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Vegetariansism and the NHS

This forum is set aside for the BHA Humanist Vegetarian Group. All of Think Humanism's registered users are welcome to participate. If you wish to receive news and announcements from this group, please register with the HVG user group. See instructions near the top of the HVG forum.

Moderator: clayto

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gregory
Died May 2009 R.I.P
Posts: 184
Joined: July 28th, 2007, 10:34 am

Vegetariansism and the NHS

#1 Post by gregory » January 10th, 2009, 10:16 am

Perhaps The VHG could contact the NHS and ask them to provide more variety regarding vegetarian and vegan food in hospitals?
There'll be blue birds over
The white cliffs of Dover

clayto
Posts: 384
Joined: July 22nd, 2007, 6:34 pm

Re: Vegetariansism and the NHS

#2 Post by clayto » January 10th, 2009, 1:02 pm

We could make a general formal approach in the name of HVG / VHG. We have several times approached our local Trust and Hospital in relation to specific personal circumstances as patients, visitors and as members of our Health Trust. We have often been struck by how hospital caterers seem to know no more about catering for vegetarians / vegans than other caterers despite the many health implications of diet. The most recent case was a little more difficult as it involved the cafe run by Friends volunteers who offered tuna and then could not say whether the cheese in their sandwiches was free of animal rennet ---- but then I discovered neither could their suppliers who said they get cheese from a variety of wholesales which sometimes was OK and at others not and would not undertake to supply anything veggie friendly to a voluntary organisation, the implication being we should consider ourselves lucky to have the service in the first place!

Chris
clayto

Edward Hawkins
Posts: 33
Joined: August 25th, 2007, 5:59 pm

Re: Vegetariansism and the NHS

#3 Post by Edward Hawkins » January 10th, 2009, 7:47 pm

I had a similar experience at an RSPCA meeting I attended a few years back. Most of the buffet contained meat. They didn't know that some cheeses are not suitable for vegetarians and they had no idea at all what vegan means.

clayto
Posts: 384
Joined: July 22nd, 2007, 6:34 pm

Re: Vegetarianism and the NHS

#4 Post by clayto » January 11th, 2009, 10:33 am

Have you been reading the emails about a veggie who works for a restaurant and who in effect cannot eat there herself because their idea for a 'vegetarian soup' for example is one with meat cooked in it and then the meat taken out, so the soup can be shown on the menu as 'vegetarian'? I wonder to what extent this is a common practice? It should be investigated and the practice challenged in various ways. Vegetarians should be told so that we can boycott such places.

Chris
clayto

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Alan H
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Re: Vegetariansism and the NHS

#5 Post by Alan H » January 11th, 2009, 11:42 am

I have no trouble believing that. How many times have you asked if the apparently vegetarian soup was, in fact, made with chicken, meant or fish stock (you've got to mention all three as some think fish is not meat) and got a very strange look [---][/---] or worse?
Alan Henness

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1. What, precisely, are the significant and tangible benefits of leaving the EU?
2. What damage to the UK and its citizens is an acceptable price to pay for those benefits?
3. Which ruling of the ECJ is most persuasive of the need to leave its jurisdiction?

Nick
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Re: Vegetariansism and the NHS

#6 Post by Nick » January 12th, 2009, 12:00 am

gregory wrote:Perhaps The VHG could contact the NHS and ask them to provide more variety regarding vegetarian and vegan food in hospitals?

Please, please, please don't do that! I have no problem with the Veggie Society doing so- indeed I would support it. Veggiedom is a perfectly valid life-style and should be catered for in hospitals, but to link it to humanism would IMO, not advance provision of a veggie diet in hospitals any time soon. It would just be dismissed as a flaky sect- to paraphrase Napoleon, "How many battalion do they have?". There are many more veggies than declared humanist veggies. More importantly, IMO, it would divert attention from, and potentially damage, the main areas which humanism must address.

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jaywhat
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Re: Vegetariansism and the NHS

#7 Post by jaywhat » January 12th, 2009, 6:44 am

Vegetariansism ?

sounds as if there is a rift!

Nick
Posts: 11027
Joined: July 4th, 2007, 10:10 am

Re: Vegetariansism and the NHS

#8 Post by Nick » January 12th, 2009, 10:39 am

jaywhat wrote:Vegetariansism ?

sounds as if there is a rift!
Yeah. They only eat vegetarians.

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