…Do you need any more proof that there’s something added to the food?
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From the category archives:
Fast Food
…and that’s only 
I am more than a little amazed, and more than a little scared. Via World Vegetarian and Vegan News, it would appear that Animal Aid is selling vegan creme eggs, which from the sound of things are similar to the Cadbury things that I grew up on (and may have tried to make a candy omelet out of, but reports from that era are sketchy.)
This is very cool, since seasonal products are the kind of thing that sucks for new vegans – they’re often tied to family traditions and shared stories, and as I’ve written about in the past, these are tough things to, well, let’s not say break, but certainly to change. Whatever your thoughts on Easter itself, up until now you couldn’t walk into a store without seeing one of the Cadbury bins (at least where I live) and at some level you’re thinking of how you don’t get to do that anymore.
And now, a solution exists! Sure, it’s mostly useful for people in the UK - I don’t know much more than what’s on the sales page and the blog post that led me to it, but it’s with mixed emotions that I note that Animal Aid charges a flat 25 pound shipping charge on any orders outside the EU. Which is where I am. I cannot begin to fathom the size of the order I’d have to make to get the average cost per egg down to a rationalizable level (though I may try.)
Still, this is a sign of things to come. The technology clearly exists!
What other seasonal snacks are still missing from the vegan pantry? This was a big one for me, but that’s probably because it’s the time of year where you can’t escape creme eggs. I doubt I’ll actually buy any (even if shipping was viable,) but I feel better just knowing they’re out there – both personally and for the benefit of veganism overall.
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Hey, speaking of condom lube, Erik found some unsettling news that he knew he could trust me to deal with in a tasteful and discreet manner. Ready… and… Earmuffs!
Wanna know what a McDonald’s in New Zealand was giving out as Happy Meal prizes? Condoms! Well, at least one condom, anyway. The story’s as fuzzy as Grimace’s genetic code, but it seems like the outlet ran out of the normal gift and had started substituting some prepackaged sports bags. I don’t know if they all had condoms in them or if it was just this one that had been opened already, but apparently people are willing to overlook the whole advertising junk food to kids thing if the place would just stop giving condoms to seven year olds. I almost miss the old corporate days where an admission of guilt would never be utterred, and an incident of this would be dealt with in a “we meant to do that” manner including a new McDonaldLand character.
Weekend comment quiz: what’s the new McDonaldLand character that represents free condoms?
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kunsjoi sent in some uplifting news! Do y’all like the uplifting news? I know I sure like uplifting news. It lifts me up, see. Oh! The news! A school district in California has committed to offering vegan meals in all school cafeterias. What’s more, the first day’s supply of veggie burgers sold out! Yes, there were only 12 of them, but it’s a good start. The board is continuing to serve non-vegan options, but it looks like this all came about from the actions of one teacher who started a vegan club.
The only issue I’ve got with the news is the ongoing theme that veganism means marginalization and sacrifice – for example, there’s someone mentioned who claims to have “abandoned a lucrative career to dedicate her life to animal rights.” Why can’t people have both if they want to?
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The last post of a Friday is always a pain to pick out, since it generally stays at the top until Monday. Do I go for something controversial? Do I target a specific group of meat eating porn surfers? Do I manage to spell everything correctly? This week I’m going for the trifecta by posting a coupon for a free veggie burger from PETA. They’re for some chain called Johnny Rockets, which, despite my fine midland American accent, I’ve not heard of, but they sound decent for a burger chain, and appear to recognize that vegetarians have money. Link. (Thanks Amy!)
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alethafaye reports that a McDonald’s restaurant in the UK has closed due to lack of business. According to a McDonald’s spokesman, “As part of an ongoing review of our restaurant sites, it has become clear that the location of McDonald’s in Tavistock is no longer suitable.” Wanna know what that means? The town is too damned healthy for them, being known for their local food selections. According to the mayor, the death blow for the fast food chain probably occurred 18 months ago when healthy school meals were introduced by the town, taking the school lunch market away from McD’s. Let’s hope other municipalities can wise up and become “no longer suitable” for McDonald’s. Link.
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Steve_L reports that New York City has gone ahead with their ban on trans fats that we talked about back in October. Restaurants, including fast food chains, have until July to phase out most frying oils with trans fats, and until July 2008 to get rid of trans fats altogether. Now, what are the odds that a national (or worldwide) fast food chain is going to come up with a different set of recipes and suppliers for just one city? McDonald’s has been promising to reduce their trans fat usage for years without delivering, but the risk that they might not be able to sell french fries in NYC might finally be the impetus for a meaningful change, which could then spread around the world. If this all works out like it might, Mayor Bloomberg might be responsible for the single greatest contribution to fighting heart disease, ever. Link.
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It wasn’t that long ago that one could buy cigarettes in Canadian pharmacies, and progress is (slowly) being made about junk food in schools, but health officials are just starting to take notice of something that’s happening right under their noses: fast food in children’s hospitals. As Magic Stones notes, the lastest issue of Pediatrics contains a survey on the subject, in which it’s found that 59 of the 250 children’s hospitals in the USA have fast food restaurants in them, which sends a mixed message about healthy eating that actually influences food choices. The survey found that parents were much more likely to buy fast food on the day that their kids were treated at a hospital with a McDonald’s, and what’s more, they were twice as likely to rate the McDonald’s food as healthy. As it’s the parents who answered the survey and it’s a children’s hospital, I guess we can rule out treatment for brain damage as an influencer on the quiz, but brain washing, well, that’s another story. Link.
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The KFC logo is now visible from space, thanks to an 87,500 square foot installation near “Area 51″ in the Nevada desert. The company proudly says that this is the first corporate logo to be visible from outer space. Coca Cola, Maxim, and possibly Readymix have apparently made similar claims in the past, which would make KFC’s statement, well, let’s be kind and call it misleading, or maybe slightly ignorant. You know, just like their claims about animal welfare. As non-classified satellite optics improve, this kind of thing will become less and less interesting. In fact, some day scientists may even be able to develop lenses that can resolve a KFC executive’s genitals from space. It’ll take some time, to be sure, because, you know, they’re so friggin’ tiny, but science always prevails. Link.
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