EGGS

Chicks Dig This Adoption Fair Written by Michelle Sherrow
Posted 06-25-2012, 7:25 PM
Birds of a feather flocked to PETA's L.A. office this weekend for what was quite possibly the world's cluckiest adoption fair. Seventy-eight hens made themselves a comfortable roost in the Bob Barker Building while adopters listened to the hens' story and snacked on vegan egg-salad sandwiches.



The hens had been used by egg producer A&L Poultry until the company went out of business last February and simply left 50,000 hens to die in battery cages without any food or water. Two weeks after A&L shut its doors, Animal Place sanctuary and other animal advocates got wind of how A&L ran afoul of the fowl and rushed in to rescue the hens. Many had already died or were too ill to save, but rescuers were able to save nearly 4,500 hens and nurse them to health.



At the adoption event that PETA hosted, the blissful birds got a Hollywood ending when they were whisked away by SoCal families who will let the birds be birds and finally live the life that they deserve.



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.Tags: A&L poultry, animal place sanctuary, battery cages, bob barker building, cruelty to animals, eggs, hen adoption, hens, laying hen, petasaves, rescued hens, turlock

Mepkin Monks to Shut Down Egg Factory FarmWritten by PETA
Posted 02-04-2012, 12:00 PM
Update: Great news! The monks at Mepkin Abbey now have a thriving mushroom business. After PETA's protests, boycotts, and complaints to government agencies, the monks re-examined their egg farm and discovered that they can get all their needs met without harming animals.

The following was originally posted on December 20, 2007:

We've just heard the news that the monks at Mepkin Abbey have decided to phase out their egg-production business over the next year and a half following pressure from PETA, including protests of the monastery that are going on today. According to the Associated Press, Mepkin's Father Stan Gumula said late last night that the focus on the monks' practices as a result of PETA's investigation has been too much of a distraction, and that they will be looking for a new industry to help meet their expenses.

PETA Vice President Bruce Friedrich points out that South Carolina had the 6th highest peanut production among U.S. states last year (quite how he knows such things, I have no idea), and recommends that the monks go into the booming business of peanut butter packaging, where they can pack the peanuts as tight as they like without any fear of our getting on their case about it. In fact, we might be their first customers. My own vote is more traditional—there's nothing quite like a good Trappist Ale.

Whatever they end up deciding, this is nothing short of a Christmas miracle for the chickens who have suffered for so long at Mepkin Abbey, and we commend the monks for their compassionate decision.

VIDEO

http://www.peta.org/b/thepetafiles/archive/tags/eggs/default.aspx

Most Abused Animal on the Planet Is …Written by PETA
Posted 05-23-2011, 9:46 AM
Do you know one of those people who says, "I'm a vegetarian, but I still eat chicken"? Considering that chickens are arguably the most abused animals on the planet, they should be one of the first animals we remove from our plates—and there's no better time to do that than World Week for Abolition of Meat.


garryknight/cc by 2.0

Chickens' cognitive skills rival those of cats, dogs, and, in some cases, primates. They are adept communicators who develop complex social structures. Chickens show deep love for their family members and care for others in their group. A mother chicken starts teaching her chicks to "talk" before they have even hatched, clucking softly to them, and they cluck back to her and each other from inside their shells. Human babies cannot replicate their mothers' sounds until they are several months old.

But the billions of chickens who are slaughtered for food or crammed into cages and used for eggs suffer horribly throughout their short lives.





If you know someone who still eats chickens, please share this information with them and ask them to become a champion for chickens.

Streaming Factory Farm Abuse 24/7Written by PETA
Posted 11-10-2010, 5:45 PM
One surprising item in the news today (h/t Treehugger) is a story about activists with the Israeli group Anonymous for Animal Rights.

For the last few years, Anonymous has been campaigning against the use of cruel battery cages on egg factory farms. Now, the group has put a hidden webcam inside a battery cage on an egg factory farm in Israel, streaming live video showing exactly what life is like for hens who are forced to live in these cramped wire-mesh cages. So far, the owners of the farm haven't been able to locate the camera—but, as you might imagine, they're apparently trying to find it.

As Treehugger put it (an understatement, to say the least), "It does not make for pleasant viewing." In the short time that I watched, I saw the caged birds pecking at each other in obvious frustration, and, as is apparent from the abuse, neglect, filth, and cruelty exposed by PETA's many undercover investigations, the situation is often even uglier for animals on factory farms.



alueta/CC by 2.0

Written by Jeff Mackey

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.Tags: Aninymous for Animal Rights, eggs, factory farms, Treehugger, vegan

An Egg a Day Keeps the Doctor … WealthyWritten by PETA
Posted 11-03-2010, 5:30 PM

Kai Hendry/CC by 2.0

If you had the same reaction that I did (i.e., violent retching) when you heard about KFC's hideously unhealthy Double Down (you know, the sandwich that replaced bread with fried chicken and forced you to think about all those globules of deadly gunk gumming up people's blood vessels), get this: A single egg yolk contains vastly more cholesterol than an entire Double Down. As Dave Barry says, I am not making this up.

With heart disease being the number one killer of Americans, the cholesterol-bomb egg industry has resorted to ever-more-desperate "move along, nothing to see here" tactics to try to pass the blame, but a new report in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology calls them out on their bull … uh, chicken poop. The take-away? Eating just one whole egg per day can double your risk of coronary disease.

Looking to break the egg habit? It's as easy as (eggless custard) pie—check out these tips and recipes!

Egg Industry Broken Wide OpenWritten by PETA
Posted 09-30-2010, 2:16 PM
If anyone still believes that "organic" eggs are a humane choice, please look at these gut-wrenching photos from the Organic Valley farm in Wisconsin: They show birds in stinking, stifling, windowless warehouses, crammed so tightly together that they're barely able to move—much less spread their wings, scratch in the dirt, or interact normally in any way.

The heartbreaking photos were released by a farm-policy research group called The Cornucopia Institute in a report called "Scrambled Eggs," which details the entrenched abuse in industrial-scale egg factories.




Like many other facilities that raise pullets (young birds), this house in Southwest Wisconsin confines the animals, granting no outdoor access whatsoever, and provides virtually no natural light in the building. Photo by The Cornucopia Institute.




36,000 birds in an aviary system in Wisconsin, supplying Chino Valley Ranchers. The hens also have access to an outdoor run. Photo by The Cornucopia Institute.



As the pictures attest, "organic" doesn't mean that birds are allowed to be free. Cage-free does not mean free range, of course, and so the chickens can still be crammed into sheds and forced to suffer through having a part of their beak cut off, just like birds on factory farms. But "organic" does mean that the chickens aren't fed antibiotics—leaving them all the more susceptible to illness in the filthy, poorly ventilated, crowded conditions.




The outside view of a 60,000 bird “organic” henhouse in Pennsylvania. The other side of the building has a small grassy porch as “outdoor access.” Photo by The Cornucopia Institute.




A two-story henhouse with tens of thousands of organic hens inside. The small, enclosed porch on the first floor provides “outdoor access” for the chickens on the second floor as well—it is accessible via a ramp that leads chickens down, single-file. Photo by The Cornucopia Institute.



Break the cycle of cruelty in your own life by choosing vegan alternatives to eggs, meat, and dairy products. Call 1-888-VEG-FOOD or order a free copy of our vegetarian/vegan starter kit today.

The Real Story Behind Eggs Written by PETA
Posted 08-26-2010, 12:31 PM




Ever since half a billion eggs were recalled because of a salmonella outbreak, people have been talking about food safety regulations. Animal welfare issues have been mentioned, but they need to be considered more seriously. The following are some facts to help you tell the hens' side of the story:

There's cruelty in every carton of eggs:
Ninety-nine percent of hens used by the egg industry are confined to filthy, crowded battery cages. In June, the owner of one of the egg farms involved in the recall—and of the company that supplies chickens and chicken feed to both farms implicated in the outbreak—pleaded guilty to cruelty to animals and paid more than $130,000 in fines and restitution following an undercover investigation by Mercy for Animals.

Salmonella spreads like wildfire on factory farms:
Under squalid factory farm conditions, it's easy for salmonella bacteria—which live in the intestines and feces of animals—to spread from bird to bird and from birds to people. Vegan foods don't naturally harbor salmonella bacteria.

Avoiding eggs is the best way to prevent salmonella poisoning and reduce animal suffering:
A salmonella vaccine that has been used successfully in Britain is available, but American regulators don't believe there's enough evidence to show that vaccinating hens will prevent people from getting sick. It's obvious that our food safety regulations are not all they're cracked up to be and that the safest and kindest way to prevent salmonella poisoning is to stop eating eggs altogether. PETA is urging Iowa schools to stop serving eggs to children in order to help protect them from food poisoning. You can opt for egg replacer, scrambled tofu, and other tasty vegan foods.

The Real Story Behind Eggs Written by PETA
Posted 08-26-2010, 12:31 PM




Ever since half a billion eggs were recalled because of a salmonella outbreak, people have been talking about food safety regulations. Animal welfare issues have been mentioned, but they need to be considered more seriously. The following are some facts to help you tell the hens' side of the story:

There's cruelty in every carton of eggs:
Ninety-nine percent of hens used by the egg industry are confined to filthy, crowded battery cages. In June, the owner of one of the egg farms involved in the recall—and of the company that supplies chickens and chicken feed to both farms implicated in the outbreak—pleaded guilty to cruelty to animals and paid more than $130,000 in fines and restitution following an undercover investigation by Mercy for Animals.

Salmonella spreads like wildfire on factory farms:
Under squalid factory farm conditions, it's easy for salmonella bacteria—which live in the intestines and feces of animals—to spread from bird to bird and from birds to people. Vegan foods don't naturally harbor salmonella bacteria.

Avoiding eggs is the best way to prevent salmonella poisoning and reduce animal suffering:
A salmonella vaccine that has been used successfully in Britain is available, but American regulators don't believe there's enough evidence to show that vaccinating hens will prevent people from getting sick. It's obvious that our food safety regulations are not all they're cracked up to be and that the safest and kindest way to prevent salmonella poisoning is to stop eating eggs altogether. PETA is urging Iowa schools to stop serving eggs to children in order to help protect them from food poisoning. You can opt for egg replacer, scrambled tofu, and other tasty vegan foods.

.The Egg Industry
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...

.. ..The 280 million chickens used each year for their eggs, called "laying hens" by the industry, endure a nightmare that lasts for two years.

At just a few days old, a large portion of each hen's beak is cut off with a burning-hot blade, and no painkillers are used. Many birds, unable to eat because of the pain, die from dehydration and weakened immune systems.

After enduring these mutilations, hens are shoved into tiny wire "battery" cages, which measure roughly 18 by 20 inches and hold five to 11 hens, each of whom has a wingspan of 32 inches. Even in the best-case scenario, each hen will spend the rest of her life crowded in a space about the size of a file drawer with four other hens, unable to lift even a single wing.

The birds are crammed so closely together that these normally clean animals are forced to urinate and defecate on one another. The stench of ammonia and feces hangs heavy in the air, and disease runs rampant in the filthy, cramped sheds. Many birds die, and survivors are often forced to live with their dead and dying cagemates, who are sometimes left to rot.

The light in the sheds is constantly manipulated in order to maximize egg production. Periodically, for two weeks at a time, the hens are only fed reduced-calorie feed. This process induces an extra laying cycle.

Male chicks are worthless to the egg industry, so every year millions of them are tossed into trash bags to suffocate or are thrown into high-speed grinders called "macerators" while they are still alive.

....After two years in these conditions, the hens' bodies are exhausted, and their egg production drops. These "spent" hens are shipped to slaughterhouses, where their fragile legs are forced into shackles and their throats are cut. By the time they are sent to slaughter, roughly 29 percent of the hens are suffering from broken bones resulting from neglect and rough treatment. Their emaciated bodies are so damaged that their flesh can generally be used only for chicken noodle soup, companion animal food, or "canned, boned, and diced" meat, much of which goes to the National School Lunch Program.

The good news is that removing eggs from your diet is easier than ever. Today there is a multitude of delicious and humane egg-free options. Check out a list of our favorite egg-free alternatives and recipes.

Eggs, Kids, and Arsenic Written by PETA
Posted 07-09-2010, 4:46 PM
BrokenSphere / CC by 1.0

Here's a toxic tidbit from the "Gross Meat Facts" files: Chickens who are raised for their flesh are routinely given feed laced with Roxarsone, an additive that contains—are you ready for this—arsenic. May we suggest a new slogan for the nugget bucket? "Potent poison in every piece!"

The fact is, roughly 70 percent of the chickens who are raised for their flesh in the U.S. are fed arsenic-laced feed. (Like antibiotics, arsenic is believed to speed growth and produce more meat to sell, quicker.) The chicken industry insists that most of the arsenic is eliminated in the chickens' waste (tough luck for fish in nearby waterways), but a recent study conducted by the Utah Department of Health revealed that it is also excreted in chickens' eggs. This was discovered after two children who ate eggs daily from the family's hens (who had been given feed containing Roxarsone) were found to have arsenic levels in their bloodstream that were at least twice the level deemed toxic.

It's also in chickens' flesh, according to a study conducted by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), an organization that is petitioning the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to ban arsenic feed additives. The IATP found that all the fast-food chicken and more than half of the store-bought chicken tested contained elevated levels of arsenic. High arsenic levels have been linked to certain cancers as well as immune system, endocrine, and neurological problems.

I guess now we know why the Colonel is so anxious to keep his recipe a secret.

Quarter of a Million Dead After FireWritten by PETA
Posted 03-26-2010, 1:29 PM
In a recent fire on an Ohio egg farm, 250,000 hens died after they were left in two sheds that had the electricity knocked out in order to battle the fire. Once the fire was squelched, all the birds were "euthanized" (we don't know how they were killed) because, according to a spokeswoman for Ohio Fresh Eggs, it was the "humane thing to do."



http://www.flickr.com/photos/aleutia/ / CC BY 2.0



First, take a minute to soak in the fact that there were more than 250,000 hens crammed into two sheds. Chickens on egg farms are packed into battery cages so tightly that they don't even have enough room to lie down, and the cages are stacked from floor to ceiling. They have their beaks seared off without being given any painkillers, and for up to two years they endure relentless cycles of egg-laying. When they become too weak to produce eggs they are trucked to slaughterhouses, where their legs are slammed into metal shackles and they have their throats cut while they are still conscious and able to feel pain.

Animals who are crammed by the thousands into warehouse-like buildings are often out of luck when disaster strikes, because it's not cost-effective for farm operators (and they certainly don't care enough) to take the time to implement evacuation plans. The loss of life caused by fires, floods, and other disasters is all too common on factory farms.

Of course, any animal who has suffered through a tragedy like this should be given a humane release from pain, but the representative also declined to comment on the method that was used to kill these poor chickens. If it's anything like the way many egg farms "euthanize" their male chicks—by leaving them to suffocate in plastic bags or by sending them through giant meat grinders while they are still alive—then I would say that "humane" isn't part of the equation.

Want to make sure that tragedies like these don't continue to occur? Go vegan.

Written by Heather Drennan

Michigan Bans Battery Cages and CratesWritten by PETA
Posted 10-13-2009, 1:43 PM
Yesterday was a momentous day for animals living on farms in Michigan, where Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed a bill into law that phases out veal crates, battery cages, and gestation crates on farms across the state!



greenbudget.wordpress / CC



Michigan farmers have been given three years to phase out veal crates and 10 years to get rid of gestation crates and battery cages. This means that farmers will no longer be allowed to immobilize calves in crates that are so small that the animals can barely take a step in any direction. Pregnant pigs will no longer be forced to live in their own excrement in a space too small to turn around in, and hens will get a chance to stretch their wings.

The news comes just a day after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill making it illegal to dock cows' tails in California, where gestation crates, veal crates, and battery cages were banned last year. Now that Michigan has become the seventh state to ban gestation crates, the fifth to ban veal crates, and the second to ban battery cages, we're hoping that laws improving conditions for animals on factory farms will continue to take the nation by storm.

Of course, the best way to prevent animal suffering is to adopt a vegan diet, stat.

Written by Shawna Flavell

The Embryo vs. the Egg McMuffinWritten by PETA
Posted 04-24-2009, 4:59 PM


Thank you Prolife Across America for your excellent billboard juxtaposition. We're always trying to remind folks that the squishy part of their Egg McMuffin is just a fried chicken embryo*. You've done future baby chicks everywhere a favor.

Still hungry for an Embryo McMuffin? Mmm … doubt it! We're definitely not lovin' it.

Written by Jennifer Cierlitsky

*OK, not exactly an embryo because it's not fertilized, but "fried chicken period" ain't so appealing either!

october 14th of 2008

Breaking Open the Rotten Egg Industry

VIDEO

http://www.peta.org/b/thepetafiles/archive/2008/10/14/Breaking-Open-the-Rotten-Egg-Industry.aspx

You know how we always say that chickens are the most abused animals on the planet? Well, watch this horrific video and you'll see why. A new investigation by our friends at Mercy for Animals has once again exposed the cruelty behind the egg industry. Undercover footage taken at one of the largest egg farms in California documented that workers were swinging chickens around by their necks in a heartless attempt to kill them. Chickens were crammed into filthy wire battery cages so small that they could barely move. Left to suffer with untreated injuries, infections, and open wounds, the chickens were forced to live side-by-side with the decomposing bodies of their cagemates for weeks on end.

Every time animal advocates investigate egg factory farms, they expose horrific cruelty just like this. Fortunately, there are a couple of things that we can do about it. First of all, ditch the eggs from your diet (if you haven't done so already). If you don't buy eggs, no one has to suffer to make them, right? Secondly, you can help banish battery cages in California. This November, Californians will have the opportunity to pass Proposition 2, which would require that farmed animals be given enough room to stand up, turn around, lie down, and extend their limbs. If you live in California, please vote YES on Proposition 2 and encourage your friends and family members to do the same. Even if you're not living in Cali, you can still help. Click here for more information about how you can support this historic ballot initiative.

NOVEMBER 18 , 2011

Bulletin from the cause: STOP BATTERY HENS AND CAGED POULTRY!!!
Go to Cause
Posted By: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
To: Members in 80 Causes
PETA's Thanksgiving Survival Guide
Dear Friend,

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, it's fun to plan your delicious vegan feast, but it can be stressful to handle this touchy subject with friends and family.

Fear not—PETA's Thanksgiving Survival Guide is here to help! The guide features mouthwatering holiday recipes, advice on how to handle conversations about veganism with your loved ones, and some additional information to educate yourself and your family about the turkeys who are raised and killed for food on factory farms.
So use our guide this Thanksgiving to ease your stress, and remember: The best way to speak out for turkeys this holiday season is not to eat them!

Have a cruelty-free and happy Thanksgiving!

Cider-Mashed Sweet Potatoes
This potato dish is a treat for sweet and savory
lovers alike—and what better way to spend a chilly
fall day than enjoying some hot mashed sweet
potatoes?
²⁄3 cup apple cider
5 large sweet potatoes or yams, scrubbed,
unpeeled
¼ cup vegan margarine
2 Tbsp. light brown sugar
½ tsp. salt
Lightly toasted, chopped pecans or thinly sliced
pineapple rings, for garnish
• Boil the cider in a small saucepan over high heat
until reduced by half, about 7 minutes. Set aside.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
Add the sweet potatoes and cook until tender, 30
to 40 minutes. Drain well.
• Peel the sweet potatoes, using a kitchen towel to
protect your hands. Return to the warm pot and
add the cider, vegan margarine, brown sugar, and
salt and mash until well blended.
• Garnish with pecans or pineapple and serve hot.
Makes 8 to 10 servings
Roasted Garlic Gravy
Looking for the perfect topping for your
homemade “Tofurky” loaf? Try this creamy and
garlicky vegan gravy.
1 head garlic
1 tsp. plus 1 Tbsp. olive oil
¼ cup flour
3½ cups vegetable broth
Salt and pepper, to taste
• Cut off the top of the head of garlic, exposing the
cloves. Place in a small baking dish and drizzle a
teaspoonful of the olive oil on top. Bake, covered
with foil, in a 375°F oven for 1 hour, or until
browned and soft. Remove from the oven and let
cool, then separate the cloves and remove the
skins.
• Put the cloves into a bowl and mash well with a fork.
• Heat a tablespoonful of the oil in a saucepan over
medium heat. Add the garlic and flour, whisking
constantly, until lightly browned.
• Whisk in the broth and bring to a boil, whisking
constantly. Season with the salt and pepper.
Makes 6 to 8 servings
Homemade ‘Tofurky’ Loaf
This recipe is cruelty-free and extra delish!
2 1-lb. blocks firm tofu
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
1½ Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
1½ Tbsp. dry sherry
3 Tbsp. water
¼ tsp. pepper
• Freeze the tofu for at least one day, then thaw it
and squeeze out the excess water. This process
changes the consistency of the tofu, making it
“meatier” and more porous.
• Place the two blocks of tofu next to each other in
a greased loaf pan, making sure that they are as
close together as possible.
• Combine the soy sauce, sesame oil, sherry, water,
and pepper to create a marinade.
• Pour ⅔ of the marinade over the tofu, cover the
dish, and place it in the refrigerator overnight.
Cover the remaining marinade and refrigerate it.
• Remove the tofu from the refrigerator and pour
the remaining marinade over the top.
That’s right, never fear: PETA is here to get you through the holiday season!Whether you’re a newbie
or a vegan veteran, you might be worried about those Thanksgiving menus. Luckily, we’ve got some easy
and delicious recipes for you as well as some Thanksgiving tips and facts about turkeys used for food.
The ingredients in these recipes can be found in most households around the holidays—so go get cookin’.
Don’t want to make your vegan centerpiece from scratch? Try some delicious alternatives to turkey such
as Tofurky, Field Roast, or Gardein products for a cruelty-free main course. Enjoy!
’s
Thanksgiving Survival Guide
• Bake at 350°F for 90 minutes,
basting every half hour and flipping
after 45 minutes. (Use caution when
flipping the tofu so that it does not
break apart.)
• Cool the tofu to room temperature or place in the
freezer until cool, at which point it will have a firm,
“meaty” texture.
• Use it in sandwiches, serve as a main dish with
gravy, or come up with your own serving ideas.
Makes 6 to 8 servings
Pumpkin Pie
Trust us: No one will know that this
pie is vegan! The tofu absorbs
the flavor of the other
ingredients. And your friends
and family will appreciate the
fact that it’s cholesterol-free!
1 15-oz. can pumpkin
¾ cup light brown sugar
1 12-oz. package extra-firm
silken tofu
1 tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. cloves
¼ tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp. salt
1 9-inch unbaked pie shell
Vegan whipped cream
(optional)
• Preheat the oven to 425°F.
• Blend the pumpkin and
brown sugar in a blender or
food processor. Add the tofu,
spices, and salt and blend
until smooth. Pour the
mixture into the unbaked
pie shell.
• Bake for 15 minutes, then
reduce the heat to 350°F and
bake for another 60 minutes
or until the filling sets.
• Chill and serve topped with
vegan whipped cream, if
desired.
Makes 8 servings
Chocolate Bread Pudding
With Rum Sauce
You can’t go wrong with chocolate for the holidays!
For the Pudding:
5 Tbsp. cocoa
1 Tbsp. hot water
2 cups soy milk
Egg replacer, equivalent of 2 eggs
½ cup sugar (try Florida Crystals brand)
Dash salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2-3 cups stale breadcrumbs
For the Rum Sauce:
1 cup vegan margarine,
softened (try Earth
Balance brand)
1 cup confectioners’
sugar
¼ cup dark rum
1 tsp. vanilla
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
• Combine the cocoa
with the water until
smooth. Add more
water if needed.
• In a large bowl,
combine the cocoa
mixture, soy milk, egg
replacer, sugar, salt,
and vanilla. Mix in the
breadcrumbs. Pour
into a lightly greased
loaf pan.
• Bake at 350°F for
1 hour.
• Beat the vegan
margarine until light
and fluffy. Sift in the
confectioners' sugar.
Add the rum, vanilla,
and nutmeg. With an
electric mixer set on
high speed, beat the
sauce for 5 minutes.
Pour over the
pudding.
• Serve warm.
Makes 6 servings
The following are some
suggestions to make your meal
complete (completely delicious,
that is):
• Looking for a protein-packed
main dish? Try a Tofurky roast
(found in the frozen-foods
section of most grocery
stores).
• There are many vegan latke
mixes out there, so if you’ve
got some egg replacer on
hand (try Ener-G Egg
Replacer), give one a whirl.
• Cranberry sauce is already
vegan, so don’t hold back
when it gets passed your way!
• Looking for vegan
marshmallows to top your
sweet potatoes? Several
brands are now available.
Just search online for “vegan
marshmallows” to find out
where they’re available locally.
• If you’re not a vegan gravy
whiz, Campbell’s makes a
mushroom gravy that’s a
perfect topper for mashed
potatoes.
Here at PETA, we get lots of questions
about food and cooking around the holiday
season. We’ve answered some of the most
common ones below, but if you have any other
questions, feel free to drop us a line at
ActionTeam@peta.org. We’re always here for you!
It’s a big tradition in my family to drink eggnog
around the holidays. I’ve just gone vegan, but
I don’t want to miss out on the tradition. What
should I do?
It can definitely be hard to go against the grain
when it comes to family traditions, but luckily, we’ve
got some great news for you! Silk Nog is an
awesome vegan eggnog option that can be found
in many grocery stores around the holidays (it’s good
warm or chilled). And guess what? More than a few
nonvegans love it! Can’t make it to the store? Try
whipping up a batch yourself—just search online for
“vegan eggnog.” Be sure to show your family that
you can still participate in the tradition by sharing
your store-bought or homemade deliciousness.
I’m so worried about the holidays this year. My
immediate family accepts that I’ve gone vegan,
but my extended family is a completely different
story. I don’t want to get into a blow-out at the
dinner table. So what am I supposed to do?
Rest assured that almost every vegan has been
through this. There are a couple of different ways to
get through a holiday family meal without having an
argument break out (at least not one related to
food!). First, plan ahead: Be a part of the mealplanning
process and try to incorporate some of the
recipes in this guide. You can also suggest easy
alternatives such as Campbell’s mushroom gravy,
which just happens to be vegan. Second, the holiday
dinner table is not the place to start a lecture about
how meat is murder, gross, unhealthy, etc. If
someone asks you a question, just say that you’ll be
happy to answer after the meal is over. If an
unsupportive uncle is really trying to push your
buttons, ask him to please be respectful—you’re
not bullying him about what he’s eating,
so he shouldn’t bully you.
My grandma really tries to be supportive,
which is great, but she never seems to
remember the difference between vegetarian
and vegan. I’m vegan, so what should I do if
she makes me something with eggs or milk
in it?
This is definitely a tricky situation. On the one
hand, you don’t want to offend your grandma,
who is making an effort, after all, but you also want
to stick to your beliefs. What to do? I recommend
heading things off at the pass. If you think that this
might happen, talk to your grandma ahead of
time about her plans and work with her on any
tricky ingredients (and make recommendations).
And if you’re already sitting at the table? Politely
pass. If she asks why you aren’t eating the dish,
explain that you don’t eat eggs (or whatever is in
the dish) anymore but that you really appreciate
the effort that she’s making for you. If she
complains that the food will go to waste, volunteer
to give it to a (nonvegan) friend or take it to a
homeless shelter. Let her know that you’d love to
spend some time with her soon to figure out—
together—how to make that particular dish vegan.
My family says that being vegan is too
expensive and that if I want my own “special”
food during the holidays, I’ll have to pay for it
myself. I don’t have a lot of money to spend.
Do you have any suggestions?
Of course, vegan food can be expensive (as can
food made with meat, milk, or eggs), but it doesn’t
have to be. Start by showing your family the
recipes in this guide—the ingredients cost no
more than those in the nonvegan versions of the
same dishes. Offer to make a few dishes, and win
everyone over with how tasty they are!
Go grocery shopping with your family so that you
can point out the inexpensive traditional holiday
food options that just happen to be vegan—
such as potatoes, canned and frozen veggies,
beans, etc. Soy milk and tofu can be pretty
cheap, so be sure to check them out as
well. And if you can scrape up a bit of
money (you’ll be saving on everything
else, after all), you can always splurge
on a Tofurky roast!
Common Questions
What’s the big deal about eating turkeys? If
your friends and family are curious about your
vegan choices, the following are some helpful
facts about the horrors that these birds face as
they make their way to the Thanksgiving table:
• Turkeys on factory farms are killed when they
are just 5 to 6 months old. During their short
lives, they are denied everything that is
natural and important to them, such as
searching for food, building nests, and raising
their young.
• Approximately 300 million turkeys are raised
and killed for their flesh every year in the U.S.
More than 45 million turkeys are killed each
year for Thanksgiving alone, and more than
22 million are slaughtered for Christmas.
What makes these numbers even worse is
that turkeys raised for food are not protected
under any federal laws in the U.S.
• Before ending up on the holiday table, the
vast majority of these gentle, intelligent birds
spend their lives on factory farms, where
thousands of them are packed into dark
sheds with no more than 3.5 square feet of
space per bird. Turkeys are bred to grow as
quickly as possible, and many become crippled
under the weight of their massive upper bodies.
• To keep the birds from scratching and pecking
each other to death, workers cut off portions of
the birds’ toes and upper beaks with hot blades
and de-snood the males (the snood is the flap of
skin that runs from the beak to the chest). No pain
relievers are used during any of these procedures.
• Turkeys raised on factory farms won’t ever have
the opportunity to breathe fresh air or feel the
warmth of the sun on their backs. They will
be packed onto trucks bound for the
slaughterhouse and transported for hours
without food or water through all
weather extremes—and many die
during this nightmarish journey.
• At the slaughterhouse, the survivors are hung
upside down by their weak and often deformed
legs before their heads are dragged through an
electrified “stun bath,” which immobilizes but
does not kill them. Many birds miss the stun bath
and are still conscious when their throats are cut.
If the knife fails to cut the birds’ throats properly,
they are scalded to death in the tank of boilinghot
water used for feather removal.
All this pain and suffering occurs just so that
people can enjoy their holiday
centerpiece—a headless, oversized,
stuffed dead bird. Please use this guide
to help educate your friends and family
on why you’re choosing compassion
over cruelty this holiday season.
A Turkey’s Journey to
Your Table
© Jody Boyman

23 december 2013

petition

https://www.change.org/petitions/urge-mcdonalds-to-stop-torturing-hens-for-egg-mcmuffins

7777