By Julia Mathew, VRG Intern

Denmark is the largest single exporter of pork and has one of the highest rates of meat consumption in the world. About 28 million pigs are raised annually in the small Scandinavian country of five and a half million. Historically, Scandinavia has had a diet rich in meat and dairy products. However, the vegan movement has been growing across the region. In recent years, the organic health food industry has been booming in Denmark. The capital city of Copenhagen was named the European Green Capital in 2014 and aims to be carbon neutral by the year 2025. Although it was met with resistance from the Danish Agriculture and Food Council, Landbrug & Fødevarer, a meat tax to reduce climate effects was proposed by the Danish Council of Ethics, Det Etiske Råd. Environmental incentives, along with ethical concerns, have caused many Danes, especially within Copenhagen, to become interested in the vegan movement.

Copenhagen is one of the most expensive cities in Europe and frequently eating out can easily add up. However, cheaper vegan-friendly options exist. Take advantage of street food, such as falafel, which can be found at stands or small shops throughout the city, especially in Nørrebro. Smileys Kebab is a small stand in front of the Amagerbro Metro Station that sells cheap falafel wraps, pita, and salad boxes from 25-35 Danish kroner. It is vegan except for the white, dairy-based dressing that often comes on it. Falafel-House is another good option in central Copenhagen that is fairly cheap as well. Some hotdogs stands, such as Den Økologiske Pølsemand (DØP) by the Round Tower in central Copenhagen, offer organic vegan sausage or pølse. The Swedish fast food chain MAX Hamburger also offers the spicy “Oumph! BBQ Burger,” which includes pulled soy protein and vegan mayonnaise for 52 Danish kroner. These are all great options for relatively fast and ‘cheap’ plant-based meals for Copenhagen standards. It is also important to note that most coffee shops in Copenhagen offer plant-based milks such as soy, almond, and oat milks. Many cafes and bakeries are also starting to label pastries as vegan and often offer raw vegan cakes.

In terms of grocery shopping, many Danish supermarkets offer vegan options. Most grocery stores carry some sort of plant-based milks such as soy, almond, rice, oat, and coconut milks. Netto, SuperBrugsen, Fakta, Lidl, Føtex, Meny, Irma, and Aldi are some common supermarkets in Denmark and generally all sell non-dairy milks. The most common brands of plant-based milks in Denmark are Alpro, Naturli’, Urtekram, and Oatly. Tofu, falafel, soy creamer, and vegetable margarine are often found at most grocery stores. Discount grocery store companies, such as Netto and Lidl, generally do not carry as diverse of vegan products as larger grocery stores like SuperBrugsen and Meny, which often sell Astrid och Aporna products. Some Rema1000 stores sell vegan ice cream by the brand Tofuline. Larger grocery stores such as Irma, SuperBrugsen, and Føtex often have vegan spreads, nut butters, tofu, ice cream, and vegan specialty products to some extent. Many ethnic shops sell cheaper produce, nuts, juices, and falafel in comparison to Danish supermarkets. The Danish Vegan Society is currently working with Danish grocery stores across the country to increase the number of vegan products offered. Many vegan specialty shops in Copenhagen import vegan products from countries like Germany and the UK.

Health is becoming an increasingly popular concern for Danes, and plant-based food is on the rise. The number of plant-based restaurants and vegan options available in Copenhagen has significantly risen in the past few years.

Vegan-friendly Restaurants, Cafes, and Shops in Copenhagen
• 42Raw (Pilestræde, Frederiksberg): Serves brunch, burgers, salads, tapas, pizza, lasagna, sandwiches, breakfast bowls, and smoothies; 100% raw vegan
• Acacia (Frederiksberg): Serves ice cream sandwiches, muffins, cupcakes, and desserts; vegan-friendly
• Café N (Nørrebro): Serves brunch, burgers, soup, hummus and bread, sandwiches, the hearty ‘Café N-plate’, and freshly squeezed juices; 100% vegan
• Green Burger (by Nørreport Station): Serves various plant-based burgers with vegan mayonnaise and sauces; 100% vegan
• Hope Bar (Central): Serves salads, smoothie bowls, brunch, raw desserts, and coffee; mostly vegan
• Kaf (Nørrebro): Serves vegan brunch, sandwiches, and cakes; 100% vegetarian and mostly vegan
• Morgenstedet (Christiania): Serves organic, home-cooked, hearty vegetarian meals from soups and bread to rice and pasta dishes; 100% vegetarian and mostly vegan
• Naturbageriet (Central): Serves various vegan Danish pastries and vegan food products; vegan-friendly
• Nicecream (Vesterbro): Serves coconut milk ice cream, bars, cookie sandwiches, milkshakes, and acai bowls; 100% vegan
• simpleRAW (Central): Serves brunch, snacks such as kale chips and sweet potato nachos, stuffed rice paper with veggies, warm burgers, zucchini noodles, raw cakes, juices/smoothies and shakes; 100% vegan and mostly raw
• Souls (Østerbro): Serves brunch, hearty salads and sandwiches, pizza, burgers, coffee, and raw cakes; 100% vegan
• The South Indian (Frederiksberg, Vesterbro): Serves traditional South Indian food such as sambar, chutney, idli, vada, parotta, and different varieties of dosas, has a popular all you can eat dosa special; vegan-friendly
• Torvehallerne (by Nørreport Station): Also known as the ‘Glass Market’, houses many coffee, pastry, and small food stands; some vegan options available
o Most coffee stands have soy, almond, or oat milks available
o The Fresh Market has fruits, vegan salads, and breakfast bowls to-go
o Grød is a porridge bar that has some marked vegan options
o Smag has multiple dense and flavorful vegan salads
• Urten [by Atlas Bar] (Central): Vegan restaurant located above and owned by Atlas Bar, serves hearty and diverse plant-based foods such as braised or roasted vegetables, soups, pancakes, and various desserts; 100% vegan

Specialty Shops & Health Food Stores
• Den Vegansk Butik (Central): Sells many vegan food products such as dry goods, spreads, drinks, bars, pasta, and pastries; 100% vegan shop
• Astrid och Aporna (Frederiksberg): A Swedish brand with its own shop and line of various vegan products, along with many imported products; sells plant-based meats, cheeses, spreads, sweets, dry goods, frozen treats, and also offers a small selection of prepared foods; 100% vegan shop
o Astrid och Aporna Spiseri is a small vegan fast-food restaurant in Nørrebro that offers hotdogs and burgers
• Spidsroden (Nørrebro): Offers many plant-based meats, specialty products, and produce; 99% vegan shop
• Natur og Sundhed Helsekost (Nørrebro): Health food store that offers many cosmetics and body care products, as well as bars and some vegan specialty products; vegan-friendly
• Helsemin (Nørrebro, Vesterbro, Central): A small health food chain that offers organic cosmetics and body care products, as well as supplements and some vegan specialty products; vegan-friendly

If you plan on watching the Super Bowl this Sunday, you might want to treat yourself to some vegan snacks. Here’s some suggestions from Vegetarian Journal to help you out:

Vegan Munchies Recipes include:

Simple Bean and Tomato Dip
Pizza Dip
Chili Dip
Smokey Hummus
Hummus with Dill, Mustard, and Garlic
Pecans Roasted with Tamari and Garlic
Seasoned Roasted Sunflower Seeds

Quick Dips
To make a sweet dip fast:
Place a small amount of nut butter or apple butter in a mixing bowl. Stir to soften. In a separate bowl, mash a banana with berries and/or orange juice concentrate. Combine banana with nut or apple butter and mix until well-combined. You’ve got it! You can add in chopped nuts, chopped dates, crumbled cold cereal, or fresh berries, as you like.

To make a savory dip fast:
Place soy yogurt, vegan sour cream, or tofu in a blender or food processor. Add a small amount of salsa or drained canned tomatoes, canned beans, some chopped bell peppers (or fresh chili, if you like heat), and parsley and blend until smooth. Chill for 10 minutes before eating.

Quick and Easy Snack Ideas Add some of the following to your shopping list so you can assemble some fast snacks to take to work or school or to enjoy when you are relaxing:
Whole wheat crackers, pretzels, popcorn, cold cereal
Dried fruit, nuts
Frozen berries or cut fruit
Vegan yogurt
Extra-firm tofu, tempeh, or seitan
Nori or dried seaweed sheets
Ready-to-eat fresh produce, such as sliced fresh carrots or baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, fresh green beans, snow peas or sugar snaps (edible pea pods), radishes, green onions, cut broccoli or cauliflower florets, shredded cabbage
Canned, packed in water or juice apricots, plums, tropical fruit salad
Pickles, olives
Canned tomatoes and tomato paste, salsa

Here are some ideas for combining these ingredients:
Tomato paste, with or without salsa mixed in, used as a condiment for pretzels, crackers, or fresh veggies
Nori crumbled into cold cereal, such as corn chex or shredded wheat or added to crumbled tofu, tempeh, or seitan
Canned or frozen fruit mixed with vegan yogurt
Popcorn tossed with nori

To subscribe to Vegetarian Journal, visit: Vegetarian Journal

US Agricultural Statistical Data – The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service is seeking public comments on the paperwork and regulatory burdens associated with the conduct of its ‘Agricultural Surveys Program’, which “… contains a series of surveys that obtains basic agricultural data from farmers, ranchers, and feedlots throughout the Nation for preparing agricultural estimates and forecasts of crop acreage, yield, and production; stocks of grains and soybeans; hog and pig numbers; sheep inventory and lamb crop; cattle inventory; cattle on feed; grazing fees; and land values …”

Comments Due By: March 27, 2017

Website: The January 25, 2017 USDA NASS Federal Register Notice is posted at
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2017-01-25/html/2017-01666.htm

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE CHAIN RESTAURANT!

Go to:
http://www.vrg.org/vote/index.php

Here’s a list of some restaurants offering special vegan meals on Valentine’s Day. Make reservations as soon as possible!

Real Food Daily, West Hollywood and Pasadena, CA: http://www.realfood.com
Ravens at the Stanford Inn, Mendocino, CA: http://ravensrestaurant.com/valentines-day-menu-february-14-2017-ravens-restaurant/
Full Bloom Vegan, Miami Beach, FL: http://www.fullbloomvegan.com/
Ethos Vegan Kithchen, Winter Park, FL: http://www.ethosvegankitchen.com
Café Sunflower, Atlanta, GA: http://www.cafesunflower.com
Great Sage, Clarksville, MD: http://greatsage.com
True Bistro, Somerville, MA: http://truebistroboston.com/menus/holiday/
Hangawi, New York City, NY: http://www.hangawirestaurant.com/
Blossoming Lotus, Portland, OR: http://www.blpdx.com/home
Counter Culture, Austin, TX: http://countercultureaustin.com/events/6-course-prix-fixe-valentines-dinner/
Café Flora, Seattle, WA: http://cafeflora.com/

VRG’s complete online list of veggie restaurants in the USA and Canada can be seen here:
http://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

Honeygrow is a chain with clearly marked vegan options on their menu. Locations are in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, and Washington, DC. They will soon be opening up in Brooklyn, NY.

They offer stir-fry bowls including the Red Coconut Curry vegan option, which includes rice noodles, tofu, and veggies. You can easily substitute brown rice for the rice noodles, and alter the veggie choices in your bowl. Honeygrow also has a make-your-own stir-fry option where you can select Sour Cherry BBQ Sauce or Sesame Garlic Sauce, in addition to the Red Coconut Curry option. You then create your bowl with options including tofu, whole wheat noodles, brown rice, and a variety of veggies.

Additionally, Honeygrow offers a vegan kale salad made with mustard soy vinaigrette, green kale, organic roasted spicy tofu, apples, carrots, roasted beets, red onions, and radishes. There’s also a make-your-own salad option, which can easily be prepared vegan.

Finally, their Honeybar dessert option can be made vegan. It includes fresh fruit, maple syrup (instead of honey), three fruits, and two toppings.

For further information, see: http://www.honeygrow.com

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 2017. Deadline is February 20, 2017. We will accept applications postmarked on or before February 20, 2017. 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

About Bon Appétit Management Company

Bon Appétit Management Company is an on-site restaurant company operating 650-plus cafés in 31 states for corporations, universities, and museums as well as public restaurants.

Bon Appétit Management Company says they were born in the San Francisco Bay Area, and “as a result we’ve always been ahead of the curve when it comes to offering plentiful vegetarian and vegan options at our cafés. Our chefs love the challenge of serving up plentiful interesting offerings … We’ve long conducted “vegan culinary boot camps” across the country to train our chefs to think beyond the salad bar and take inspiration internationally. (Thai pesto, anyone?) Multiple Bon Appétit university cafés are fully vegan or vegetarian, with unique and ever-changing menus. All of our cafés use color-coded stickers to identify items that are vegetarian and/or vegan.” If your foodservice uses Bon Appetit, ask them about their vegan options and training.

Here’s a couscous recipe on their blog. http://www.bamco.com/blog/cinnamon-spiced-whole-grain-couscous-citrus-sunflower-seeds/

And a Lentil Salad http://www.bamco.com/blog/bistro-lentil-salad-carrots-dijon/

For more foodservice ideas, visit http://www.vrg.org/fsupdate/index.htm

What better way to celebrate the Chinese New Year on January 28th then by preparing a vegan Chinese dish. Here’s some recipes from Vegetarian Journal to help you out:

http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2005issue4/2005_issue4_chinese_cooking.php

Boiled Rice and Mushroom Congee
T’ang Dynasty Cold Fruit Soup
Cabbage Salad
Citrus Snow Peas
Street Side Tofu and Mushrooms
Stir-fried Noodles
Sweet Walnuts

http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2013issue3/2013_issue3_chinese_cooking.php

Fried Lotus with Black Rice
Sesame Kale
B&B Stir-fry with Udon Noodles

To subscribe to Vegetarian Journal, visit:
http://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

By Jeanne Yacoubou, MS

In July 2016 The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ruled that vitamin D2 could be added as a nutrient supplement to plant-based beverages intended for use as milk alternatives as well as to non-dairy yogurt alternatives. https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/07/18/2016-16738/food-additives-permitted-for-direct-addition-to-food-for-human-consumption-vitamin-d2

[VRG Note: Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) is derived from fungal or plant sources. Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) is most often derived from sheep’s wool (lanolin) although a vegan vitamin D3 form is available http://vitashine-d3.com/. Vitamin D3 is frequently added to cow’s milk and orange juice.]

The VRG wondered if vitamin D2 was permitted by the FDA to be added to orange juice since nothing in the recent ruling specifically addressed this issue.
We searched Title 21 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) and located the status of both forms of vitamin D as a food additive.

Here it states that vitamin D3 may be added to juice; Vitamin D2 is not mentioned.
https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr=172.380

By contrast, vitamin D2 may be added to certain foods:
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/cfrsearch.cfm?fr=172.379

On this page it states that “Vitamin D2 may be used safely in foods as a nutrient supplement defined under 170.3(o)(20) of this chapter…” but there is no mention of juice. Under that section, the CFR states the definition: “Nutrient supplements: Substances which are necessary for the body’s nutritional and metabolic processes.”

Here’s where the CFR states that it’s admissible in certain foods/beverages to use either form of vitamin D as “vitamin D.” Again, orange juice is not specifically identified in relation to vitamin D2 supplementation.
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/cfrsearch.cfm?fr=184.1950

Searching for more information about FDA’s position on vitamin D2 in orange juice, we contacted a few government scientists who conduct nutrition research.

Dr. Bess Dawson-Hughes, MD at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University sent us a link to a pertinent article on vitamin D titled Vitamin D fortification in the United States and Canada: current status and data needs http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/80/6/1710S.full.pdf+html

A footnote in Table 1 Lawful addition of vitamin D to foods in the United States of this article specifies that vitamin D3 is permitted in juices. It appears that Table 1’s “vitamin D” for the other foods/beverages can be either vitamin D2 or vitamin D3.

We asked Dr. Dawson-Hughes: Do you know if FDA’s position is that since D2 is defined as a dietary supplement and it is NOT expressly prohibited from being added to juice, then companies may add it to juice?

She replied:
Since milk can be fortified with D2 or D3 (see statement below from the Calvo article), I would think that D2 can be used to fortify other foods.
This is the statement from the article linked above on which Dr. Dawson-Hughes based her conclusion:

…Vitamin D, which includes crystalline vitamin D2 and
D3 and vitamin D2 and D3 resin formed from the irradiation of ergocalciferol and cholecalciferol, can be added as the sole source of added vitamin in the food categories shown in Table 1 and must not exceed the specified limitations …

The VRG also contacted FDA by email and phone for confirmation. Here is our question posed in January 2017 to FDA’s Food and Cosmetics Information Center and Technical Assistance Network (FCIC/TAN) followed by their reply:

Q: … [In the CFR] D2 is permitted in plant-based milks but I see only D3 as allowable in fruit juice.
Are companies in the US permitted to add vitamin D2 to orange juice?

A: Thanks for your inquiry! Yes, vitamin D (2 & 3) can be added to orange juice.

Thank you for contacting FDA’s FCIC/TAN.

The VRG followed up with a phone call to FCIC to inquire about the specific reference in CFR’s Title 21 on which FCIC based its answer.
We began the phone call by asking whether a juice company could add vitamin D2 to orange juice. The immediate response was “If a company has approval.” Wondering which CFR regulation supports this reply, we continued by asking for the CFR reference. We received this answer after being put on hold for a few minutes: “If vitamin D2 is not expressly written as prohibited [in the CFR] it may be used [as a dietary supplement defined in 21CFR170.3] in orange juice.” The call was disconnected while we repeated our request for the CFR reference for this statement.

Related Information:
• http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/77/6/1478.abstract?ijkey=d73961b7bcd1c655998db2664e6d31f2bf51d074&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha
• https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/80400525/Articles/AJCN87_1092S-1096s.pdf
• http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Suppliers2/Lichen-based-vegan-vitamin-D3-gains-momentum-as-Nordic-Naturals-introduces-new-product

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 judgement about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own

For information on other ingredients, see http://www.vrg.org/ingredients/index.php
To support The Vegetarian Resource Group research, donate at www.vrg.org/donate
Or join at http://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php