Notes from the Scientific Department
Foodservice Outreach
VRG's Foodservice Advisor, Nancy Berkoff, RD, EdD, continues to promote vegan foods to various institutions. In Palm Springs, California Nancy gave a workshop for healthcare directors of American and Canadian hospitals and healthcare facilities on how to incorporate vegan foods into both their patient and employee menus. She also continues to instruct a vegetarian nutrition course for the Art Institute of Los Angeles, California in their culinary training program.
A recent "chef on call" (a quarterly happening through the Orange County, California Register in which readers write why they deserve a chef for a day) found Nancy developing recipes and cooking meals for a family of four who wanted to "go veggie."
Food Service Director magazine continues to run Nancy's bimonthly articles on how to incorporate vegetarianism into foodservice operations. Finally, Nancy has been invited to present workshops on cooking with veggie foods to the food service staff at the University of Montana (Missoula) and the University of Wisconsin (Madison).
Taste of Health
VRG Nutrition Advisor Suzanne Havala presented a session on vegetarian diets to dietitians, physicians, nurses, and other health professionals at the annual Taste of Health conference sponsored by EarthSave in Seattle, Washington on October 15th. The session was repeated for the general public the next day. Attendees received complimentary copies of the Vegetarian Journal, as well as samples of other VRG nutrition education materials.
VRG at The American Dietetic Association Annual Meeting
The American Dietetic Association's Annual Meeting and Exhibition was held in Atlanta, Georgia from October 18th through the 21st. The Vegetarian Resource Group exhibited, reaching over 7,000 dietitians from around the country and distributing complimentary copies of Vegetarian Journal, as well as pamphlets, handouts, and other samples of VRG's nutrition education materials.
VRG in the News
VRG Nutrition Advisor Reed Mangels was interviewed by Disney Online for a story about vegetarian pregnancies. She was also interviewed by the Chicago Sun Times for an article about teen vegetarians.
Suzanne Havala was interviewed for upcoming stories in Fitness, Eating Light, and Healthy Living magazines. She was also interviewed by Vitality, a national wellness-related trade magazine, for a story about transitioning to a vegetarian diet.
VRG Outreach
VRG continues to sell books and offer information at various events. Special thanks to Jim Dunn, Chris Costiopoulis, and Sue Piszczek for staffing a VRG booth at the annual Chicago Vegetarian Society's Thanksgiving Dinner. Thanks to Dina Fitzsimmons for staffing a VRG booth at the annual Boston Vegetarian Society Food Festival, and to Jessica Dadds for setting up a VRG booth at the Frederick Food Co-op in Maryland. And finally, thanks to Andy Singer and Jeannie McStay for tabling at the Vegetarian Society of DC's annual Thanksgiving dinner.
VRG Mentioned on NPR's Marketplace
Charles Stahler, VRG's Co-director, was heard on National Public Radio's Marketplace the day before Thanksgiving. The piece was about celebrating a vegetarian Thanksgiving. Charles spoke about statistics from various polls VRG has sponsored, including the number of people who choose veggie options when dining out.
