Viva! and Million Dollar Vegan will donate 2 000 hot meals, including plant-based burritos, curries and stir-fries to the hungry this World Vegan Month.
Partnering with local charities including Caring in Bristol, FareShare and Bristol Soup Run Trust and food banks, the team will be delivering plant-based burritos, curries and stir-fries. The delicious hot meals are to be supplied by Bristol-based caterer Kabala Kitchen, and vegetarian whole-food co-operative Suma.
Aside from helping those negatively affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, the campaign aims to educate about the consequences of animal agriculture including environmental destruction, health issues and our future.
End factory farming before it ends us
With three-quarters of all emerging infectious diseases coming from animals, and pandemic experts expressing serious concern about the dangers of intensive poultry and pig farms, it is time to raise awareness and encourage widespread change. Moreover, a new report named intensive animal agriculture as the ‘single most risky human behaviour’ for pandemics. A global shift to a plant-based diet is greatly needed.
Therefore, Viva!’s new campaign ‘End Factory Farming Before it Ends Us’ and Million Dollar Vegan’s ‘#TakePandemicsOffTheMenu’ are urging people to try a vegan diet to mitigate irreversible damage.
We all know animal agriculture is a key driver of climate change, deforestation and species extinction, and the evidence is clear that a plant-based diet is the way forward. As Sir David Attenborough urged, “We must change our diet. The planet can’t support billions of meat-eaters.”
Parliamentary support
The campaign has already garnered support from two MP’s in Bristol, Kerry McCarthy and Darren Jones. “Already, we are seeing the impacts of climate change – forest fires, droughts, floods, storms and heatwaves – and these will only worsen over the coming years, especially if companies and governments continue with deforestation linked to the production of food and other commodities. Thankfully, none of this is inevitable but to prevent it we must make some changes in how we live – and eat – right now. I’m really pleased to see this support for Bristol organisations, which have done a brilliant job in responding to food poverty in the city, especially during the recent pandemic.” said Kerry McCarthy, MP For Bristol East.
“This may be the most challenging winter Bristol has faced in recent times and the 2,000 vegan meals donated to our food network by Million Dollar Vegan and Viva! will go a long way. Beyond COVID, increased food poverty follows climate breakdowns, we know that. It’s time we start making our food system work for us and the planet too.” added Darren Jones, MP for Bristol North West.
‘Easy to feel despondent’
Robert del Naja, Bristol-based musician with Massive Attack summed up the campaign in simple terms saying: “It’s easy to feel despondent about many global issues, but if we can help reduce climate change, protect the planet and prevent future pandemics just by eating a vegan burrito, then things aren’t so bad after all.”
Original source: https://www.veganfoodandliving.com