Acsah Melgares stated, “Hello, my name is Acsah and I’ve been a vegetarian almost 2 years now. My switch to vegetarianism came as a surprise for everyone around me because I grew up in a culture where meat is served at every party. Although that may throw people off, I think that vegetarianism does not exclude any group. Anyone can be a vegetarian, so long as they want to. I decided to switch over to a vegetarian diet because of my love for animals. As a child, I would always point out animal cruelty-in the circus, food, etc. Along with not wanting to support animal cruelty, I decided to become a vegetarian because of my health. Many diseases, like high blood pressure, run in my family, so I want to prevent it while saving the animals. I don’t see a difference between torturing a dog and torturing a chicken–they are both god’s wonderful creation. Therefore, I want to look out for animals that “belong” to the meat industry in hopes that one day, I can make a difference. I hope that my video has shown a brief explanation to why I am a vegetarian. I enjoyed making it and I hope you enjoyed watching! Thank you for your time.”

See: http://www.vrg.org/veg_videos.php#Melgares

The deadline for the next video contest is July 15, 2018
See http://www.vrg.org/videoscholarship.php

For information about VRG’s College Scholarship Contest, see:
http://www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htm

To support The Vegetarian Resource Group scholarships and internships, donate at: Donate to VRG

Thank you to Heather Francis, Emily Klesitz, Rebecca Lordon, and Tina Urban, who volunteered at The Vegetarian Resource Group booth at New Jersey VegFest. Heather reported: A lot of the people who stopped by were individuals who were transitioning and needed advice. Other individuals were teachers who wanted resources/were looking for resources. The Vegetarian Resource Group My Vegan Plate handout was the most popular and many people seemed to enjoy it. A lot of people loved that we had materials available. One guy in particular liked us because we weren’t a business trying to make a profit, rather handing out free resources to those who wanted information. There were questions about the Vegan Pregnancy book by our Nutrition Advisor Reed Mangels, RD.

If you would like to volunteer at VRG booths, email [email protected].

To support VRG outreach, join at http://www.vrg.org/member/cabdacae.php

Are you looking for some new ideas to prepare dishes featuring apples and/or pears? If so, we are sharing recipes from previous articles in Vegetarian Journal.

Perfect Pears
Debra Daniels-Zeller offers these pear recipes:

Reisling-Braised Kale and Pears With Basmati Rice
Sweet And Spicy Yams And Pears With Toasted Pecans
Maple-Sautéed Pears
Creamy Rosemary, Acorn Squash, and Pear Soup
Coconut-Cranberry-Pear Sauce
Hazelnut-Orange Asian Pear and Beet Salad
Pear Crisp With Cranberries
Pear-Walnut Bread
Berry-Poached Pears

Fabulous Apple Desserts
Jacqueline Dunnington provides these apple-based recipes:

Poached Apples
Raw Fruit Slices with Spiced Apple Syrup
Baked Apples in Maple Syrup
Swiss-Style Apple Dessert
Apple Fantasy
Apple and Apricot “Soup”

To subscribe to Vegetarian Journal, visit:
Subscribe to Vegetarian Journal

The Vegetarian Resource Group received this message:

Dear Friends,

We wanted to let you know that we are voluntarily recalling three batches of our product (Kale & Pinto Bean with “Best By” date of 062018 and 062718 and UPC number 8-54430-00247-5, and Black Bean & Sweet Corn with the “Best By” date of 061918 and UPC number 8-54430-00237-6). Please see carton examples below.

This voluntary recall is due to the possibility that some cartons within these batches of Vegan pupusas may have been mispackaged and could contain another pupusa flavor that contains cheese. People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to dairy should not consume these products. Although we understand the problem is not extensive within these batches, we are recalling the full batches to ensure the safety of our consumers who have dairy concerns.

We are offering full replacements or refunds for these products. Please contact us at [email protected] or call (720) 613-TRES 9-5pm Monday -Friday MST with replacement & refund requests or with any additional questions.

We will continue to partner with our co-manufacturer to uphold our standards for safe and quality products.

You can find out more here:
http://treslatinfoods.com/voluntary-recall/?utm_source=recall&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=october

Thanks,
The Tres Latin Foods Team

Whether you’re a vegan living alone or the only vegan in your family, Vegan for One by Ellen Jaffe Jones with Beverly Lynn Bennett is meant for you. Helpful tips are provided along with delicious vegan recipes. For breakfast try Buttermilk Pancakes, Breakfast Potato-and-Veggie Skillet, or Maple, Apple, and Pecan Waffles. Next, move on to snacks such as Sweet Cinnamon Baked Tortilla Chips and Sauces and Gravies including Spicy Peanut Sauce and Cashew Cheese Sauce.

Delicious salad options are offered including Creamy Ranch-Dressed Potato Salad, Taco Salad, and Sesame Slaw. And you can serve one of these salads with a soup such as Miso Noodle Soup or Roasted Butternut Bisque.

For lunch try Seitan Street Tacos, Classic BLT, or Tofu and Slaw Spring Rolls. For dinner, start with a delicious side dish such as Roasted Cauliflower, Sesame Noodles, Indian-Style Millet, or Candied-Ginger Baby Carrots. Main dish options include Curried Lentils with Spinach, Mac-n-Cheese, Barbecue Tofu or Tempeh, and Deconstructed Veggie Lasagna. Finally, end your meal with one of these outstanding desserts: Rich and Chewy Brownies, Silken Berry Pudding, or Caramel-Almond Blondies. Dining solo never has to be boring again!

You can order this book today from The Vegetarian Resource Group here:
Vegan for One

The Vegetarian Resource Group offers a wide range of vegan books in their book catalog including: Vegan Brunch, Vegan Soul Kitchen, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, The Indian Vegan Kitchen, Teff Love, Food Allergy Survival Guide, Artisan Vegan Cheese, plus many other titles.

Visit VRG’s entire book catalog here:
VRG Book Catalog

This Congress takes place every five years. It is the premiere scientific conference on plant based diets.

Theme this time: Plantfoods for the health of people, populations and the planet.

Place: Loma Linda University Campus in Southern California.

Website: vegetariannutrition.org

Logan Mason stated, “I am very interested in getting the best out of my body and vegetarianism has the benefits I am looking for. Studies have shown that human bodies are better meant for a herbivore diet, and vegetarians are some of the healthiest people around.

See: http://www.vrg.org/veg_videos.php#Mason

The deadline for the next video contest is July 15, 2018. See:
http://www.vrg.org/videoscholarship.php

For information about VRG’s College Scholarship Contest, see:
http://www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htm

To support The Vegetarian Resource Group scholarships and internships,
donate at: www.vrg.org/donate

The Vegetarian Resource Group just celebrated its 35th Anniversary and 2017 has been a very productive year. Support through Combined Federal Charity (CFC) or your Local/State Campaign is greatly appreciated! You can also donate directly to VRG at www.vrg.org/donate

Here’s a sampling of some of our recent accomplishments and outreach:
– VRG started a new Parents/Kids Facebook Group. To join see: https://www.facebook.com/groups/VRGparentsandkids/

-VRG’s Food Service Advisor, Nancy Berkoff, did a presentation in Fargo, North Dakota at a regional meeting of the National Association of College and University Food Services. Nancy also consulted for a company in Russia who is looking to increase the availability of plant-based milks in Moscow.

-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.). The Associated Press interviewed VRG’s Nutrition Advisor, Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, on vegan babies; Reed also updated information on veggie pregnancies on BabyCenter.com. Reed was quoted in an Issue of Consumer Reports in an article titled, “Healthy Shopping Strategies for Vegans.” A reporter from NACS Magazine interviewed VRG Co-Director Debra Wasserman for a trends column about how convenience stores can respond to the growth of consumers who are vegetarian and vegan. A Wall Street Journal writer contacted VRG for data on veganism/vegetarianism in the USA and how it compares to 20 years ago.

– The Vegetarian Resource Group has done numerous outreach booths this year including Leg Up Farmers Market in York, PA; Farm Animal Rights Conference in VA; Charlottesville and Richmond, VA VegFests; Vegan SoulFest in Baltimore, MD; DC GreenFest; Veggie Pride Parade in NYC; DC VegFest; Ashville, NC VegFest; New England VegFest in Worcester, MA; Baltimore VegFest; Jain Conference in Edison, NJ; Western NY VegFest in Buffalo, NY; World VegFest in San Francisco, CA; New Jersey VegFest in Secaucus, NJ; and Central Pa VegFest in Lancaster, PA. We will soon be at the Annual Meeting of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in Chicago, IL; Everett Community College Food Day in WA; and more locations.

-The Vegetarian Resource Group provided vegan handouts free-of-charge for outreach in a wide variety of locations including 500 Save Our Water and 500 My Vegan Plates to Charleston Veggies & Vegans for outreach; 200 Vegan Diets in a Nutshell, 200 Vegan Teen brochures, 200 Vegan Pregnancy brochures, and 200 My Vegan Plates to Columbia, SC for an Affordable Vegan Foods Workshop; sent 300 My Vegan Plates, 300 Vegan Diets in a Nutshell, and 100 Spanish brochures to Kalamazoo Vegans for tabling; sent 200 handouts to Nutrition Services @ St. Joseph Mercy Oakland Hospital; Sent to Vegan Society of PEACE for tabling in Katy, TX: 600 Vegan Diet in a Nutshell, 300 Save our Water, 300 Vegan Nutrition for Teens, 600 Vegetarian Journals; sent 200 My Vegan Plates to Food Not Bombs DE; sent 200 My Vegan Plates, 74 Vegan Diets in a Nutshell and another 150 handouts to be handed out at The Gayton Kirk Church in Richmond, VA, etc.

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.

By Jeanne Yacoubo, MS

A long-time VRG vegan supporter called us to report a verbal exchange with a Whittier, CA Olive Garden employee that had left her confused about the breadsticks. She asked us to look into it.

Our member told us that she often asks ingredient questions when dining out even after searching through restaurant websites for ingredient information and ingredient lists. She referred to Olive Garden’s vegan list which contains the breadsticks in the top spot. https://media.olivegarden.com/images/site/ext/pdfs/olive-garden-veg-vegan_073117.pdf

Our supporter found her Olive Garden server to be “courteous and helpful.” She was surprised that, even without asking for it, her server volunteered the information that “the breadsticks have butter but can be ordered without it.”
The VRG sent Olive Garden a message about this apparent contradiction on behalf of our member through the chain’s website contact form. This is what we asked in August 2017:

“Hello!

I was at an Olive Garden restaurant and the server told me that the breadsticks had been cooked with butter.

I see breadsticks listed on your vegetarian/vegan list as “vegan.”

Do you use margarine to cook the breadsticks? Does the margarine have dairy in it (including whey)?

Can I get just plain breadsticks without butter or margarine used to cook them?

A Guest Relations Representative informed us during a phone call:
“It was the server’s mistake. There is no butter in the breadsticks. They are not cooked with butter or margarine. Margarine and garlic salt are added later. Diners can request that it not be added. Butter is never served with breadsticks.”

We asked if any dairy ingredient such as whey or sodium caseinate were in the margarine. We also asked if there were any sugar in either the breadsticks or margarine. Lastly, we wanted to confirm that L-cysteine, a common dough conditioner that is often derived from human hair or poultry feathers, was not in the breadsticks.

After their researching, we were told in an email: “In regards to our breadsticks, they do not contain whey, sodium caseinate, or sugar.”

We were told in another phone call that “The breadsticks do not contain L-cysteine.”

Additionally, we were told in emails that:
“Margarine that’s brushed on top of the bread sticks does NOT contain dairy ingredients, whey, sodium caseinate, or any other form of caseinate such as potassium caseinate.”

“Margarine brushed on top of bread sticks does not contain sugar ingredient.”

Interested vegetarians and vegans may be interested to read other relevant information that Olive Garden has arranged on a page especially devoted to answering common vegetarian and vegan questions: http://www.olivegarden.com/nutrition/vegetarian-and-vegan-options

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

Join The Vegetarian Resource Group at http://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

More information on chain restaurants can be found at
http://www.vrg.org/fastfoodinfo.php

Vegan and vegetarian restaurants in the USA and Canada can be found at
http://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

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.

By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS

A long-time VRG volunteer recently asked us to look into a Sherwin-Williams (SW) paint color named Vegan with product code SW 6738. “Is it vegan?” she asked us.

SUMMARY:
The Regulatory Department at Sherwin-Williams (SWRD) told us:
SW 6738 is not a paint. It is a color code. When you chose a paint at the store, the store will tint that paint to your desired color. The store will use a combination of colorants (think food dye), add them to the paint, and mix it up for you at the point of sale. We have several options and brands of paints that you could have tinted to SW 6738 color … SW 6738 is just the name of a color, it is not a product.

After speaking to a suburban Maryland Sherwin-Williams salesperson we were told that (SW 6738 Vegan) Harmony Interior Acrylic Latex Paint (Product Code (PC) 650428188) needs five tints (all liquid in these cases) that must be blended and mixed in the paint:

White PC 650349996
New Green PC 650349400
Raw Umber PC 650349954
Yellow PC 650350002
Deep Gold PC 650350010

The regulatory department at Sherwin Williams told us the above paint and tints (that could obtain the SW 6738 vegan color) does not contain carmine, cochineal, stearic acid, gelatin, whey, casein, or milk as intentionally added ingredients. Thank you to Sherwin Williams for all their help.

BACKGROUND OF OUR RESEARCH

2014 SW Q&A Exchange on Vegan Color
In 2014 The VRG had asked Sherwin-Williams if their Vegan tint was, in fact, vegan. At that time they would not say if there were any animal ingredients or not in the tint.

Here is the 2014 exchange:
VRG initial questions:
Is this paint vegan (meaning it contains no animal products)? http://www.sherwin-williams.com/homeowners/color/find-and-explore-colors/paint-colors-by-family/SW6738-vegan/
Are your other paints free of animal ingredients?

SW initial response:
The materials and formulations of our products are proprietary so I am unable to disclose the information you are looking for. What I can tell you is what you are referring to is only a color and not a type of paint.

I hope this information is useful. Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance.

VRG Followup Question #1: Can you tell me if there are animal-derived ingredients in this paint such as gelatin or casein?
SW Followup Response #1: Again, I am sorry however the materials and formulations of our products are proprietary so I am unable to disclose specific information.

Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance.

VRG Followup Question #2: I am not asking you to provide an ingredient list.

I am asking if animal ingredients (such as gelatin or casein) are in the vegan paint

SW Followup Response #2: Thank you very much for taking the time to follow up.

Again, I apologize for any inconvenience however I am unable to disclose the contents of our paint. This is proprietary information. You can find a list of ingredients that we are legally required to disclose on an MSDS. Simply provide the name of the product you are interested and I will send you this information.

Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance.

[VRG Note: Since animal and dairy ingredients are not considered hazardous according to the government’s definition, they are not required to be listed on a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) currently renamed “Safety Data Sheets” (SDS).]

2017 SW Q&A Exchange on Vegan Color
In July 2017 we contacted Sherwin-Williams again with the same question when a long-time VRG volunteer asked us to look into it.

Catherine in the Customer Service Department at Sherwin-Williams explained that SW 6738 is a color that can be added to many different types of paint that they sell such as latex paint. We clarified our question by requesting information on both the Vegan color and on the paints which it could be made in. We wanted to know if there were any animal- or dairy-derived ingredients in either.

Catherine transferred us to the Regulatory Department at Sherwin-Williams (SWRD).

Sherwin-Williams Regulatory Department Responds
The next day after our initial call to Sherwin-Williams corporate office, we received a reply from the Regulatory Department (SWRD). Here is our initial email exchange with them when we were trying to determine how to get ingredient information from Sherwin-Williams. SWRD was extremely prompt in responding to our questions during this exchange often within minutes

VRG: Does the color SW 6738 Vegan contain any animal ingredients?

Which paints could be tinted with SW 6738?

Of those paints, which are free of all animal-derived ingredients?

I do not need any MSDS unless it shows complete ingredient information.

I am asking about animal ingredients and not about safety.

SWRD: Thank you for reaching out to us. Our group can help you.

However, we will need some more information.

Our group can look up the formula for any tint base and to see if it contains animal-derived ingredients. We kindly ask that you supply us with the product numbers and/or UPC codes for the products you are interested in. If you need a recommendation, please reach out to customer service at 1-800-331-7979. Unfortunately we are not product experts here in Regulatory as we cover all SW brands and products, thousands.

Additionally, our group does not have the color formulas either. This information is handled by our SW stores. You would have to contact your local store to obtain the product IDs for the colorants that would be used to tint a base to the color of your choice. The colorants used may be different depending on the tint base.

I apologize again that this question is not as easy to answer without more information.

VRG: Could you please explain the difference between “tint base” and “color”? In your reply you present them as if they’re different although I understand them to be synonyms.

I assume that there is a tint that you add to a paint. Then you blend it in to make the entire gallon uniform in color. How are there two distinct formulas as you seem to suggest in your reply?

Is SW 6738 a tint or a color?

SWRD: Sorry for the confusion. The tint base is the uncolored paint in the can before it is tinted at the store for the customer. Small amounts of colorants are added at the point of sale at the store to achieve the customer-chosen color. We have the formulas for the base paint and the formulas for the colorants. What we don’t know is which colorants are used and how much of them are used to achieve a specific color at the store level.

SW 6738 is not a paint. It is a color code. When you chose a paint at the store, the store will tint that paint to your desired color. The store will use a combination of colorants (think food dye), add them to the paint, and mix it up for you at the point of sale. We have several options and brands of paints that you could have tinted to SW 6738 color. Unfortunately, I cannot make a paint recommendation for you.

Customer service can help answer your questions and make you a recommendation. They are the product experts. Please reach out to them at 1-800-331-7979.

Once you decide on a paint you would like tinted to SW 6738, please provide us a UPC code or product code for the paint(s) so we can look up the formula for you. Also, we do not know which colorants (dyes) the store will add to the paint to make it your desired color. Therefore, we will need to ask them for the product number for the colorants they are going to use.

SW 6738 Vegan is just the name of a color, it is not a product. The colorants themselves are liquid but they typically have powders dispersed in them.

VRG: Thanks for all of your great help!

VRG: And now I can research tints, call a store and be given a list of colorants for the tints I select? Then I call you with that information and the name of a base paint?

Is there any way you can scroll through colorants and select for “carmine” for example?

SWRD: Yes, I will need product numbers or UPC codes to be able to pull formulas. I will need the paint information as well as the colorant information. They all have separate formulas. Reviewing formulas is a manual process unfortunately, so I would be unable to scan a group of products for particular ingredients.

Sherwin-Williams Customer Support Department Responds:
After sending in the website contact form, the Customer Support staff sent us an email. This is from an exchange of questions and answers.

Denice at SW Followup Response: None of our paints contain animal ingredients. Also none of our colors contain animal ingredients.

VRG: We spoke to Fred, a suburban Maryland Sherwin-Williams salesperson, for product code information. He was extremely helpful in providing all of the product code information for several paint types and for many colors including Vegan. He informed us that some of our paint choices would not support certain colors and suggested other paints that would. [VRG Tip: When looking to purchase vegan paint, we recommend that consumers specify both the paint and the tint for compatibility first; information on each taken separately is not useful.]

According to Fred, SW 6738 Vegan in Harmony Interior Acrylic Latex Paint (Product Code (PC) 650428188), needs five tints (all liquid in these cases) that must be blended and mixed in the paint:

White PC 650349996
New Green PC 650349400
Raw Umber PC 650349954
Yellow PC 650350002
Deep Gold PC 650350010

Some Other Sherwin-Williams Colors and Paints: Carmine Present?
Knowing that insect-derived carmine (cochineal) may be used to pigment red, pink, purple, yellow or orange tints in beverages but not knowing if this applies to paints, (although carmine is an ingredient in some craft paints, http://www.vrg.org/blog/2014/06/18/craft-glues-and-paints-mostly-petrochemical-but-carmine-present-in-some-testors-and-plaid-paints/), we asked about the product codes for all of the component tints needed to make these colors.

Fred did not have complete product code information at his store but he told us that ingredients are listed on certain bottles. For example, when we inquired about red, he stated that Sherwin-Williams has three red tints used to make many others. These are New Red, Magenta and Maroon. Fred read off ingredients from these bottles to us; carmine (cochineal) was not listed. Fred did not know if the ingredient lists on the bottles were complete so we asked the Regulatory Department about them as well.

Here are some of the colors we asked about. We also selected several different combinations of paints and sheens but Fred was able to determine if certain tints and paints were compatible. Here are Fred’s suggestions for some of the colors we wanted information about:

SW 6840 Exuberant Pink which Fred told us can be made in Interior Emerald Flat Paint (PC 650869829), needs these four tints:
White 650349996
Black 650349392
Maroon 650349962
Magenta 650349970

SW 6565 Grandeur Plum in Interior Harmony Flat Paint (PC 650428188) also needs four tints blended together:
Raw Umber 650349954
Black 650349392
Maroon 650349962
Magenta 650349970

SW 6887 Navel in Interior ProMar 200 Zero VOC Flat Paint (PC 650186927) needs only two tints:
White 650349996
New Red 650349988

Final Conclusions about Several SW Paints and Tints
The VRG in turn took these product codes to the Regulatory Department in September 2017. Here is that culminating exchange:

VRG: I’d like to know if any animal- or dairy-derived ingredients are in the paints and tints listed below.

These ingredients include:

carmine (also called cochineal)
stearic acid (or similar chemical compounds)
gelatin
whey
casein
milk

Here are the paints followed by their product codes:
Interior Emerald Flat: 650869829
Interior Harmony Flat: 650428188
Interior ProMar 200 Zero VOC Flat: 650186927

Here are the tints and accompanying product codes:

White 650349996
New Green 650349400
Raw Umber 650349954
Yellow 650350002
Deep Gold 650350010
Black 650349392
Maroon 650349962
Magenta 650349970
New Red 650349988

SWRD response:
The following Sherwin-Williams products:

650869829
650428188
650186927
650349996
650349400
650349954
650350002
650350010
650349392
650349962
650349970
650349988

do not contain carmine, cochineal, stearic acid, gelatin, whey, casein or milk as intentionally added ingredients.

This information is to the best of my knowledge, based on current formulation and information given to us by our raw material suppliers.

Thank you to Sherwin Williams for all their help.

[VRG Note: In a phone conversation, it was noted that sometimes Sherwin-Williams uses tint components from other vendors. These trademarked components appear on the Sherwin-William’s ingredient labels that they accessed to answer our inquiry about animal- and dairy-derived ingredients. The raw material supplier s may not reveal, even to Sherwin-Williams, all of the contents of the trademarked components claiming it’s proprietary information. This means that in cases where trademarked components are used we as consumers cannot know all ingredient source information.]

The contents of this posting, our website and our other publications, including The 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.

To support research such as this, please donate to The Vegetarian Resource Group here: www.vrg.org/donate