European Vegetarian Union

News from Switzerland

from EVU News, Issue 1, 1996

Furious farmers: "Remove the exhibition!"

It was accorded with the owner of a health food store and chemist shop to show the exhibition 'Vegetarianism, health, animal protection, environment, ethics, prejudices, famous vegetarians' - which has been shown already at the EVU Congress in Bratislava and at the Congress day in Lindau (Germany) - in the entrance hall of the shopping centre in my home town, Widnau, at the beginning of March.

[image: posterwalls] The three posterwalls (pictured right) were exposed at the beginning of the week and should have stayed there until Saturday afternoon. A lot of people stopped, read the posters, went into the shop to ask for more information and leaflets. All went well and the chemist was content. Friday night I got a fax in which he asked me to remove the exposition at once because he feared for his shop to be destroyed by furious farmers. When I went to the mall some hours later, everything was calm again and nothing was destroyed, but the chemist asked me to take the poster-walls away.

I think we are on the right way: perhaps for the first time in history meat-eaters are taking us seriously and are on the defensive.

Sigrid De Leo

Ten Minutes For a Strong Meal

100% Burger - 100% Vegetable

Coop, one of the biggest super-market chains in Switzerland, has launched a vegan product: Burger Vegetal.

"The juicy and delicious Burger vegetal needs only 10 minutes, fry without fat, accompany with salad and you have a strong, wholefood meal. The tasty Burgers made from cereals and vegetables are a reserve of strength and energy, for they supply carbohydrates as well as fibres for a good digestion.

Exclusively at COOP in the Meat Department."

Three types of Burgers are available: Burger Vegetal Curry, Broccoli, Nature.

I wrote to 'Migros' about their vegetarian product 'Cornatur' (see EVU News 3/4 95), which is also only to be found in the meat department, saying that it is unreasonable for a vegetarian to enter the meat department. I asked whether the products could not be offered in the cheese-milk department. The answer was that the intention is to give meat-eaters an alternative! I hope that every day more and more meat-eaters benefit from the vegetarian products.

A Seventh Day Adventist priest answered once, when asked why he recommended the vegetarian diet, but did not say a word about the ethical problems of killing animals: "The more people eat plant food, the more their eyes will be opened and they will understand the ethical reasons all by themselves"

Sigrid De Leo


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