|
Meatout 2000 serves vegan lunch, info on West Mall Members of Students Against Cruelty to Animals encouraged students to go without meat Monday and provided a meatless lunch to about 50 students on the West Mall. During Meatout 2000, Students Against Cruelty to Animals, a UT student organization, served chili pie and tacos made of vegetable protein and tofu salad. The group also handed out informational brochures and talked to students about the benefits of vegetarian or vegan diets, which exclude animal products. Action for Animals of Austin, a local group, also helped with the lunch. "The meat we eat today is not the same as what our grandparents ate because of all the chemicals, hormones, additives, drugs and antibodies that are given to [the animals]," said Will Mangum, a studio art senior and member of SACA. "I don't think a lot of people know that, so we are trying to educate them that it's just not healthy, besides not being ethical." The Great American Meatout is a national campaign that encourages the public to avoid meat products for one day. It was modeled after the Great American Smokeout, which annually asks the public to give up smoking on a designated day. The event, labeled Meatout 2000 this year, was organized in response to a Senate resolution in 1984 that created National Meat Week, which supports the meat industry. The Meatout is coordinated by the Farm Animal Reform Movement, a national nonprofit group. Across the country Monday, groups organized educational events ranging from information tables to cooking demonstrations to support the Meatout. Nadia Barrera, an ecology, evolution and conservation biology senior, stopped by SACA's table for a free lunch. "There is so much bad stuff that goes into meat that it's just not healthy," she said. Lucy Goodrum, research director at FARM, said the organization hopes to educate the public about the benefits of not eating meat. "The benefits for our health are pretty big. Cholesterol and saturated fat are the No. 1 cause of heart disease, cancer and strokes," Goodrum said, adding that more than 1 million Americans die every year from fully preventable chronic diseases linked to a poor diet. FARM will also hold its own event, inviting members of Congress and Congressional staffers to a meatless lunch March 24 at the U.S. Capitol. Janet Riley, vice president of public affairs for The American Meat Institute, a national association that represents meat packers and processors, said the industry would be unaffected by the Meatout. Riley said about 98 percent of Americans eat meat or poultry regularly. "While we respect activist groups' freedom of speech, we also support Americans' right to choose how they live their lives and what comprises their diet," Riley said. |