We recently had the opportunity to dine at Killer Vegan restaurant in Union, New Jersey. We tried their Killer Vegan Panini (consisting of country-fried cutlet strips with avocado, tomato, onion, arugula, and chipotle mayo on a grilled panini), several of their side dishes (mashed potatoes and gravy, roasted Brussels sprouts, and kale salad), as well as their delicious vegan milkshakes made with Klein’s vegan ice cream. Service was fantastic and we enjoyed our meal.

Find information on Killer Vegan here: https://killervegan.com/
The Vegetarian Resource Group’s online list of veggie restaurants in the USA and Canada can be seen here: https://killervegan.com/

The Vegetarian Resource Group is an activist non-profit organization that does outreach all-year-long. For example, VRG tables at different events throughout the USA and also sends literature free of charge to other groups/individuals doing educational activities in schools, hospitals, camps, restaurants, libraries, offices, etc. Our ability to continue doing this depends on people like you! Your donations allow us to promote the vegan message whenever we’re called upon for assistance. Please consider becoming a monthly or quarterly donor to The Vegetarian Resource Group.

Thanks so much for your support. You can become a monthly or quarterly donor online here: vrg.org/donate

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

General nutrition advice indicates that greens with high oxalate content are not good sources of calcium, since the oxalate interferes with absorption. A reader asked if cooking would render the oxalic acid ineffective and not block absorption.

There are two kinds of oxalate in foods – soluble oxalate and insoluble oxalate. The insoluble oxalate is what binds with calcium so that neither the calcium nor the oxalate are absorbed. My review of the literature indicates that the soluble oxalate is more easily absorbed. Boiling vegetables decreases total oxalate content, primarily by loss of soluble oxalate. So, for example, even though there is a reduction in oxalate when spinach is boiled, much of that reduction is in soluble oxalate. Absorption of calcium from spinach is still low (~5%) apparently because insoluble oxalate content was not reduced markedly by boiling so it still formed a complex with calcium that prevented absorption of both calcium and oxalate. So, no, we can’t say that cooking renders the oxalate ineffective in terms of its ability to bind with calcium and prevent the calcium from being absorbed.

For vegan calcium sources, see https://www.vrg.org/nutshell/vegan.htm#calcium
and https://www.vrg.org/nutrition/calcium.php

The contents of this email, our website, and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.

Danone says they have opened the largest plant-based yogurt facility in the U.S., and will produce Silk Yogurt, So Delicious Dairy Free Yogurt and cheeses.

For more information, see: https://abasto.com/en/news/danone-plant-based-yogurt-facility/?utm_source=Danone+Opens+Largest+Plant-Based+Yogurt+Facility+in+The+U.S.&utm_campaign=Newsletter&utm_medium=email

By Taylor Gale, VRG Intern

Johnny Rad’s is a great spot for a convenient and good ole all American joint. It is a small-scale eatery located at 2108 Eastern Ave. Baltimore, MD 21231, right up the street from downtown Fells Point. The ambiance is very hipster, with all of its employees dressing for the occasion. The light is somewhat dim, creating an intimate dining experience, perfect for small parties. Johnny Rad’s offers a great selection of beer, wine, and food! Conveniently, if the food item is vegetarian or vegan it is labeled as such at the end of each description.

For starters, their French fries and freshly made chips are to die for! They typically offer a non-vegan sauce with the fries, but if you specify to your waiter that you are vegan, they will happily give you a vegan sauce as well, which gives a tang, complementing the crispiness of the fries and chips.

Johnny Rad’s salads cater more towards vegetarians, but they do offer a vegan garden salad that comes with vegan croutons and you have the option of being able to add vegan chick’n and vegan steak to any salad. They have three vegan dressings, which are labeled as such (thank you Johnny Rad’s!!). Their sesame ginger dressing is heavenly if you like Asian flavors! They also provide balsamic vinaigrette and creamy Italian.

Personally, whenever I have gone to Johnny Rad’s I go with friends or family and order as much as possible. Their pizza is a must have, every time! I ordered the Trainwreck and the BBQ Chicken pizza, but substituted the cheese for PEP vegan mozzarella and vegan chick’n. They offer a wide variety of veggie toppings and vegan meats, so basically you can create whatever type of pizza your heart desires. All of the staff are super helpful and friendly when you express your dietary needs/restrictions.

For sandwiches, their vegan cheesesteak is a must! Their sub and brioche buns are vegan and every sandwich comes with a side of chips, fries, or salad. Johnny Rad’s offers a delicious portabella burger, as well as the Impossible Burger.

Thankfully they label half of the dessert menu as vegan. The donut twist is made from their fresh pizza dough, deep fried, and then is tossed in cinnamon and sugar, served with a side of icing. Similarly, their rainbow bites are fresh dough squares, tossed in powdered sugar with an icing glaze topped with rainbow candy sprinkles.

Johnny Rad’s has a huge menu selection of beers, wines, and cocktails. I personally am not that familiar with what types of beers compliment certain foods, so I asked the waiter and he guided me on what was popular and tasty!

The only hiccup of Johnny Rad’s is its parking, which is nonexistent. It can be a hassle to find street parking, but I promise you, the attentive service, mouthwatering veggie food, and the edgy atmosphere will leave you satisfied beyond your expectations. By the end of the meal, I was already planning my next visit! This place is perfect for a casual date night or a meetup for friends and family.

For more information you can visit their website, http://www.johnnyrads.com/JohnnyRads/home.html or Instagram page, https://www.instagram.com/johnnyrads/?utm_source=ig_profile_share&igshid=hsh5wctnjdh6, where they post their specials every week!

You can also take a look at VRG’s veggie restaurant guide at https://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php!

Recent discussion topics include:
-Has anyone had experience organizing an eco-friendly vegan birthday party for children?

-Anyone find any new (past couple of years) vegan/animal rights storybooks or cookbooks for young children up to teens? If so, please share as we are updating our website book list.

-Have other families have tried Wayfare’s vegan butter. It’s a new favorite in our family!

-Could you please recommend movies that promote environmental care/farm animal care/veganism/Plant Based Diet that is suitable for 6-year-old children to watch?

– Plus more!

VRG’s Parents and Kids Facebook Group is intended to be a group that offers support for families raising children on vegan diets and for vegan kids. We envision it as a place to get advice about a wide-variety of topics: pregnancy, birthday parties, school lunches, Halloween, non-leather apparel, cruelty-free products, summer camps, and more. Please use it as a place to share your wisdom, seek advice, or just find a sympathetic ear. The goal is to offer support.

Consequently, any profane, defamatory, offensive, or violent language will be removed. Feel free to disagree, but do so respectfully. Hateful or discriminatory comments regarding race, ethnicity, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or political beliefs will not be tolerated. We expect that posts should relate to vegan diets and lifestyles. The Vegetarian Resource Group reserves the right to monitor all content and ban any user who posts in violation of the above rules, any law or regulation, SPAM, or anything otherwise off topic.

Please share this information with any veggie families that you know! Thanks.

By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS

Chobani introduced in 2019 a coconut-based non-dairy yogurt to its product line.

We sent Chobani a message through the contact form on its website asking if the natural flavors were all plant-derived. We received this email response from Colleen of the Community Loyalty Team at Chobani:

“Thanks so much for getting in touch with us and for your great question. Absolutely, our Non-Dairy Chobani products are considered to be vegan and vegetarian friendly. While we don’t use milk or other animal products in our non-dairy recipe, milk is present in the factory where Non-Dairy Chobani products are made. Being transparent with consumers about everything that goes into our products (and what doesn’t!) is important to us.”

We spoke with Mary from Chobani’s Community Loyalty Team in February 2019. She said, “All of our natural flavors in all of our flavors are fruit- and vegetable-based.”

Interested readers will find more information on Chobani’s Non-Dairy Yogurt by visiting the Chobani website.

The contents of this posting, our website, and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.

Miss Shirley’s Café with locations in Baltimore and Annapolis, Maryland participated in the greater Baltimore area Vegan Restaurant Week. They have decided to extend their Special Winter Vegan Restaurant Week Menu another week. You still have time to enjoy a wide range of vegan dishes for breakfast and lunch including Vegan Griddle Cakes, Trail Mix Oatmeal, Avocado Toast, Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad, Spinach and Kale Salad, Athena Bowl, Beets and Sweets Sandwich, Beyond Burger, Park Place Powerhouse, and more.

Here’s Miss Shirley’s Café special vegan menu: https://www.mdveganeats.com/miss-shirleys-menu
Restaurant locations can be found here: https://www.missshirleys.com/locations/main-locations

If employees did not complete a pledge through the 2018 CFC because of the government shutdown, it is not too late. The online pledge portal for federal government employees (cfcgiving.opm.gov) remains open until 11:59 pm, February 22 (Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time) for monetary and volunteer time pledges. In addition, employees can still submit a paper pledge to their CFC Keyworkers.

If an employee already pledged this year, thank you so much. Thank you for your support of the Combined Federal Campaign.

By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS

The VRG received a question from an online reader who wondered if there are any laws that restaurants must follow when labeling their menu offerings as vegan.

There is not a federal legal definition of “vegan” in the U.S. restaurants must use. This means that companies and restaurants might feel free to use the term as they wish.

There are 3rd party certifying agencies, which certify products or foods. A company need not use them to call an item vegan, and the agencies can have different standards.

Posted Calories at Restaurants Law
The FDA enforces (since 2017) a calorie & nutrition labeling rule in certain chain restaurants and similar eateries. Read more about it here: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/adding-calorie-counts-on-menus-might-make-americans-eat-better-but-not-in-the-way-youd-think-2017-04-13
This rule may not help you as a consumer looking for vegan options.

FALCPA and Vegans
More helpful is the food allergen rule FALCPA established in 2004. Food allergen rule FALCPA established in 2004

Foods containing eggs & dairy will need to be listed on food packages. Unfortunately, this rule doesn’t apply to restaurants (although some may voluntarily provide and/or display this information). Here are some pertinent FAQs from the above link:

Q: What about food prepared in restaurants? How will I know that the food I ordered does not contain an ingredient to which I am allergic?
A: FALCPA only applies to packaged FDA-regulated foods. However, FDA advises consumers who are allergic to particular foods to ask questions about ingredients and preparation when eating at restaurants or any place outside the consumer’s home.

Q: How will FALCPA apply to foods purchased at bakeries, food kiosks at the mall, and carry out restaurants?
A: FALCPA’s labeling requirements extend to retail and food-service establishments that package, label, and offer products for human consumption. However, FALCPA’s labeling requirements do not apply to foods that are placed in a wrapper or container in response to a consumer’s order – such as the paper or box used to provide a sandwich ordered by a consumer.

EU and Vegan Labeling
In 2019 the EU is supposed to begin looking into legally defining “vegan” and “vegetarian.”
https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2017/11/03/EU-to-set-legal-definition-of-vegetarian-and-vegan-food
This means that there may be laws that companies and possibly restaurants must follow unless the EU designates it as voluntary guidance.

Be sure to check back to our blog for updates on this issue.

NOTE FROM THE EDITORS: CONSUMER LAW
Though vegan may not be specifically defined in the U.S. by law, there are general consumer laws, which may apply.

For example, In the case of kosher, though the government doesn’t define kosher, in some states it can protect consumers who purchase kosher food by ensuring that the regulations governing representation of kosher food are adequately enforced and businesses don’t promote fraud.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld New York’s Kosher Law Protection Act, passed in 2004, ruling that it does not interfere with religion in any way and exists solely for preventing fraud. The law allows food sellers and producers to decide for themselves what kosher practices to follow.

Some people would like the government to define vegan. But the question becomes (like kosher or organic) who then decides what vegan means, and if stringent or less stringent definitions are used. For example, though often products with an unknown source of cane sugar are called or labeled vegan, would a government rule allow this or not in a vegan food? Who would decide?

See:
https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-religion-kosher/new-york-kosher-law-is-kosher-court-rules-idUSL1E8GBOXE20120511

http://consumer.georgia.gov/business-services/kosher-food?print=true

https://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/kosher

Vegan Food Preparation in Restaurants
In the case of preparation technique in restaurants, if of concern to you, you may want to ask the manager before ordering. This information will not be on food packages and may not be reflected even in nutritional listings (available upon request at some restaurants).

You can ask specific questions such as:
Do you fry meat, poultry, fish or seafood in the same oil used to fry plant foods like potatoes or breaded vegetables?
Do you fry meat or fish on the same grill surface used to fry vegetables or tofu?
If you have separate grill surfaces for meats and vegetables, do you use separate cooking utensils, too?

If these are of concern to you, you may feel better eating in vegetarian restaurants.

For reference see:

The Vegetarian Resource Group labeling article
FDA 2016 regulation on restaurant menus
FDA 2014 guidance on labeling
FDA 2013 guidance on labeling

The contents of this posting, our website, and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.