenue of around $10 billion. This policy commitment not only will positively alter the lives of millions of chickens used in Subway meals, but this commitment also sets a strong precedent for future campaigns to improve farmed animal welfare in the restaurant industry.

WHY IT MATTERS: Chickens raised for meat are among the most abused animals on the planet. Bred to become much larger than normal, at an alarmingly unnatural rate, fast-growing chickens suffer from broken bones, organ failure, and even death from not being able to reach food and water. They are kept in filthy conditions, crammed by the tens of thousands in dim barns that have no enrichment for the chickens to engage in natural behaviors. At the end of their shortened lives, chickens are forced to endure live-shackle slaughter, a horrific practice where birds are forcibly hung upside down and slammed into metal shackles, a process which sometimes breaks their bones. The ECC aims to address these major abuses faced by chickens used for food.

HOW YOU CAN HELP: This major step in animal protection happened because of the actions of passionate animal lovers and those who believe in progress in animal welfare. Animal Equality’s volunteers, the Animal Protectors, played a significant role in achieving this move forward for hens, as well as other corporate policies. Would you like to be informed of easy online actions you can take for animals? Sign up to become an Animal Protector today!

The World’s Largest Restaurant Chain Commits to Improve Chicken Welfare

Regards Mark

Environmental, General News

England: Stella McCartney Debuts Sustainable Vegan Sneakers Made With Recycled Fishing Nets.

Stella McCartney Debuts Sustainable Vegan Sneakers Made With Recycled Fishing Nets
The new Reclypse sneakers are made with plant-based materials

Stella McCartney Debuts Sustainable Vegan Sneakers Made With Recycled Fishing Nets

Stella McCartney will soon debut its vegan Reclypse sneakers, which are made with recycled and sustainable materials

Fashion house Stella McCartney is set to increase its cruelty-free range once again.

The UK-based company, which aims to produce sustainable clothing and accessories, will release its new vegan Reclypse sneakers later this month.

Reclypse sneakers

The shoes feature lining created from ECONYL regenerated nylon, which is sourced from pre- and post-consumer waste like fishing nets and carpet.

The Reclypse sneakers – which are handmade in Italy – come in four colours. They have a recycled polyester upper, as well as a tractor sole containing plant-based and renewable materials.

They also feature contrast panels of vegan leather and mesh.

“The Stella McCartney Reclypse is fashion innovation, taking luxury trainers one step closer to sustainability and circularity – it stylishly blends athleticism with escapism,” reads a release sent to Plant Based News.

Is Stella McCartney vegan?

It’s certainly not Stella McCartney’s first foray into animal-free fashion. The brand does not use animal-based leather, feathers, fur, or exotic skins. However, it does use wool in some of its designs.

Stella McCartney was founded by a designer of the same name, who is also the daughter of Sir Paul McCartney.

Both he and his daughter are long-time vegetarians. The designer’s late mother, Linda, was also a vegetarian and the founder of plant-based meat brand Linda McCartney.

Stella McCartney’s new vegan Reclypse sneakers are part of the brand’s WI21 collection, which launches on August 25.

Regards Mark

General News

Germany: Volkswagen makes the central canteen meat-free!

Volkswagen produces seven million curry sausages a year in its own butcher shop. The curry sausage production at Volkswagen has often exceeded the car sales of the well-known automaker.

In another canteen, however, they are now being removed from the menu, schnitzel too!

Volkswagen employees who feel a certain hunger for meat at lunchtime will have to accept detours in the future.
Because the canteen in the Wolfsburg branded high-rise, the headquarters of the well-known car manufacturer “Volkswagen AG”, is revising its range and will soon only offer vegetarian and vegan dishes.

The VW curry- sausage is popular and is a regular part of the plate for many employees: however, the classic will soon disappear from the menu in the canteen in the branded high-rise building in Wolfsburg.

According to an internal announcement, the company restaurant should be meat-free after the work holiday.
The 150 or so recipes should then do without meat. Only now and then will fish be part of the offer.

It couldn’t be more German: Curry sausage and ketchup from Volkswagen production. (Photo: picture alliance / dpa)

Many employees wanted vegetarian and vegan alternatives, according to the reasoning in the information letter.
The realignment also serves the topic of sustainability, because less meat consumption per week also helps the environment.
The responsible Service Factory has already successfully implemented the concept at the Hanover location.

Nobody at VW has to do without the sausage.
They will still be there in the canteen a few meters away on the opposite side of the street.
Most recently there were around seven million curry sausages from the Volkswagen butcher’s shop in the pre-Corona year 2019, plus more than 550 tons of ketchup, as a spokesman said.

The curry sausage production at Volkswagen has often exceeded the car sales of the well-known automaker
However, many company restaurants at the car manufacturer are currently still closed.

It’s over with the curry sausage in VW

With the switch to vegetarian and vegan cuisine, VW is relying on a trend that has been around for a number of years, according to the German Hotel and Restaurant Association (DEHOGA).
“The times when vegetarian cuisine was neglected by some are over for good,” said a spokesman.

https://www.n-tv.de/wirtschaft/VW-Kantine-streicht-Currywurst-von-Karte-article22732008.html

And I mean…The only sensible news from the VW Group for years! Seems like the “V” in VW stands for vegetarian!

Curry sausage is part of Volkswagen’s corporate culture, just like the Golf, except that it is a year older.
Two dozen factory butchers have been producing the Curry-Bock sausage since 1973 – at that time from pigs from the farm on the factory premises.
Each sausage is labeled “Volkswagen Genuine Part” and, like the special ketchup that goes with it, has a part number ((199 398 500 A and B).


VW has already tried a canteen without currywurst, in this case vegetarian, in Hanover – successfully, as the management and the works council assure.
In any case, the works council welcomes the experiments with the vegetarian canteens in Wolfsburg.
“We are also just a mirror of society,” says a spokesman

Even those who are dissatisfied with this decision will soon notice that there are also vegetarian / vegan currywurs that taste great without harming the environment or animals.

And everyone who is annoyed with walking to the canteen across the street to eat his sausage can now understand how much trouble vegans have always had to find a vegan restaurant in a city, and to get it free.

Times change in favor of veganism.
And if these changes come from above, they are effective, and then everyone has to adapt and come to terms with them.

My best regards to all, Venus

Farm Animals, General News

England: GOOD FARM ANIMAL WELFARE AWARDS GO VIRTUAL – From CIWF London.

GOOD FARM ANIMAL WELFARE AWARDS GO VIRTUAL

Good Farm Animal Welfare Awards go virtual | Compassion in World Farming (ciwf.org.uk)

Today (24th June), we hosted our virtual Good Farm Animal Welfare Awards.

The annual awards were streamlined this year to allow businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic to progress towards the delivery of their existing animal welfare commitments. But, despite a difficult 12-months for the industry, we are pleased to recognise 10 leading food businesses for their inspiring and often innovative work in the field of farm animal welfare and sustainable food production.

CLEVER MARKETING PUTS ANIMAL WELFARE ON THE POLITICAL AGENDA

This year’s Best Marketing Award was presented to French, higher welfare poultry producers, Les Fermiers de Loué, whose clever combination of humour and political relevance generated huge public interest with their street marketing campaign promoting their higher welfare credentials.

INNOVATION IN ANIMAL WELFARE

Hilton Seafood UK and Danone both received Special Recognition Awards for their innovative work and their capacity to provide a global baseline for best practice in animal welfare. Danone stood out for its global assessment tool for dairy cow welfare and Hilton Seafood UK’s more humane method of slaughter of King Prawns will benefit more than 100 million animals in its first year, with the potential to benefit billions of animals across the industry!

CHAMPIONING ‘LESS AND BETTER’

Italian manufacturer Barilla was awarded a Special Recognition Award under the Planet Friendly banner for successfully implementing cage free eggs across its entire operation in over 100 countries, benefitting over 2 million hens each year. In addition, Barilla has significantly reduced its greenhouse gas emissions, by decreasing its use of egg as an ingredient and by the impressive achievement of offsetting three of its brands’ CO2 emissions completely.

SUSTAINABLE FOOD AND FARMING ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Small producers Lynbreck Croft and Hollis Mead Organic Dairy were awarded in the Sustainable Food & Farming category for producing higher welfare meat, dairy and eggs in ways that protect, improve and restores wildlife and the environment.

McDonald’s UK & Ireland was a worthy winner of a Sustainable Food & Farming Corporate Award for their Regenerative Beef Project. Their rotational grazing approach helps to rebuild the soil, recharges watersheds and increases biodiversity. With over 4 million customers every day to McDonald’s in the UK alone, this project demonstrates the game-changing potential for the industry.

GOOD EGG AND RABBIT ACHIEVEMENTS

Leading Italian producer, Galbusera, received a Good Egg Award for its commitment to sell only cage-free eggs, and Chinese producer Happy Eggs received the very first Good Egg Award in China. Additionally, Nature d’Eleveurs owned by LDC in France received a Good Rabbit Commendation for committing to higher welfare, cage-free production for fattening rabbits.

OVER 2.2 BILLION ANIMALS BENEFITTING

“I’m humbled to share that, since our Food Business programme and awards began in 2007, the total number of animals benefitting is over 2.2 billion,” says our Global CEO, Philip Lymbery. “This is a truly amazing impact, which fills me with great hope for the future, for animal welfare, humankind and our planet. I’d like to congratulate and thank all of this year’s winners for all they are doing to make life better for millions of farmed animals.”

Read more about our Food Business impact.

Regards Mark

Farm Animals, General News

USA: For US Citizens To Sign – Tell Costco That Animals Deserve Better.

ASPCA

This is for US citizens to sign.

A recent investigation by Mercy For Animals into a chicken farm supplying wholesale grocery giant Costco revealed absolutely horrifying conditions. Tens of thousands of birds are spending their short, painful lives crowded together in sheds—many suffering from open skin sores and agonizing injuries related to their hyper-fast growth rates.

Whatever you eat, we can all agree that this is not okay. Costco needs to hear this from its customers and the American public.

Sign our open letter to Costco below, which we’ll deliver to executives as we ask them to address this urgent issue by adopting meaningful and transparent animal welfare standards.

Action Link – Tell Costco: Animals Deserve Better | ASPCA

Regards Mark