See https://healthytokyo.com/about-us/

The FDA is now considering action on a 2014 petition by the Center for Science in the Public Interest asking that sesame be labeled the same as other major food allergens. If granted, it would be the first time that the FDA made full use of a law that allows the agency to require labeling for an allergen that is not one of the Big Eight.

For information see
https://e-activist.com/ea-action/enclick?ea.url.id=1663228&ea.campaigner.email=IgrEEsUeQ2rVc13nGfQogg==&ea.campaigner.id=RyA%2BQsoR2qgqJI2ZMf1z3w==&ea_broadcast_target_id=0

Your support is greatly appreciated!

Here’s a small sampling of some of our accomplishments and outreach this year:

• VRG’s Nutrition Advisor, Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, was a guest lecturer on vegetarian and vegan infants and children for an online graduate course at Nova Southeastern University. She also did a presentation on vegan pregnancy for a Vegan Children talk at the Portland VegFest in Oregon. Reed and Catherine Conway, MS, RD, spoke to hundreds of health professionals at the VRG booth during the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics FNCE Conference in Washington, DC
• We continue to work with numerous High School and College interns in our Baltimore office including future vegan Registered Dietitians. VRG Nutrition Advisor Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, mentors those interns who are interested in pursuing a career in nutrition. VRG staff also works with students that are majoring in Journalism, Business, etc. Among their tasks are staffing VRG booths throughout the USA, preparing vegan meals for homeless individuals, reviewing new vegan products (someone has to do that tough job!), writing up entries for our online restaurant guide, reviewing scientific studies on vegan diets, plus so much more. These students are the future of the vegan movement and we should all be excited about what they will bring to the cause once they graduate.
• VRG assisted media (print, web, radio, tv, etc.). VRG’s Nutrition Advisor, Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, did an interview on vegan kids for Now This Food; was interviewed by Veggie Fit Kids website; and was interviewed on KMUZ 88.5/100.7 FM (Nu Health Nation) about vegan diets for diabetes, pregnancy, older adults, and athletes. VRG Nutrition Advisor Reed Mangels PhD, RD, was interviewed for The New York Times Well Family section on how parents can handle a situation where just one of their children has decided to become a vegetarian in a family of meat eaters, as well as contributed information for a slide show on vegan and vegetarian pregnancy for US News and World Report.
• A medical center in Ohio asked to reprint The Vegetarian Resource Group’s My Vegan Plate in their diet education materials. VRG’s Parents/Kids Facebook Group continues to be an active supportive arena for veggie parents and kids. To join the discussion, see: https://www.facebook.com/groups/VRGparentsandkids/
• The Vegetarian Resource Group has done numerous outreach booths this year including Charlottesville and Richmond, VA VegFests; Vegan SoulFest in Baltimore, MD; Veggie Pride Parade in NY City; New England VegFest in Worcester, MA; Western NY VegFest in Buffalo, NY; Everett Community College Food Day in WA; University of Buffalo (NY) Sustainability Fair; Vegan Summerfest in Johnstown, PA; Maryland Dietetics in Health Care Communities Conference; New Jersey VegFest, Annual Meeting of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in Washington, DC; York Harvest VegFest in York, PA; World VegFest in San Francisco, CA; and many other locations
• The Vegetarian Resource Group provided vegan handouts free-of-charge for outreach in a wide variety of locations including a vegetarian student group at Allegheny College in Meadville, PA in preparation for the start of the new semester, the Vegan Community of Eastern Iowa for their first annual VegFest of Eastern Iowa, Northwest Ohio Vegan Advocates, the Macrobiotic Summer Conference, the Houston and Pittsburgh VegFests, Jim Cook Day of Hope for Diabetes in California, and the inaugural Michiana Veg Fest in Indiana.

Your support is greatly appreciated! You can donate directly to VRG at www.vrg.org/donate

You can also mail donations to The Vegetarian Resource Group, PO Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203 or call in your donation to (410) 366-8343 Monday through Friday 9am to 5pm EST

Amy’s recently sent The Vegetarian Resource Group office a sample of their Thai Curry Sweet Potato Lentil Soup. It was delicious! Simply heat-up and enjoy!

Information on this soup (including where you can buy it) is here: https://www.amys.com/our-foods/thai-curry-sweet-potato-lentil-soup

If you want some new ideas of dishes to make to celebrate the New Year, here are some suggestions from previous Vegetarian Journal articles:

Holiday Drop-In: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2002issue4/2002_issue4_holiday_drop.php
Includes recipes for Pumpkin-Cranberry Cookies, Whole Wheat and Carob Brownies, Chocolate Chip Bars, Cayenne Pecans, Green Pea Spread, and more from Peggy Rynk.

Vegan Biscotti: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2005issue2/2005_issue2_biscotti.php
Learn how to make vegan biscotti at home with a variety of flavor choices from Debra Daniels-Zeller.

Easy Holiday Potluck Brunch: https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2004issue4/2004_issue4_potluck_brunch.php
Enjoy a Simple Red Lentil Pate, Butternut Squash Streusel Bread, Cranberry Custard, and more by Debra Daniels-Zeller.

Please subscribe to Vegetarian Journal at:
https://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

You can also subscribe to Vegetarian Journal on Kindle in the USA:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07LBY2Y7K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1544727482&sr=8-1&keywords=B07LBY2Y7K

A Vegetarian Resource Group member shared the following message from a friend recommending a vegan restaurant she ate at on her trip to the Cayman Islands:

“Here’s a link to the vegan restaurant we ate at the night before we left Grand Cayman: www.cafe.ky There were pulled pork sliders made from homemade whole wheat rolls and crispy jackfruit, conch fritters made from something deliciously not-conch, and so many creatively done and unusual textures and tastes. Surprisingly we found at least three vegan restaurants on the island. Lots of yummy smoothie stops too.” You can view their menu on the website.

VRG’s Co-Directors write about the topic “Vegan or Plant-Based?” in their Note from the Coordinators column of Vegetarian Journal. Read the piece here:
https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2018issue4/2018_issue4_note_coordinators.php

Due to the generosity of an anonymous donor, The Vegetarian Resource Group each year will award $20,000 in college scholarship money to graduating U.S. high school students who have promoted veganism/vegetarianism in their schools and/or communities. Vegetarians do not eat meat, fish, or fowl. Vegans are vegetarians who do not use other animal products such as dairy or eggs.

One award of $10,000 and two awards of $5,000 will be given. Entries may only be sent by students graduating from high school in spring 2019. Deadline is February 20, 2019. We will accept applications postmarked on or before February 20, 2019. Early submission is encouraged.

Applicants will be judged on having shown compassion, courage, and a strong commitment to promoting a peaceful world through a vegan/vegetarian diet/lifestyle. Payment will be made to the student’s college (U.S. based only). Winners of the scholarships give permission to release their names to the media. Applications and essays become property of The Vegetarian Resource Group. We may ask finalists for more information. Scholarship winners are contacted by e-mail or telephone. Please look at your e-mail.

For details on the contest, see: http://www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htm

Vote at https://www.vrg.org/vote/index.php

By Kalie Ganem

This semester, I had the privilege to intern with The Vegetarian Resource Group. Every week, I wrote articles and did projects for the Vegetarian Journal and website www.vrg.org, some of which included writing an article about vegan snacks for gymnasts, reviewing a Maryland restaurant, and writing a review of Goucher College’s vegan options.

One of my favorite parts of the job was attending events that made vegan education more accessible to the public, including a booth at Vegan Soulfest and the Annual VRG Vegan Pre-Thanksgiving Potluck Dinner. At these events, I was able to work directly with people transitioning into vegetarianism and helped them with ideas on how to balance their new diet. I also heard many stories from vegan veterans; such as a nurse trying to get her overweight patients to try a plant-based diet, and a politician who had experienced torment in the media for his lifestyle choice. These conversations expanded my worldview, and only reinforced my choice to be vegan. They brought so much inspiration and positivity into my life, as well as taught me how to form relationships and orally articulate my views. Developing these skills now will help me in my future endeavors as a doctor, working with superiors, peers, and patients. So I’m glad I got the chance to learn and practice these so early in life.

Another part of the job I enjoyed was getting to taste and review new vegan foods in a segment in Vegetarian Journal called “Veggie Bits.” As fun as this was, it really challenged my ability to describe what I was experiencing, as I’ve never had to describe foods before. One of the aspects I found most fulfilling about my time here was learning even more about the impact being vegetarian has on the world. I had always known that eating meat was problematic for the environment, but I had never fully understood how much of an impact one person has on reducing this impact simply by being vegetarian. I used to have the attitude that each individual person is practically powerless to the broken system and the way things are. But working here has taught me that each individual’s actions matter, and every time you can employ tiny acts of activism in your life and consumption, the world is better for it. Everything begins with one person. The combination of this knowledge and being surrounded by adult role models who were successfully employing and promoting vegan diets inspired me to actually make the switch from vegetarianism to veganism.

Eating has turned from a passive experience and just something I just had to do into something that inspires me. I feel strong, empowered, and healthy now that I have such control over what I am consuming, and I owe that all to working here. Overall, I am incredibly glad I got the opportunity to intern here and would recommend it to anyone who wants to grow. I wish the VRG organization the best of luck and would like to thank them for everything they have done for me.

For information about internships, see: https://www.vrg.org/student/index.php

To support The Vegetarian Resource Group outreach, donate at: www.vrg.org/donate