Johnson and Wales University is a unique, first-of-its-kind, four year degree program that brings together culinary arts, nutrition, and food science to help expand your knowledge and turn your love for food into a career. I myself attended the four year JWU program receiving an associate degree in Baking and Pastry Arts, and then graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Food Service Management with a minor in Beverage Management.

During those four years, I also did the unthinkable: graduating culinary arts school without ever cracking an egg or my veganism. I currently work at Veggie Galaxy, a popular vegan diner in Cambridge, Massachusetts and as a manager of a coffee shop in Brookline, Massachusetts. Throughout my career as a vegan baker, a working member of the industry, and as a student I have faced many challenges, but overall my experiences have made me a better chef. I learned that despite working two jobs to support my loans and habit of eating out twice a week, culinary school helped me gain confidence in my field and gave me the real life experience I needed to become the vegan chef I am today.

Step One: Consider Culinary School
I did not always want to become a chef. It took me up until I applied to college to know that I was passionate enough to make a living out of playing with flour. I toured two separate colleges before making my final choice. The first school I toured laughed at the fact I would not work with animal products, announced me as a “hippie” in front of my tour group, and kindly informed me where the door was located. I was astounded, but not defeated. My second tour was in Providence, RI with Johnson and Wales. During this two day visit, I fell head over heels with the campus, the city, and a promise from the dean himself that I would not have to compromise my lifestyle to become a student. I filled out my application online at: https://apply.jwu.edu/ and crossed my fingers. There are four locations to apply to: Providence, RI; Miami, FL; Charlotte, NC; and Denver, CO. The university reviews three references, academic records and achievements alongside the paper or digital application.

Step Two: Finances
Johnson and Wales tuition for undergrad starts at $29,226 with a mandatory orientation with a fee of $350. There is a suggested meal plan for a maximum of $4,236 per year. I would suggest having the meal plan for the first year if you are not local to the state which you are applying to. This is a guarantee that with or without a car or job you will have a place to eat and money set aside to eat three meals a day. Room and board, which is required for year one and suggested for year two costs $13,500 dollars per year. Textbooks and uniform cost $3,000 per year. With all of these expenses, you will still need to consider transportation and unexpected life expenses. Once you apply and have been accepted to school, you need to learn how to juggle being a full time student as well as bringing home the tempeh bacon.

Step Three: Schedule and Real World Experience
Most culinary labs start in the morning between 5-6:00 a.m. and end at 2:00 p.m. or are night labs which begin between 1-2:00 p.m. and end at 9:00 p.m. Each of these labs last between seven to twenty-one days, four days a week and include projects, exams, quizzes, and final evaluations. Balancing school, a job to pay for expenses, and a social life can be difficult. This schedule serves as training for what the food industry will be like when you have finished college. In the restaurant business it is rare to get two consecutive days off in a row, to be able to make plans that do not have to be rescheduled due to a busy brunch or a late dinner service, and have spare change in your pocket. Most restaurants get the majority of their customers during a busy dinner service, where turnover can range anywhere from two to ten times in one night depending on the establishment. Johnson and Wales gives you the opportunity as a freshman to decide whether or not this is a commitment you are willing to make before jumping straight into chef whites at your place of employment. If you find out that standing on your feet for eight to ten hours a day is not for you, you still have time to switch to another major or find a concentration that better fits your lifestyle.

Surviving Labs and the Industry as a Vegan Chef
From a purely shallow perspective, culinary labs took some serious adjustments. I traded in my skirts for checkered drawstring pants and band t-shirts for starched white chef coats. My long hair was tied up and shoved under a hat and not a single drop of makeup could be seen on my face causing me to learn quickly how to properly do my eyebrows without the help of coverup. Labs are stressful, with hours on your feet, surrounded by students whose knowledge are vast and all learning the same curriculum. My advice comes from personal experience but I think it’s best to take each lab and each teacher as a different experience:

1. Get your own chef shoes! The ones they hand out with the uniform are made from leather. You can find vegan nonslip shoes that fit the criteria and are comfortable at Payless Shoe Store for under $40.00.

2. Inform your professor that you are vegan. Make sure to strictly tell your chef what you cannot eat and what you will not be working with during the duration of your lab. Just because they work in the food service industry does not mean they understand veganism.

3. If your professor does not listen, make them. Most of these chefs are classically trained, studied and practiced in France, making them under the assumption there is no way to bake without the use of full fat butter or lard. If you have any problems with your chef not providing you appropriate materials or a grade that does not reflect your work, go directly to the Dean of the school.

4. Do not be afraid to tell others why you’re using different products or not tasting the Madeline cookies they made in class. This is your chance to teach veganism to your classmates and show them just how great vegan products taste.

5. Research your classes and professors and speak to your classmates about what ingredients are used in your upcoming class so you can get a head start on asking for the same products made vegan. For example: if you are attending a chocolate lab, find out if the storeroom (the school grocery store) has dark chocolate that is dairy-free. The less help the professor needs to give you, the more likely they are willing to.

6. Be confident and have fun! Just because you may feel like the odd person out, don’t! There is nothing wrong with being vegan and getting the education you deserve. These labs are not easy, but once you graduate you will be walking out classically trained, with experience in standing on your feet in sweaty hot or freezing cold conditions while producing the best quality of pastries in a time frame that seems unmanageable.

Surviving being Vegan in and out of the Dorm
Eating in the Cafeteria: A small handful of universities provide vegan-friendly meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and unfortunately Johnson and Wales is not one of those schools. After spending a hunk of dough on the meal plan, you should be able to eat more than just a salad. If you are going to continue eating at the cafeteria, my best advice is to bring plastic lunch bags to each meal. While the salad bar and trail mix might not seem appealing during your meal, these are snacks that will be a healthy treat during your midnight study break. There is always fruit for the taking as well as bagels
and English muffins in most dining halls. When you arrive for breakfast, bring your own soymilk and head over to the cereal bar, same with dressing for the salad bar during your lunch break. These are small touches you can make on the cheap and will help improve the pathetic options the cafeteria has in store for you. Lastly, ask the staff. Most of the time the food is made by students meaning that they have the ability to make you a cheese-less pizza or a vegan veggie sub, as well as tell you which steamed veggies are 100% dairy-free on the hot meal bar. In my experience I have found it very helpful and the staff feels nothing but happiness when they are able to help you find the perfect meal to keep you satisfied.

Eating in the Dorm: Most halls do not have a kitchen to cook in, and dorm rooms only provide and permit having a mini fridge, a microwave, and if you are lucky a coffee maker. With that being said, we are very lucky to be able to microwave rice, steam veggies, cook pasta, microwave frozen vegan dishes, boil water for coffee or tea, heat up soup and much more! It is very possible to make all of your meals and heat up leftovers in your tiny room for you and your four roommates. Make sure that you label your food as yours! Your roommates will most likely not be vegan and will have an easier time chowing down on burgers at the late night pub while you order French fries for the tenth time in a row. If your roommate does want to share food, suggest going grocery shopping together to ensure you will always have a full stock of treats. Foods to avoid are popcorn and Brussels sprouts.
Although both are tasty, both can leave a scent in the room that is unfriendly for your roommates and sadly can cause an argument. Lastly, do not wait on searching your city for the best vegan take-out that delivers and delivers late. It is nice to know after a seven hour lab, eight hours of work, and 5 hours of homework, you can have a tofu burrito with extra guacamole brought right to your dorm without moving a muscle.

After Graduation
Graduation comes far too quickly and the next steps are scarier than figuring out how to not stain your chef whites and which salad bar does not contain the chicken salad. Once you have graduated finding a job that supports your vegan lifestyle and will pay your loans can be difficult. Luckily Johnson and Wales allows you the opportunity to take two internships within four years and one can be the last three months before school is over. This is your chance to seal the deal on a job for after you graduate. I took a three month paid internship at Susty’s, a vegan restaurant in Northwood, NH. This internship was offered to me as paid, allowing me to be able to move closer to the job site. I learned how to utilize my skills as well as develop more real world experiences. The job was certainly not what school made it out to be. The chefs were not as mean, the environment was not as tense, and I did not need to show off as if my work was the only work worth eating because I was a graduate of the one and only Johnson and Wales. Within the misleading curriculum there was one thing that really stuck out which was that cooking slowly took over my life. The burn marks on my arms from saving cookie trays out of the oven or splatter burns from grease splashing out of the fryer from fresh made donuts, and cut marks on your arms from sloppy to improving knife skills, and eight hours of starvation during a busy rush on Friday night became a routine. With the emergency room visits and ditching plans with friends visiting from out of town, you still love your job. It is amazing to have friends, family, customers, and strangers come to you with love in their eyes begging for details on your glamorous education and dream job.
Working in a vegan kitchen after battling in a school filled with dairy lovers and meat heads, is a breath of fresh air. Culinary school can be seen like a drag after living your life in the green, but overall the experience is out of this world. The books you take home with you, the friends you bond with, and being able to experiment with ingredients that are found world-wide is something that you will never forget. School itself is very difficult, it can force you out of the industry or make you consider a career change, but during your stay at JWU you are able to choose a field that is meant for you. I am a happy, broke college graduate who is using the degree every single day as a head baker in one of the best vegan diners in Boston. I am using my minor in coffee and teas to manage and run a coffee shop where I am using my bachelor degree in Food Service Management to operate the shop Monday thru Friday. I am very lucky to have made the decision to attend four years in culinary school, where I found a new love for Providence and Chinese takeout. If you are considering culinary school go out and visit one, and fall in love just as I did. I have had struggles and it was not an easy road, but it is the path I will never turn back on. Study hard and cook on veggies!

For more information on JWU visit: www.jwu.edu

White Castle, the oldest American hamburger chain begun in 1921 now with nearly 400 locations in twelve states, introduced a Veggie Slider in December 2014. http://www.whitecastle.com/about/company/news/white-castle-unveils-veggie-slider

At that time and as late as early October 2015 when we checked White Castle’s website ingredient list, the bun on which it was served was not vegan. It contained sodium stearoyl lactylate (SSL); diacetyl tartaric acid ester of mono- and diglycerides (DATEM); enzymes and L-cysteine, all of which could be animal-derived. It also contained sugar which could have been processed through cow bone char. Here is the complete ingredient statement of the original White Castle bun:

Bun Ingredients: (bleached enriched wheat flour (malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, sugar, soybean oil, contains 2% or less of the following: yeast, salt, sodium stearoyl lactylate, diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides (DATEM), calcium sulfate, enzymes, ascorbic acid, potassium iodate, L-cysteine, azodicarbonamide (ADA).

White Castle stated that the original bun for their Veggie Slider was not vegan: http://static-whitecastle-com.s3.amazonaws.com/HowVeggieSlidersarePrepared.pdf

In response to vegans’ requests, White Castle changed its bun formulation. White Castle’s website stated it this way:

“We received great feedback from some in the vegetarian community requesting this. Since then we’ve been working on just that—a vegan bun. We made the decision to go ahead with the Veggie Slider with the possibility of a vegan bun and hope to offer one soon!”

Here’s White Castle’s Twitter feed on this topic at the Veggie Slider’s debut showing several vegan bun requests and the restaurant chain’s intention to create a vegan bun: https://twitter.com/WhiteCastle/status/550064410568708097

Here are the first online mentions of the vegan bun’s debut in restaurants. White Castle responded in the second link:

https://twitter.com/veganxpress

https://twitter.com/LazyGirlVegan/statuses/651583250046001152

In December 2015 when The VRG reviewed the White Castle website for this article, the ingredient statement (posted with an effective date of October 2015) for the only bun appearing in the entire ingredient list read as follows:

Traditional Bun:

enriched bleached wheat flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), water, high fructose corn syrup, salt, soybean oil, contains 2% or less of each of the following: yeast, calcium stearoyl lactylate (CSL), guar gum, monoglycerides, monocalcium phosphate, sodium alginate, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), enzymes.

We note the absence of L-cysteine and sugar in the new bun in comparison with the original bun. L-cysteine is most often derived from duck feathers although non-animal-derived L-cysteine is commercially available. Sugar may be of concern to vegans who avoid cane sugar that had been whitened using cow bone char. Most cane sugar processed today in the US is processed this way. Sugar beets and USDA Organic cane sugar are not.

Knowing that monoglycerides and enzymes could be animal-derived and calcium stearoyl lactylate could be animal- and/or dairy-derived, The VRG called White Castle specifically about these ingredients.

Monique on the customer service line in December 2015 confirmed that the “Traditional Bun” listed in the ingredient statement is the bun used for the Veggie Slider. She told us that she didn’t have more ingredient source information but would research it and get back to us.

The next day we received an email reply from Jason Suitt Quality Assurance and Research & Development Manager at White Castle. He wrote:

“Thank you for your recent inquiry as to whether the enzymes in our buns used on our Veggie Sliders are derived from animal sources. Back in August of this year, we reformulated our buns to remove all animal byproducts, so that they now may be considered vegan. That said, please keep in mind that the buns and veggie patties are prepared in a common kitchen, so they may occasionally come into contact with non-vegan items. Thank you again for your inquiry, and please let me know if you have any other questions.”

Since Jason didn’t refer to the monoglycerides and calcium stearoyl lactylate in his reply, we left him a phone message about them. He replied promptly by phone stating that: “No animal byproducts including dairy are in the new formula bun…Our bakery division carefully researched all ingredient sources for our bun so it is vegan.”

Readers may also note that the French fries, onion chips, onion rings, and home-style onion rings are all “cooked in the same oil as items that may contain wheat, eggs, milk, soy, fish, shellfish.” According to the White Castle ingredient list the French fries and home-style onion rings appear all-vegetable. The onion rings contain milk and the onion chips contain egg and milk. Not all of these items are available in all locations. See http://static-whitecastle-com.s3.amazonaws.com/WCIngListSept.2015.pdf for more information.

For a White Castle location near you, visit: http://www.whitecastle.com/locations

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.

To support The Vegetarian Resource Group research, join at http://www.vrg.org/party/index.php

Or donate at www.vrg.org/donate

Per the Washington Post, in a report by the Cornucopia Institute, tens of thousands of birds can be packed into large warehouse-like buildings and rarely get outdoors,but still be labelled “organic.”

See: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/12/15/millions-of-organic-eggs-come-from-industrial-scale-chicken-operations-group-says/

The Blind Faith Cafe, decorated with festive holiday lights and a sophisticated, earth-toned interior is situated on a cozy avenue in Evanston, Chicago, where I had just taken an audition at Northwestern University. Upon entering the cafe, we learned quickly that this cafe was unique; along with the traditional restaurant setting, Blind Faith Cafe also housed a bakery.

I ordered the Thai Peanut Noodles and the vegan chocolate cake from their on-site bakery. The Thai Peanut Noodles are vegan and gluten-free, described as “rice noodles and garden vegetables sautéed in spicy Thai peanut sauce, topped with crispy tofu, pickled ginger and peanuts.” The dish proved to make a satisfying, yet light meal that pleasantly lacked any heavy oils or cloying sweetness. The flavors were hearty and substantial, with a delicate balance of sweet, salty, spicy, and tangy notes accompanied by crunchy, chewy, and crispy textures. We finished our night with a slice of vegan chocolate cake with vanilla frosting, which had everything one would want from a chocolate cake: rich chocolate flavor and aroma paired with creamy, sweet frosting. We both thoroughly enjoyed dining at the Blind Faith Cafe, a restaurant with a creative menu diverse enough to please different palates, friendly and attentive service, and an on-site bakery.

Blind Faith is in The Vegetarian Resource Group’s online restaurant guide. Here is a link for anyone who wants to learn about other vegetarian restaurants around the USA and Canada: http://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

Here is a link to Blind Faith’s website: http://www.blindfaithcafe.com

Background

It’s common to see “gum base” and “gum softeners” on chewing gum wrappers. These general labeling phrases disguise the fact that each term usually represents a mixture of several different chemicals of plant, animal and/or synthetic (i.e., petrochemical) origin.

According to the United States Food and Drug Administration’s (U.S. FDA) Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 21CFR172.615, gum base is a “non-nutritive masticatory substance.”
(http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr=172.615) The following animal-derived ingredients are specifically approved for use in chewing gum:

lanolin (always animal-derived)

sodium and potassium stearates (could be plant- or animal-derived)

stearic acid (could be plant- or animal-derived)

Also approved for use in chewing gum bases and softeners (see paragraph “b” of previous link) but not listed in the FDA document cited above are all generally recognized as safe (GRAS) ingredients some of which could be of animal origin.

http://www.fda.gov/Food/IngredientsPackagingLabeling/GRAS/ (See end of page under “Regulations” for four links to lists of GRAS ingredients.) Possibly animal-derived GRAS ingredients which The VRG has seen listed on websites and in books about chewing gum base include glycerin and glyceryl monostearate.

Identifying Ingredients in Gum Bases and Softeners

Identifying ingredients used in gum bases and softeners is challenging for two reasons. First, ingredients listed in 21CFR172.615 and all GRAS ingredients do not have to be labeled by their common names on chewing gum wrappers but may appear as contained under terms such as “gum base” or “gum softeners.” Second we have found it difficult to get information on ingredients used in gum bases and gum softeners because companies are unwilling to divulge information.
For example, we see how these gum base descriptions by trade organizations do not list even one common gum base ingredient but only name general chemical or ingredient categories: http://www.gumassociation.org/index.cfm/facts-figures/frequently-asked-questions/what-is-gum-base/
http://www.cafosa.com/EN_What_is_gum_base
Neither organization nor several similar groups responded to our numerous requests for ingredient information.
According to what little company and product trade group information The Vegetarian Resource Group could locate, many conventional gum bases and softeners contain synthetic (i.e., petroleum-based) chemicals such as: polyisobutylene, polyvinyl acetate, styrene-butadiene rubber, butyl rubber, and paraffin. Hydrogenated vegetable oils and lecithin (typically derived from vegetable oil) are also common. http://www.chiczausa.com/

The insoluble (i.e., non-dissolvable in water) gum base comprises “…most often about 20 to about 35 percent by weight of the gum.” (See the 18th paragraph of the section titled “Detailed Description of the Drawings and Preferred Embodiments of the Invention.” http://www.google.com/patents/US5773053 This source also stated that tallow or lard or their components could be used in gum base or softeners.

For more background information on gum:

http://www.madehow.com/Volume-1/Chewing-Gum.html

http://flavorscientist.com/2011/10/17/children-sugar-free-gum/

http://www.polymerambassadors.org/chewinggum.pdf

Gum Base Ingredients in Hershey’s Products

The Vegetarian Resource Group wished to determine if animal fat-derived stearic acid in particular or any of its many stearate derivatives were present in the bases or softeners of gums sold today. Here is a summary of what we’ve learned from The Hershey Company during October-December 2015.

Hershey’s customer service representatives told us that the gum base in Bubble Yum and Ice Breakers Ice Cubes Gum is the same. It consists of the following:

synthetic food grade rubber, resin, wax, softeners, fillers, and BHT. (Note: BHT is petroleum-derived butylated hydroxytoluene.)

Knowing that “resin” could refer to insect-derived lac resin, tree resin or synthetic resin, The VRG asked for more information.

In two separate calls customer service representatives Gina and Cindy told The VRG that a search for more information about “resin” in their database described “resin” as “shellac.” They also mentioned resinous glaze and confectioner’s glaze in their explanations of what they were viewing from their computer screens about resin.

“Confectioner’s glaze” and “resinous glaze” are commonly understood as synonymous terms for the insect secretion lac resin from which the term “shellac” derives. Confused by Hershey’s information because confectioner’s or resinous glaze is usually applied on the surface of confections to make them shiny, The VRG wondered if Hershey’s “resin” found blended with other gum base components inside of each piece of gum was really a tree resin or a synthetic resin as listed in 21CFR172.615 (see above).

On Hershey’s website we found a page dealing with its glazes: https://www.thehersheycompany.com/our-ingredients/what-we-believe/ingredient-information/ingredient-topics/glazes.aspx Hershey’s states on that page:

In the United States, The Hershey Company uses the term “resinous glaze” in the ingredient statement on products that contain a glaze made with shellac. “Confectioner’s glaze” is not labeled in the United States, but is included on the ingredient statement by its component ingredients.

In Canada, The Hershey Company uses the term “confectioner’s glaze” for both shellac and non-shellac based glazes.

Based on our past research, Hershey’s distinction between resinous and confectioner’s glazes is not commonly made in the confections industry. Furthermore, since nothing is mentioned on Hershey’s page about resinous or confectioner’s glazes in their gum products although Hershey’s consumer representatives and later a supervisor at the call center used the term “shellac” when defining the resin ingredient in their gum base we wanted to get a clearer explanation so we called again.

The VRG spoke with supervisor Steven at Hershey’s about the resin in the gum base. He told us that when he uses his database to search for “resin,” the word “shellac” immediately appears on his screen. Information on “resinous glaze” and “confectioner’s glaze” also appears. Steven read to us what he was viewing. He said “I would think [from the information in the database] that the resin in the gum base is from the lac beetle. I’ll check and get back to you.”

When we spoke to him again, he said that “…just last week our database was updated. Resin in the gum base is not derived from the lac beetle. The resin is a natural wax product.” The VRG found this statement vague since shellac may also be described as a natural wax product. For that matter, beeswax is a natural wax product and according to the gum base patent cited above could be a component of gum base or gum softeners. Steven was not able to elaborate further on this point.

The VRG also asked about the fillers and softeners listed as ingredients in the Bubble Yum and Ice Breakers gums. Steven said they are “synthetic, not animal-derived.”

The Vegetarian Resource Group will provide information on other gum brands in future articles.

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.

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

Or you can join The Vegetarian Resource Group at:
http://www.vrg.org/member/2013sv.php

According to Forbes, with the federal budget deal signed into law, those who are over 70-1/2 and have to take required minimum distributions from their traditional (pre-tax) Individual Retirement Accounts, will be able to make direct gifts of up to $100,000 a year to charity from their IRA. Consult your tax advisor before the end of the year if this may impact you.

The restaurants (and events) listed below will be open either New Year’s Eve and/or Day. In many cases reservations are required. Have a terrific 2016!

Lovin’ Spoonfuls
Tucson, AZ

Crossroads
Los Angeles, CA

Ravens
Mendocino, CA

Plant Food and Wine
Venice, CA

Vegan Scene
Venice, CA

Leaf Vegetarian Restaurant
Boulder, CO

Sticky Fingers
Washington, DC

F&11 Vegan Brunch Party
Washington, DC

The New Vegan
Delray Beach, FL

Ethos Vegan Kitchen
Winter Park, FL

Cafe Sunflower
Atlanta, GA

Boston Vegetarian Society
Boston, MA

Seasoned Vegan
New York, NY

Irregardless Cafe
Raleigh, NC

St. Louis Animal Rights Team
St. Louis, MO

The Cleveland Vegan Society
Cleveland, OH

Vidya’s Veggie Gourmet Restaurant
Thornton, Ontario, Canada

Rawlicious Bloor West Village
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Below are links to previous articles we’ve run in Vegetarian Journal that feature recipes you can prepare for your family, friends, co-workers, and others at Christmas. Enjoy!

A Holiday Celebration:
https://www.vrg.org/recipes/holiday.htm

Edible Vegan Gifts for the Holidays:
https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2009issue4/2009_issue4_edible_gifts.php

Celebration Meals:
http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2012issue3/2012issue3_celebration_meals.php

Vegan Soul Food for the Holidays:
http://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2011issue4/2011_issue4_Soul.php

To subscribe to Vegetarian Journal, visit: http://www.vrg.org/bookstore/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=3

According to NBC News, it appears Congress is making clear to USDA where to draw the line on Dietary Guidelines. See: Budget Bill Limits New Food Advice

AOL/NBC said,
“Congress is scheduled to vote on a $1.1 trillion spending bill Friday that would avert a government shutdown until next October and fund almost all federal activities.

But like just about any bill in Congress, this one’s full of little goodies and pet projects that can have a big effect on medical research and health and science policies.

Dietary guidelines
The joint USDA/FDA food guidelines, which come out every five years, were due by the end of December. The bill holds that up after a big fight over an advisory panel’s recommendations that included limiting salt, eating less meat and, most controversially, eating a plant-based diet that protects the environment. Now the agencies cannot release their guidelines until they can show they are “based on significant scientific agreement; and … limited in scope to nutritional and dietary information”.

Salt limits

Congress is preventing the Agriculture Department from putting into effect any rule cutting sodium levels in federally provided meals “until the latest scientific research establishes the reduction is beneficial for children.”

Menu labels

The FDA delayed its plan to require restaurants to add calorie counts to menus. The bill makes sure the calorie counts stay off menus for now.

GMO Salmon
FDA won’t be able to allow the sale of genetically modified salmon until it has a plan for labeling the fish. And out of FDA’s budget “not less than $150,000 shall be used to develop labeling guidelines and implement a program to disclose to consumers whether salmon offered for sale to consumers is a genetically engineered variety.” When FDA approved GM salmon last month it said companies didn’t have to label it, provoking the fury of anti-GMO groups.”

Through December 31, 2015, you can give a gift membership to The Vegetarian Resource Group (includes a 1-year subscription to Vegetarian Journal) for $15 each. This is a terrific way to share the vegan http://bestacnedrug.com message, as well as support VRG.

Gift subscriptions can be done online by simply typing in your message and the address(s) of the gift recipient(s) in the comments field. Go to: https://www.givedirect.org/give/givefrm.asp?CID=1565