Veggie Nuggets

Dog to the Rescue

March. Golden Retriever Toby saved his owner from choking to death by jumping up and down her chest in his own version of the Heimlich manoeuvre. Ms Parkhurst from Maryland, US said she was eating an apple when a piece became lodged in her throat. Unable to clear the piece herself, she felt that she began to choke when the dog intervened. Ms Parkhurst is recovering from chest and stomach wounds from Toby’s jumping. br>

Battle for Bruno

March. A diplomatic row has broken out between Germans and Italians over a bear that was shot dead by Bavarian hunters last summer. Rome is demanding the return of Bruno, the brown bear, claiming he is state property. But despite a request from the German government to oblige, the Bavarian state environment minister refuses to budge. Bruno wandered from Italy to Germany via Austria and was gunned down after eating 30 sheep, 4 rabbits and a guinea pig. He was the first brown bear to have been spotted in Germany for 170 years.

V-Label is spreading

Europe is further warming to the EVU’s VLabel. The label, which was first presented for worldwide use at the EVU Congress 1985 in Cervia, Italy, is steadily winning ground in more and more countries. Austria and especially Eastern Europe are becoming successful in introducing the label. Czech Republic has had its first licencee, while Austria already has several with others still in negotiation.

The “Animal Friends of Croatia” are also on board. Ivana Surjan, who was involved in the translation of the V-Label homepage, is co-ordinating the project and can start contacting producers as soon as the VLabel material is available in their language.

The V-Label website can now also be consulted in 9 different languages at www.vlabel. info.

Green Day

Ghent, Belgium. EVA (Ethisch Vegetarisch Alternatief) organised a vegetarian Thursday in crèches and schools on 15 March. Parents received a letter, signed by the local Department of Education, to inform them of their initiative to organise a Vegetable Day. In the letter, parents were offered the opportunity to opt out and provide their offspring with a packed lunch.

Breast Cancer Link

Women who eat a lot of red or processed meats, maybe a lot more likely to develop breast cancer, according to a study of British women. Researchers found that among 35,372 women between the ages of 35 and 69 years old, who were followed for 8 years, those who ate the largest amount of meat were more likely to develop breast cancer. Professor Janet E. Cade and her colleagues at the University of Leeds reported the findings in the British Journal of Cancer. Many studies have investigated the relationship between diet and breast cancer. Some have found that meat and saturated fat may raise women's risk of the disease. One of the strengths of the current study was the detailed dietary information it collected.

Only 50 Years Left for Sea Fish

There will be virtually nothing left to fish from the seas by the middle of the century if current trends continue, according to a major scientific study. Stocks have collapsed in nearly one-third of sea fisheries and the rate of decline is accelerating. Research leader Boris Worm from Dalhousie University, Canada says that we have always assumed there will be another species to exploit after we’ve completely gone through the last one. Steve Palumbi, one of the other researchers on the project, from Stanford University, California added that, unless we change the way we manage all the ocean species together, as working eco systems, this century is the last of wild seafood.

Berlin backs Baby Bear

A baby polar bear who was rejected by his mother, became the centre of a heated debate over whether it is right to hand rear the cub. Berlin Zoo decided to keep Knut alive and let him be nurtured and bottle fed by a keeper. Suggestions that the three-monthold should have been put down to stop him becoming emotionally and physically reliant on a human have caused outrage. Frank Albrecht, an animal rights campaigner, sparked the row by stating that the zoo was violating animal protection legislation by keeping Knut alive. He was backed up in this by the Head of the Aachen Zoo who has watched the hand-rearing of two animals in the past and said that life becomes intolerable for them once bars come between these animals and their carer. Knut, in the meantime, has amassed an army of fans, was subject of a German documentary series and has posed for world-renowned photographer Annie Leibowitz as part of an environmental campaign.

Hit the Road Mac

February. Prince Charles launched an attach on McDonalds, saying banning fast food was the key to a healthy lifestyle. His comments came as he attended the launch of a public health awareness campaign. Royal observers said that Charles would have been aware that his comments would be picked up by the media. A spokesman for Clarence House issued a statement saying that "..the Prince of Wales has for a long time advocated the importance of a balanced diet, especially for children..".

Ad

UK. Complaints about a poster which claimed feeding meat to youngsters amounted to child abuse have been rejected by the Advertising Standards Authority. The ad by Peta demonstrated the organisation's fervent beliefs, the watchdog said. The poster, which attracted 67 complaints, featured a photograph of an overweight child eating a burger. The ASA ruled the ad carried an anti-meat message but judged that parents were likely to accept that certain nutrients should be substituted if meat was taken from a child's diet. Peta welcomed the decision.

Cloned Meat

Europe’s food watchdog is to assess whether meat and dairy products from cloned animals are safe to eat. The European Food Safety Authority was asked by the European Commission to look into the future impacts of livestock cloning. At present, there is no specific regulation on food products from cloned animals for consumption in the EU. The US Food and Drug Administration concluded already last year that products from cloned animals are safe. In the light of this, EFSA has been asked by the Commission to advise on food safety, animal health, animal welfare and environmental implications of cloned animals. According to experts, animal cloning is on the verge of widespread commercial use and expected to spread within the global food chain before 2010.