Research

Ellie Marsh

What is a vegan?A vegan is someone who dose not eat or perches products that contain animals such as meat, diary, wool or fur as well as others, some of the common reasons people become vegan are, • To feel healthier and more energized • To not contribute to the cruelty and killing of animals • To help save the environment and lower their carbon footprint • Because some famous people that are seen as cool are doing it Most vegans live of a plant based diet consisting of vegetables and nuts as well as fruit and different types of beans, however as the demand for vegan food is rising as the diet becomes more popular different foods are emerging that are vegan friendly, some you may not have expected are, • Oreos, Unfrosted pop-tarts, Jell-O instant pudding mix, Duncan Hines cake mixs, Lindt

excellence cocoa bars, nature valley granola bars, Betty crocker’s bac-o’s bacon flavor bits Tomas’s New York style Bagels and many more!

As well as this more and more restaurants are providing vegan options in there restaurants and take away, some of these are, • Yo! Sushi, Zizzi, Loving Hut, Tobey Carvery, Pizza Express, ASK, Bagel Nash, Stakeaway and

lots lots more. • As the diet has become more popular more places and businesses are becoming equated

with the food that is suitable for it.

Definition of a vegan

https://www.vegansociety.com/go-vegan/definition-veganism This definition is from the vegan society website and is as close to a perfect description of what a vegan is that your going to get.

Primary Research

Questionnaires • For my primary research I used a questionnaire, I chose this method of research

because I think it is the easier way to reach lots of different people, I posted the link for my questionnaire on two different social medias so that it would reach people in different walks of life. I made my questioner quite general so that anyone could answer it vegan or not, this widens the demographic of the people who can answer the questionnaire. I also did this because I want to know why people became vegan and what was the main reason the changed to a vegan diet, as well as finding out what people know about being a vegan and whether they would ever consider it.

• I have analyzed the results from the 49 people who answered my questionnaire and from this I have gathered the important information about the people in my target audience. I have also got information from people who are already vegan or vegetarian, this has been helpful because it has shown me what has made them want to make the diet change and therefore I now have more information to start my project with.

Results

Age

I put my questionnaire on Facebook and instagram so that it would reach a wider rang of people, however the majority of people were aged 18-30, some of the key things I can learn from this are, • That the people that are on social

media that follow the hash tag vegan and vegan food.

Are you a vegan?

• From this question I can learn that only 10% of the people who did my survey were vegan, this tells me that most of the results are from none vegans.

• I can also link the age question to this and could say that most people ages 18-30 are not vegans.

If not why not?The results from this question were all different however some of the key points were • Not wanting to give up meat • Bacon • Not knowing the health

benefits • The vegan alternatives to

meat and dairy products are expensive

• To busy to keep up with the lifestyle

If you are, why did you choose to become a vegan?

As only a hand full of people answered my survey were vegan I only got a few answered however from the answers I get I think the most important reasons are,

• For my health • For ethical reasons

Would you ever consider becoming a vegan?

From this question I can learn that about 15% of the people who answered my survey would consider becoming vegan, these people are my target audience. As well as this another 18% said maybe, these people are also the target audience for the ‘Veganuary’ project as it is aimed at people who are thinking about it and would be able to be convinced to try it for a month.

Have you ever heard of Veganuary?The results from this question tell me that most of the people who did my survey did not know about veganuary. I also know that three five people from my class answered my survey, this means that they do know about veganuary but only because they have been told about it at college, because of this, this result could not be accurate and the people saying no could be a lot more. However I still know that more people (65%) said that they had never heard of it.

How aware are you of the impact the meat and dairy industry has on the

environment? These results show me that most of the people on my survey were aware of the impact however 30% of them were either not very aware or had never heard about it. Because of this I know that lots of people are aware of the impact. after looking at each individuals results I learnt that most of the people who answered very aware or aware were either people in my class or people who were already vegans, because of this I know that most of the people who weren't vegan did not know very much about the environmental impacts of this industry.

If you are not a vegan, what would be the main aspect that would turn you into one?

One thing I can learn from this result is that the main reason the people who took part in my survey would become vegan would be to become healthier and I know that the least amount of people think they would become vegan because someone who was famous had.

However the top three results are quite, 27% would become vegan for their own health, 22% would do it to save animals and 20% would change to help the environment. After analyzing the results farther I found that most of the people who answered to become healthier are the people who are already vegan, these people are not my target audience however this is still a good piece of information to have.

Secondary Research

Why become avegan?

Summery: This text is all based around why people would want to become vegan and what the different reasons are, one reason is animals. Some vegans become vegan so that they no longer contribute to the killing and suffering of factory farm animals. Another reason is for there own health, this article states that it has been ‘scientifically proven’ that a vegan diet is better for the human body that a modern western diet. The third reason was for the environment, this section speaks about the effects on the worlds environment due to the mass production of meat and dray products, things such as ‘5.6 billion acres' of land in Brazil is used to grow soya beans to feed cattle, this helps to create poverty is the poorest parts of society. The last section was for the people, this section speaks more about the animal suffering and the effects on the planet also including information about ‘ethical’ meat.

Tags • Vegan • Animals• Meat • Diet • Environment

Source

• https://www.vegansociety.com/go-vegan/why-go-vegan • I think that this source is reliable because it is the main

website for information about veganism. This websote dose have an agender and my be bias as they are trying to make people think about becoming vegan and may not show both sides of the arguments and possablie the down sides of becoming vegan. However the facts and figures on this website are regually updated and are all correct at the time they are published.

Quotes• ‘Having emotional attachments with animals may form part of that reason, while many

believe that all sentient creatures have a right to life and freedom.’ • ‘avoiding animal products is one of the most obvious ways you can take a stand against

animal cruelty and animal exploitation everywhere’ • ‘health benefits: increased energy, younger looking skin and eternal youth are just some

of the claims from enthusiastic plant eaters.’ • ‘helping mitigate some of the modern world's biggest health issues like obesity, heart

disease, diabetes and cancer.’ • ‘In Brazil alone, the equivalent of 5.6 million acres of land is used to grow soya beans for

animals in Europe.’ • ‘This land contributes to developing world malnutrition by driving impoverished

populations to grow cash crops for animal feed’• ‘A plant-based diet requires only one third of the land needed to support a meat and

dairy diet.’ • ‘it's the simplest way to take a stand against inefficient food systems which

disproportionately affects the poorest people all over the world’ • ‘The suffering caused by the dairy and egg industry is possibly less well publicised than

the plight of factory farmed animals.’ • ‘egg industry, even 'ethical' or 'free range' eggs involve the killing of the 'unnecessary'

male chicks when just a day old.’ • ‘all living creatures (even those labelled 'free range' or 'organic') fear death, just as we

do.’

Why become Vegan part 2

Summery: This text is based on the top ten reasons to become a vegan, they have used the idea of a new years resolution and the benefits that veganism can have to our health and life style. The ten aspects on the list are ‘slim down’ ‘animals’ ‘healthier and happier’ ‘vegan food’ ‘ meat is gross’ ‘helps feed the world’, ‘saves the planet’, ‘cool kids are doing it’, ‘looking better’ and ‘the intelligence of animals’, for each section they explain what benefit of a vegan diet is to a person and why the reader should try it. They use lots of facts and figures in there points as well as using very informal language. Points such as why eating meat is bad for you and how the vegan will make you feel better in yourself as well as including some aspects of the cruelty to animals, however the main focus is still on the benefits for the person such as looking better and feeling better.

Tags • Health • Lifestyle • Benefits • Top ten • Look better • Feel better

Source

• http://www.peta.org/living/food/top-10-reasons-go-vegan-new-year/

• This website is a site based sound animal wrights and protecting the animals in the world. I think that this website is a reliable source because it it the worlds largest animal wright organization in the world with over 5 million members. This means that the website will be accessed and updated regularly to make sure that the information is correct and up to date.

Quotes • ‘Vegans are, on average, up to 20 pounds lighter than meat-eaters are.’ • ‘Did you know that every vegan saves more than 100 animals a year? ‘ • ‘vegans are less likely to develop heart disease, cancer,

diabetes, or high blood pressure than meat-eaters are.’ • ‘Meat is often contaminated with feces, blood and other bodily fluids – all

of which make animal products the top source of food poisoning in the United States.’

• ‘In fact, it takes up to 13 pounds of grain to produce just 1 pound of animal flesh!’

• ‘Meat is not green.’ • ‘Vegans tend to be thinner than meat-eaters and have more energy,’ • ‘animals used for food are

every bit as intelligent and able to suffer as the animals who share our homes are. ’

Environmental effects

This source is a short version of the documentary ‘cowspiracy’, the documentary is based around one man filming other people as well as himself talking about the environmental effects of eating meat and dairy products. He uses animated info graphics to explain what the scientists and other people he interviews are saying in simpler terms so that the audience can understand. He also uses animations to show the audience the difference between things and to show them in way that they can see and understand, he uses facts and figures to get his point across. He also highlights points that most environmental agency's do not talk about the effects that agriculture has on the environment, he says that its like people rising awareness about lung cancer not talking about smoking. Also highlighting the fact that we have enough food to feed everyone one in the world however the food is going to rise livestock to meat and dairy products.

Tags • Environment • Agriculture • Cowspiracy • Info graphics • Documentary • Food • Easy

Source

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSjE8xw_-Dg• I think that this source is quite reliable as it was

produced as a factual film, and the information that is featued in this documentary has come from experts in this field such as scientist’s and charity workers. However I do think that their could be some bias in the source as the poeple that he is interviewing want the people watching to become vegan and to tell them the most shocking facts instead of a balanced argument.

Quotes• ‘One quarter pounder ham burger needs 660 gallons of water to produce this is the same

as showering for two months straight.’ • ‘Razing animals for food uses 15% of the worlds fresh water, occupies 45% of the worlds

land and is responsible for up to 91% of Amazon destruction.’ • ‘Fishless oceans by 2048 is the production’• ‘Free living animals made up 99% of the bio mass and human beings made up 1%. Today

only 10,000 years later… we human beings and the animals that we own as property take up 98% of the bio mass and wild animals only make up 2%’

• ‘An entire football filed is cleared every single second by deforestation to graze cattle’ • ‘1812 – 1 billion people in the world, 1912 – 1.5 billion people in the world, 2012 – 7

billion people in the world.’• ‘Animal rights and environmental activists are the number one domestic terrorist threat

according to the F.B.I’ • ‘The purpose of cows milk is to turn a 56 pond calf into a 400 pond cow as rapidly as

possible’ • ‘To feed a person on a plant based vegan diet for a year takes 1\6th of an acker, to feed

that same person on a vegetarian diet that includes eggs and dairy requires three times as much land, to feed an average US high consumption diet of meat, diary and eggs requires eighteen times as much land’

• ‘I realized I had the choice every single day to save over 1100 gallons of water, 45 lbs of grain, 30 square foot of forests, 20 lbs of CO2 and 1 animals life.’

Environmental effects 2

This source is a lot shorter than the previous few, it is mostly faces with a small explanation of how eating mean damages the environment, they use shocking facts similar to the last source to try to explain the impacts that meat eating has on the environment and to back up the points they have made in the first paragraph. They talk about the amount of land that is needed to rise and animal and how much food they need to create the meat that they do, the also talk about the amount of land lost for razing cattle to be sold as meat or diary products and how this is effecting the environment in a big way. They also state where they have got there information from at the end of every fact by saying something like ‘according to’ this backs up there facts and makes them seem even more believable.

Tags • Environment • Cattle • Land • Crops • Facts

Source

• http://www.peta.org/about-peta/faq/how-does-eating-meat-harm-the-environment/

• I think that this source is reliable because it if from the ‘peta’ website which is the leading animal activist website in the world. Another reason this source is reliable is because they back up there facts with the information about where it has come from and because the information has also come from reliable sources such as the ‘Environmental Protection Agency’ it makes the information more trustworthy.

Quotes• ‘In fact, it has such a devastating effect on all aspects of our environment that the

Union of Concerned Scientists lists meat-eating as the second-biggest environmental hazard facing the Earth’

• ‘According to a report published by the Worldwatch Institute, a staggering 51 percent or more of global greenhouse-gas emissions are caused by animal agriculture’

• Cows must consume 16 pounds of vegetation in order to convert them into 1 pound of flesh.

• ‘It takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce a pound of meat but only 25 gallons to produce a pound of wheat.’

• ‘Producing just one hamburger uses enough fossil fuel to drive a small car 20 miles’ • ‘A typical pig factory generates the same amount of raw waste as a city of 12,000

people.’ • ‘raising animals for food is the number-one source of water pollution.’ • ‘Of all agricultural land in the U.S., 87 percent is used to raise animals for food. That’s

45 percent of the total land mass in the U.S.’• ‘More than 80 percent of the corn we grow and more than 95 percent of the oats are

fed to livestock.’ • ‘The world’s cattle alone consume a quantity of food equal to the caloric needs of 8.7

billion people—more than the entire human population on Earth’

Ethical reasons

This article I about the what the ethical reasons are for not eating meat and diary products, they make points about the treatment of animals and the way they have to live their lives as well as male calf’s being taken from there mothers at birth and either killed or exported to other countries for veal. They also talk about the environment and they way that is being effected as well as the fact that animals eat lots of the food grown in the world that could be given to starving people in third world countries. They use facts as well as emotive language to get their point across in a very direct way, the picture also helps the audience to visualize the text even if they don’t want to.

Tags • Animals • Ethical • Food • Environment

Source• http://www.ethicalconsumer.org/commentanalysis/animalrights/

whatisveganism.aspx • This source is a website for a magazine called ‘Ethical Consumer’ this

magazine tries to make the ethical choises that we make every day easier. On their website I states ‘Each day we all make choices according to our personal ethics. Ethical Consumer provides the tools and resources you need to make these choices simple, informed and effective.’ I think that this website is a reliable source because they are a magazine and therefore is they publish information that is not correct they can be pulled up for it by ‘Independent press standards organization’ or the ‘advertising standers authority’ because of this I think this is a reliable source. However they do not produce a balanced argument and do not talk about the benefits of eating meat and the other ways that animals are farmed that are not as ethically wrong. As well as this I know the information is up to date as it was last updated in April 2016.

Quotes• ‘Meat production obviously involves the slaughter of animals’ • ‘animal cruelty up until the animals are killed - being kept in

crowded and filthy conditions, injuries left untreated and with no access to outdoors are all commonplace.’

• ‘Male calves are removed from their mother at birth and killed or exported to the continent for veal production.* Female calves are kept to become the next generation of milk-producers.’

• ‘with 97% of the crop being grown to feed animals for meat or dairy production’

• ‘methane from farm animals which contributes 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions.’

• ‘ while people in some countries are starving, one third of the world's grain production is being fed to farmed animals in rich countries.’

• ‘a Western meat-based diet uses four and a half times more land than is necessary for a vegan diet’

Diet aspects

This article is from Jamie Oliver website and highlights both the advantages and disadvantages of a vegan diet. It talks about the benefits such as being low in saturated fats and bring the risk of high cholesterol and heart disease down, as well as being higher in vitamin C and fiber. However it also talks about the down side of a vegan diet and that it isn't always heather, it talks about the fact that a vegan diet is low in calcium, vitamin D, iron and some others, it states that if you take up a vegan diet and do not eat the right types of vegan food or do not take the right supplements it can end up being worse for you than a meat eating diet. They talk about the alternatives to eating meat products such as chocolate moues which is typically made from cream but by swopping the cream for avocado you make the desert much healthier.

Tags • Healthier • Diet • Vitamins • Fat • Alternatives • Jamie Oliver

Source

• http://www.jamieoliver.com/news-and-features/features/vegan-diet-healthy/#oEMUvvBZPMu3dEwU.97

• This article has been taken form the Jamie Oliver website and I think it is quite reliable as it highlights both sides of the argument, I have not seen this is any of the other sources I have found. This makes me think that this article is reliable because it means that it has no bias, however the article was written published in December 2014 which means that some of the information could now be seen as incorrect.

Quotes• ‘research shows that there are potential benefits to a vegan diet.’• ‘the average vegan diet is higher in vitamin C and fibre, and lower in saturated fat than one

containing meat’ • ‘vegans have a lower BMI (height-to-weight ratio) than meat eaters – in other words, they

are skinnier.’ • ‘a diet without any meat or dairy products is likely to contain a lot less saturated fat, which

is related to increased cholesterol levels and increased risk of heart disease’ • ‘a vegan diet is generally thought to contain more cereals, fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds

than a non-vegan diet.’ • ‘A vegan diet is naturally low in calcium, vitamin D, iron, vitamin B12, zinc and omega-3 fatty

acids’• ‘there you have it: going vegan does not necessarily mean you are going to be healthier.’ • ‘I found it hard to believe that someone could be toned and strong without meat, but he

well and truly proved me wrong.’ • ‘If you look at the “eat well” plate, you will see that less than 15% of our diet should be

made up of protein.’

Make up

This source talks mainly about the mistreatment of animals in the make up industry, they talk about the different types of ways that animals are treated such as being poisoned and being subject to brain damage as well as pointing out some numbers and facts along the way. They make the point that this is not happening in some far away contrary they state that it is happening in Europe and that makes it more real to the reader. They also speak directly to the audience and use bold writing to make certain parts stand out, as well as this they talk about the animals like they are humans, they say things like animals instincts like humans are to be free. This gets to point across to the reader and makes them think about if it was the other way around and makes them think that animals aren't that different to us.

Tags • Animals • Treatment • Humans • Make up • Testing • Europe

Source• http://www.peta.org.uk/issues/animals-not-experiment-on/ • Again I have used the ‘peta’ website as this seems like on of

the most reliable sources I have found, because of its status and the amount of people who will access it and read from it every day. As well as this they are a charity and they do not need to make up facts or exaggerate to get their point across, they only need to tell the reader what is happening and try to convince them to change there ways to help stop it. However as I have said in the previous two section from this site, I do believe this source to be bias as it done not talk about he company's that do not use animals to test their products such as lush.

Quotes

• ‘They feel pain and fear just as we do’ • ‘their overwhelming natural instincts – like ours – are

to be free’ • Approximately 11.5 million animals are used in

experiments in Europe every year • ‘animals may legally be poisoned; deprived of food,

water or sleep; subjected to skin or eye irritants; subjected to psychological distress; deliberately infected with diseases; subjected to brain damage; paralysed; surgically mutilated; irradiated; burned; gassed; force-fed; electrocuted; and killed.’

• ‘happens to millions of animals every year.’

Clothing

This article is all about the production of animal clothing products such as wool, lather and fur, the article is mainly focused on how society some not accept the production of fur from animals such as fox's and minks but dose accept the production of animals like sheep and cows being killed for products like lather and wool. The article uses graphic images and videos to back up the points they make and try to shock the audience into really thinking about the choices that they make every day. As well as this they speak about the mistreatment of the animals and that people may think that sheep making wool is naturel and that sheep shearing is not painful for the animals when in actual fact it is and that animals are restrained to make shearing them easier. They also speak directly about the methods of killing animals that are used for fur, these include being electrocuted, glassing and even being skinned alive.

Tags • Clothing • Fox • Minks • Animals• Cruelty• Wool • Leather

Sources• http://www.animalequality.net/clothing • I think this source is a reliable one because again I is a charity

and has no other purpose but to inform its readers about the things that are happening in the world and to try and make them change the things they do every day. As well as this because it is a big organization their website is accessed every day by lots of people all over the world, therefore if this website produced incorrect information then they could be held responsible by the advertising standard authority or in some cases could be liable. However this is less likely to happen with brought facts about the general farming industry.

Quotes• ‘Sheep and cows are bred and slaughtered; foxes, mink and rabbits caged and killed,

wild animals shot or trapped, to make clothes and shoes from their skin and fur.’ • ‘Many of us have seen shocking images of foxes or minks suffering in cages on fur farms

or being gassed, electrocuted or skinned alive’ • ‘fact that leather and sheepskin are also the skin of an animal’ • ‘usually thought to be a 'by-product' of the meat industry’• ‘Approximately 35 animals are killed and skinned to make a single coat’ • ‘'fur' industry currently kills around 30 million animals a year.’ • ‘they used to produce only enough wool to protect themselves from the cold, as wild

sheep do not need shearing’ • ‘domestic sheep today have been selectively bred to produce more wool than is natural’ • ‘selective breeding has resulted in a multitude of illnesses related to their excessive

amount of hair, such as deaths from overheating and flystrike’ • ‘workers immobilise sheep during shearing in order to obtain every possible inch of wool

from their bodies’

Celebrities

This article is written about the famous people who have taken up being vegan, they name explain what being a vegan is and they state that many A-list starts have taken it up. They talk about how starts are always coming up with new ways to look and feel good, however this is the newest thing on their list, they also talk about how becoming a vegan is a big step and takes a lot of control, they ‘salute’ the famous people. They do not specifically name any celebrities in there article however underneath there is a set o picture of the famous people who are vegans that the reader can look through.

Tags • Celebrities • Famous • Looking good • Feeling good • Vegan • A-list

Source

• http://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/celebrity/celebrity-galleries/2011/05/celebrities-who-are-vegan

• I think this source is reliable because it is an online magazine and will be well aware of the libel laws and the fact that they could be prosecuted if something they published was found to be untrue. As well as this their purpose is to entertain and inform people of the entertainment business, because of this saying someone is a vegan when there not would really not make a reader want to read the article more.

Quotes• ‘The rich and famous are ALWAYS coming up with new - and

sometimes bizarre - ways to better their lifestyles, their looks’ • ‘we've spotted an ethical new trend on the A-list horizon –

veganism’ • ‘Find out who's famous and vegan.’ • ‘We salute the celebs who have overhauled their jet-setting

lifestyles to make this most eco-friendly of choices’ • ‘these celebrities have made the commitment to banish meat

and dairy from their lives’

Additional research

• http://www.peta.org/living/food/egg-replacements/ • Food replacements, the neat egg, ener-G egg replacer • http://www.gaia.com/article/vegans-dont-forget-fats • Facts about plant fats ‘Plant-based fats not only enhance

the taste of your food, but they also help make your body healthier. Take a look at omega-3 fatty acids €” they contribute to the normal functioning of the nervous system, eye health and healthy brain development’

• http://www.all-creatures.org/health/7-things.html • Cholesterol levels when you don’t eat meat (34% drop)