top
2) VRG HIGHLIGHTS
Reed Mangels submitted comments for us to the Food and Drug Administration
concerning their request for information on labeling plant-based products with names that
include the names of dairy foods, such as “milk,” “yogurt,” and “cheese.” See:
[ https://www.vrg.org/blog/2018/11/21/vrg-sent-these-comments-to-the-food-and-drug-administation-fda-in-response-to-fda-asks-for-input-on-use-of-the-names-of-dairy-foods-in-labeling-plant-based-products/ ]
And Reed answered a question about Silk “milk” and Vitamin A. See: [ https://www.vrg.org/blog/2018/11/22/vitamin-a-palmitate-in-silk-soymilk/ ]
Thank you to all our donors that enabled us to have a booth at the Academy of Nutrition
and Dietetics annual meeting. We were able to place Vegetarian Journals directly into the
hand of about 1,000 dietitians. Many times attendees would say no to taking one since so
much is given out at this event, but then see it was vegetarian, and enthusiastically
change their mind. The only exception was towards the end of the show when one
woman said no to the offer of a Journal as she was a cattle rancher. However, the friends
with her took information.
The dietetic meeting this year was attended by 11,000 health professionals from across the
country. It was especially great talking to nutrition students who will be future dietitians, as they picked up materials for vegetarian clients they may have after starting their careers. When we first started exhibiting at this event about 30 years ago in 1988, it was filled with booths promoting animal products, fast food, and items like soda. VRG and the Seventh-day Adventist Dietetic Association were the rare, but very welcome voices, sharing vegetarian information. This year the hall was filled with companies pushing
“plant based” products, and surprisingly we didn’t see one fast food company. Of course
not all vegan or plant based foods are healthy, so that’s an ongoing discussion. And
thank you to the donor who bought a table for vegetarians at the Academy Foundation
dinner. Typically, sponsorships like this would have been for companies promoting
animal products. There’s a lot more to be done, but thanks to everyone’s support and
activism, we can appreciate all the change among health professionals and society in
general. Kudos to Reed Mangels PhD RD, Cathy Conway MS RD, and Eric Sharer MS
RD, who helped answer questions at the booth this year.
A woman called from Florida asking for help getting her retirement community’s kitchen
staff to cook vegetarian/vegan meals. We provided books, articles, and other literature, as well as local contacts to help her find further assistance.
We provided about 400 brochures, flyers, and coloring books to a dietitian in Virginia,
and a family medical center in South Carolina.
We also supplied over 500 brochures and 400 Vegetarian Journals, along with dozens of
coloring books, to the organizers of veg fests and other events in Central and Southwest
Florida, Boston, and Washington DC.
To support the Vegetarian Resource Group outreach, donate at [ https://www.vrg.org/donate ]
top
3) VRG BOOTHS AND EVENTS
Come visit us at these VRG booths!
- JEWISH VEGAN COOKING DEMO
- By Marcia Schveibinz
Saturday, March 23rd, 2019, 7 PM, Congregation Beit Tikvah
Corner Community Center
Roland Park, Baltimore
5802 Roland Ave, Baltimore, MD 21210
Learn to prepare vegan hamentashen and a variety of fillings.
Marcia will also give ideas for vegan Passover dishes. Each attendee will receive a
copy of Vegan Passover Recipes by Chef Nancy Berkoff, RD.
- Maryland Dietetics in Health Care Communities Spring Workshop
- Tuesday, March 26th, 2019
Clarksville, MD
The Gathering Place
- Vegan SoulFest
- Clifton Park
Baltimore, MD
Saturday, August 3, 2019
- Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics FNCE
- Sunday to Tuesday, October 27-29, 2019
Pennsylvania Convention Center
Philadelphia, PA
If you would like to donate towards our veggie outreach, donate at:
[ https://www.vrg.org/donate ]
Donations can also be sent to:
The Vegetarian Resource Group
P.O. Box 1463
Baltimore, MD 21203
Or call: (410) 366-8343
If you’re interested in helping us at one of our booths, contact Gene Slothour-Hudnall at
[email protected].
top
4) OTHER UPCOMING VEGETARIAN/VEGAN EVENTS
Below are upcoming events occurring nationally and internationally. At this time, The VRG will not be having a table at these events but we want to share them with you in case you live in or will be traveling to the area they are taking place and wish to attend:
Sedona Health & Nutrition Conference
Sedona, AZ
January 17 18, 2019
Sedona VegFest
Sedona, AZ
January 19 20, 2019
Santa Cruz VegFest
Cocoanut Grove at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Santa Cruz, CA
Saturday, April 6th, 2019
Alabama Vegan Fest
Birmingham, AL
Sunday, April 14th, 2019
Des Moines VeganFest
Saturday, April 27th, 2019
The Atrium at Capital Square
Des Moines, IA
Plant-Based Prevention of Disease
Saturday – Monday, May 18th – 20th , 2019
McKimmon Conference and Training Center at NC State University
Raleigh, NC
Plant Based World Conference & Expo
June 2019
Javits Convention Center in NYC
top
5) GIVE THE VEGETARIAN JOURNAL AS A GIFT THIS HOLIDAY SEASON!
Do you have another vegetarian in your life who doesn’t yet have a subscription to our
quarterly magazine? Do you know someone who’s trying to be vegan but just needs
a little help? Give a gift subscription to the Vegetarian Journal.
Call us Mon-Fri at 410-366-8343 9am-5pm ET to place your order. Gift subscriptions can also be done online on our donation page 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/donate/?cid=1565 ]
top
top
7) THE VEGETARIAN RESOURCE GROUP OFFERS $20,000 IN COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS
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 vegetarianism/veganism 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 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 more information on applying, visit: [ https://www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htm ]
If you would like to donate to additional scholarships or internships, go to [ https://www.vrg.org/donate ]
top
8) VEGETARIAN RESOURCE GROUP INTERN EXPERIENCE
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 [ https://www.vrg.org/donate ]
top
9) COMBINED FEDERAL CAMPAIGN
If you are a Federal government employee, you can support The Vegetarian Resource
Group through the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). Look for us under Health &
Medical Research Charities of America. If you’re not a Federal Employee, you may be
able to support our work through your company’s charity donation or matching
campaign.
top
10) A BIG THANK YOU TO ALL OF THE VRG VOLUNTEERS
Thanks to the following VRG volunteers for all your hard work with The Vegetarian
Resource Group, including, posting to social media, writing blog posts, research,
presentations, restaurant research, clerical work, writing HTML, contributing to our
vegan parents group, doing media interviews, staffing booths, editing, performing
nutrition analysis, helping with our newsletters, and more!
- Matthew Baker, RN
- Chef Nancy Berkoff, EdD RD
- Whitney Blomquist
- Anne Custer
- Natalie Evans
- Kalie Ganem
- Carole Hamlin
- Suzanne Hengen
- Keryl Cryer
- Reed Mangels, Ph.D, RD
- Julia Mathew
- Laura McGuiness
- David Milner
- Karen Peissinger
- Beth Preiss
- Marcia Schveibinz
- Brad Scott
- Stuart Stahler
Call for Volunteers:
We’re looking for volunteers who can assist us with updating our lists of vegetarian
and vegan restaurants. We’ve gotten a lot of leads from our scholarship entrants, but we
need to research their suggestions. This work can be done remotely.
To volunteer at VRG, please contact Gene at [email protected]
To support The Vegetarian Resource Group's outreach, donate at [ www.vrg.org/donate ]
top
11) FDA ASKS FOR INPUT ON USE OF THE NAMES OF DAIRY FOODS IN LABELING PLANT-BASED PRODUCTS – DEADLINE TO COMMENT EXTENDED BY 60 DAYS
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is soliciting public input to answer the following
questions:
- How do you use plant-based products?
- What is your understanding of dairy terms like milk, yogurt and cheese when they are
used to label plant-based products?
- Do you understand the nutritional characteristics of plant-based products? Do you know
how they’re different from each other? Do you know how their nutritional qualities
compare with dairy products?
Over the next year, the FDA will be looking at next steps, which will include issuing
guidance for industry. This would clarify FDA’s thinking regarding the labeling of plant-
based products with names that include the names of dairy foods while giving
manufacturers adequate notice about any changes.
To submit electronic comments, go to:
[ https://www.regulations.gov/searchResults?rpp=25&po=0&s=FDA-2018-N-3522-
0001&fp=true&ns=true ]
Click on Comment Now.
For more information, see:
[ https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=FDA-2018-N-3522-0001 ]
The original comment deadline of 11/27/18 has been extended by 60 days.
top
12) VRG WISH LIST
As a non-profit, we can only take on new projects when we are able to get support from
donors and our dedicated volunteers. Right now, we are especially seeking your support
for the following:
- We're getting down to the last of our Vegan Nutrition for Teenagers brochures. We're looking for $1,000 for another print run of this very popular pamphlet. [ https://www.vrg.org/nutrition/VeganNutritionForTeenagers.pdf ]
-
- Do you have an old car, truck, or RV that you're trying to get rid of? Did you know that you can turn that old vehicle into a tax deductible donation to The Vegetarian Resource Group? You can donate online here:
[ http://www.v-dac.com/org/?id=521279034 ]
, or call 1-877-999-8322.
-
- You can make a one time, quarterly, monthly, or an annual donation. To make a donation, call (410)-366-8343 M-F 9:00-5:00, mail a check to The Vegetarian Resource Group at PO Box 1463, Baltimore MD, 21203, or visit [ http://www.vrg.org/donate ]
. Please be sure to let us know which project you would like your contribution to fund. Thank you for supporting The Vegetarian Resource Group!
top
13) WAYS TO GIVE TO VRG THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
The holiday season is upon us. During this time of giving, please consider donating to The Vegetarian Resource Group. There are several ways to do so:
Your support is needed and appreciated! Happy Holidays!
top
top
15) ABOUT THE VEGETARIAN RESOURCE GROUP & VRG NEWS
Our health professionals, activists, and educators work with businesses and individuals to bring about healthful changes in your school, workplace, and community. Registered dietitians and physicians aid in the development of nutrition-related publications and answer member and media questions about vegetarian diets. The Vegetarian Resource Group is a non-profit organization. Financial support comes primarily from memberships, donations, bequests, and book sales. The Vegetarian Journal, a print magazine, is a benefit of membership in The VRG.
(For more information, please see the Vegetarian Journal online [ https://www.vrg.org/journal/ ]
)
If you would like to make a donation, become a member, volunteer, or find out more about The VRG, contact us at:
The Vegetarian Resource Group
P.O. Box 1463
Baltimore, MD 21203
Phone: (410) 366-8343
FAX: (410) 366-8804
E-mail: [email protected] or to volunteer: Gene at [email protected]
Website: [ https://www.vrg.org/ ]
VRG-NEWS is the e-mail newsletter of The Vegetarian Resource Group. This is an announcement list so subscriber messages are not accepted by the list. If you have a technical question about the list, please contact us at [email protected]. If you have any suggestions, ideas, or corrections to VRG-NEWS, please direct them to [email protected]. Thanks. If you are a new subscriber, you might enjoy reading past issues of VRG-NEWS online at
[ https://www.vrg.org/vrgnews/ ]
The VRG is an educational non-profit group providing information on vegetarianism and veganism. To subscribe to VRG-NEWS, go to
[ https://www.vrg.org/vrgnews/ ]
To unsubscribe, or otherwise manage your subscription to VRG-NEWS, go to
[ http://lists.vrg.org/mailman/listinfo/vrg-news_lists.vrg.org ]
(Go to the bottom of the page where it says "unsubscribe" or "edit options". You do not need a password.)
Copyright The Vegetarian Resource Group 2018 The contents of this newsletter, 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 own best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.
top
