Company type | Nonprofit |
---|---|
Founded | 1945 Toronto, Ontario |
Headquarters | 192 Spadina Ave, Suite 319, Toronto, Ontario M5T 2C2, Canada |
Area served | Greater Toronto Area |
Website | Official Site |
The Toronto Vegetarian Association (TVA), also known as VegTO, is a volunteer-driven, charitable organization based in Toronto, Ontario. Founded in 1945, its mission is to inspire people to choose a healthier, greener, more compassionate lifestyle through plant-based eating. [1]
Held every September since 1985 at Harbourfront Centre in Toronto, the organization's Annual Veg Food Fest attracts over 40,000 visitors annually and is the largest event of its kind in the world [2] [3] and is credited with having inspired a copycat VegFest movement in the United States, where over 120 such events were scheduled for 2018 [4] and more for 2019. The event provides opportunities for visitors to learn about vegetarian issues and to sample vegetarian foods from diverse cuisines.
The Toronto Vegetarian Association operates a number of other projects, providing information and support through its website, a drop-in resource centre, and a directory of vegetarian-friendly businesses in the Toronto area. The organization also conducts campaigns such as the Veggie Challenge, which challenges non-vegetarians to adopt a vegetarian/vegan diet for one week. The 7th Totally Fabulous Vegan Bake-Off took place in 2015, selling out to over 500 attendees, and the 6th Veggie Parade in May 2015 marched through downtown Toronto, ending at Kensington Market.
As of 2019, the Toronto Vegetarian Association also now hosts an annual Veg Spring Market in April or May, and a Holiday Market in late November.
In 2010, the Toronto Vegetarian Association joined with Earthsave Canada and Lundi Sans Viande in launching a Canadian Meatless Mondays campaign. [5]
Individuals can become a member of the Toronto Vegetarian Association with a minimal annual gift of $25. Members receive a Toronto Veg Card which gives discounts at over 120 restaurants and health food stores across the GTA, as well a subscription to the organization's magazine Lifelines with articles on vegetarian restaurants, cookbooks, fashion, nutrition, and more. Members' events are also held throughout the year such as bus trips to local farmed animal sanctuaries.
The Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom (VSUK) is a British registered charity. It campaigns for dietary changes, licenses Vegetarian Society Approved trademarks for vegetarian and vegan products, runs a cookery school and lottery, and organises National Vegetarian Week in the UK.
A veggie burger or meatless burger is a hamburger made with a patty that does not contain meat, or the patty of such a hamburger. The patty may be made from ingredients like beans, nuts, grains, seeds, or fungi such as mushrooms or mycoprotein.
World Vegan Day is a global event celebrated annually on 1 November. Vegans celebrate the benefits of veganism for animals, humans, and the natural environment through activities such as setting up stalls, hosting potlucks, and planting memorial trees.
The Boston Vegetarian Society (BVS) is a non-profit educational organization based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, with the purpose of promoting and supporting vegetarianism and veganism. It hosts monthly speaking events and an annual vegetarian food festival in the fall.
Vegetarian and vegan dietary practices vary among countries. Differences include food standards, laws, and general cultural attitudes toward vegetarian diets.
Meat-free days or veggiedays are declared to discourage or prohibit the consumption of meat on certain days of the week. Mondays and Fridays are the most popular days. There are also movements encouraging people giving up meat on a weekly, monthly, or permanent basis.
Compassionate Action for Animals (CAA) is a Minneapolis-based animal advocacy non-profit focused on raising awareness on factory farming and promoting vegetarianism and veganism.
Gardein is a line of meat-free foods produced by Conagra Brands. In 2003, the company was founded by Yves Potvin, who remained as the CEO of Gardein until 2016. In November 2014, Pinnacle Foods purchased Gardein for $154 million. Pinnacle was acquired by Conagra in 2018.
The American Vegan Society (AVS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes veganism in the United States. It was founded in 1960 by H. Jay Dinshah. The date of the earlier The Vegan Society (UK)'s founding, November 1, is now celebrated annually as World Vegan Day.
Veggie Galaxy is a diner-style vegetarian restaurant located in the Central Square section of Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM) is an international nonprofit organization working to promote a vegan lifestyle and animal rights through public education and grass roots outreach. It operates ten national and international programs from its headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland. FARM has the abolitionist vision of a world where animals are free from all forms of human exploitation, including, food and clothing, research and testing, entertainment and hunting. FARM's mission is to spare the largest number of animals from being bred, abused, and slaughtered for food, as this accounts for 98% of all animal abuse and slaughter.
Veggie Grill is a fast-casual vegan restaurant chain that operates in California, Oregon, Washington, Illinois, Massachusetts and New York. After first being opened in Irvine, California, it already had 29 restaurants across the United States in February 2018.
Vegetarian Society (Singapore) or VSS is a non-profit, non-denominational organisation. The Singapore-registered charity was established in 1999 to "Promote vegetarianism among the public and support and link individuals and organizations that practise, promote or endorse vegetarianism". VSS is the largest community for vegetarianism, veganism or any form of semi-vegetarianism in Singapore. Promoting a plant-based diet is one of the main goals.
VeggieWorld is annual vegan food and clothing festivals held in numerous locations around Europe and Asia. VeggieWorld is one of the biggest Vegan/Vegetarian festivals in the world, and one of the biggest such fairs, with on average 8,000 visitors. The first VeggieWorld festival was held in Wiesbaden in 2011, hosted by ProVeg Deutschland.
HappyCow is a mobile app and website that lists vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants and also a passionate community of over one million vegan-focused members. Aside from listing restaurants it also lists farmers markets, health food stores and all types of businesses with a vegan focus.
ProVeg Deutschland is a German non-profit organisation whose goal is to reduce the consumption of animal products. ProVeg Deutschland is part of ProVeg International, which serves as an international umbrella for a group of nationally operating organisations.
The McVeggie is a veggie burger sold by the fast-food restaurant chain McDonald's. It was introduced in 2012 in India when McDonald's opened its first vegetarian-only restaurant in the country.
ProVeg Nederland, known as Viva Las Vega's (VLV) from 2011 to 2017, is a Dutch foundation that aims to accelerate the transition towards a plant-based food system. The foundation's stated goal is to make it easier for consumers to eat plant-based more often and also to help companies address the growing demand in plant-based products. ProVeg Nederland is a member of the international ProVeg International.
ProVeg International is a non-governmental organisation that works in the field of food system change and has ten offices globally. The organisation's stated mission is to reduce the consumption of animal products by 50% by 2040, to be replaced by plant-based or cultured alternatives. Instead of increasing the share of vegetarians and vegans, ProVeg's focus is on reducing animal product consumption in the general population.