• Origins of Vegetarianism
• Dark Times Strengthen Vegetarian Ideals
• Vegetarianism Gets Organised

VEGETARIANISM TODAY

• Environmental issues aside, numerous health scares attributed to the meat industry (E.g. BSE, Listeria, Foot-and-Mouth, and Salmonella) has provided many with food for thought, with many people in Western Civilisation choosing vegetarianism because they view it as a safer and healthier alternative. Indeed, the focus on healthy living has never been so evident in the consciousness of contemporary society and it is claimed that we are eating less meat now than ever before as its consumption continues to plummet.



• The largest concentration of vegetarians in the world today is in India, thanks to the dominant ancient Hindu and Buddhist religions. In contrast, the UK as a whole has approximately 4 million vegetarians but, according to a survey undertaken by the Food Standards Agency in 2002, a mere 4% of households in Wales had one or more members who were vegetarian.



• The influence of widespread vegetarianism has developed a vast, multi-million pound industry with restaurants, caterers, supermarkets and manufacturers all having become aware of the magnitude of the market. A huge array of ready-made meals, burgers, sausages, bacon, pâtés, sandwich fillings and so on have been concocted to help make the transition and maintenance of a vegetarian diet as pleasurable and satisfying as possible.