Is Quorn/Mycoprotein tested on Animals?

With Quorn releasing a vegan range of goodies this Autumn there has been lots of back and forward about whether Quorn is animal tested.

There are very few online sources for anything so I thought I’d post my modest contribution.

First, a quick clarification. Mycoprotein is a type of Fungi and the the base of Quorn. Quorn are pretty much the only company who uses Mycoprotein.

Here is The Vegan Society’s tweet which seems to be the “Yes it’s animal tested” source:

I wrote to Quorn to ask if they could comment on the tweet (since they didn’t reply to it publicly). Here’s the reply I got:

Dear Sami

Further to your recent email.

Is Mycoprotein tested on animals?

Mycoprotein was first discovered by Rank Hovis McDougall (RHM) in 1968. In order to satisfy the requirements of the Governments Ministry of Agriculture Fishery and Foods that Mycoprotein was safe for human consumption, a series of animal feeding trials were requested to be carried out.

Since 1995 there have been no further requirements for feeding trials and there are categorically no plans or requirements to carry out any additional work.

In a September 2015 statement, The Vegan Society said “It is good news that a major food manufacturer such as Quorn is seeking to meet consumer demand by producing an animal-free version of their products.”

We hope this clarifies our position.

Kind regards
Consumer Services Dept

I’ve looked but not been able to find the tweet from TVS they’ve mentioned, if I get hold of it I’ll add a link,

So yes, Quorn is animal tested, but it is no longer animal tested. So now it comes down to whether you’re happy to purchase a product with essentially a “Fixed cut off date” animal testing policy or whether you’re in the “Never Ever” animal testing group.

Before jumping to assumptions about where you’re Ideology lies work out where it actually lies, don’t boycott Quorn’s attempt to do a good thing but not every other company who has a fixed cut off date.

Read up on the different animal testing policies, look at your lifestyle, and make an educated decision. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.

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Passover in Guatemala

Last night I had the pleasure of hosting a [[Passover Seder]] for a dozen [[gentiles]] with a keen sense of interfaith interest.

As I made my way to Guate’s house a couple of weeks ago I got in touch and asked if he would allow me to have a [[Pesach Seder]] at his house, he and his family are most welcome. I also invited Clare and Alex, my Panama to Guatemala travel buddies.

Everyone I invited expressed their delight at the prospect. Some I knew were genuinely interested – either because of my existing knowledge of them or from the twinkle in their eye at the prospect. I must admit I presumed some, though curious, were simply up for anything.

Blown away would be a suitable way to describe my feelings every time someone else expressed interest in coming. Deeply honored at their interest in my culture would be another. From an original 5 people (Guate, his sister and parents and myself) we had 11 people cross the city to sit around the table. What started out as my reluctance to skip Pesach out of lack of external motivations has turned into a table load of intrigued faces.

The day began with a huge shop. Alex and I went first to Organica, then the Israeli store in town and finally the supermarket for anything we couldn’t get from the community friendly stores. A pop into a shop with a printer had several copies of a specially edited version of the Greenbury Haggadah ready for the night. Later, Byron would have to pop out for another 5 to meet the growing demand.

Back home the cooking began at 3pm, following on from how I usually do things at home I was running late and worried the Cherry Soup wouldn’t cool in time. Or worse – the Chocolate Matza Cakes wouldn’t set!

A Vegan Twist to the Seder

As a festival dedicated to freedom it doesn’t seem quite right to use products of slavery at the meal. With Fair trade chocolate, my best Fair Trade T-Shirt and a total absence of animal products I made my modest effort. If everyone did the same, perhaps slavery might one day become something we can be ashamed of our ancestors for.

After some reading of the Internet I decided on a Beetroot to represent the of Pascal Lamb sacrifice – though the best reason I could think of was the blood like drippings! The china lamb of back home would have been even better, but 8000 miles away. I couldn’t find any explanation for why a boiled potato makes a suitable substitution for an egg as a symbol of mourning – so we shall have to work on that for next year. (Eggs are the first thing served to mourners after a funeral).

As much as I value and love my tradition, it’s no excuse for cruelty.

We have no Yamulkas, said Alex

Alex, the travel buddy with no specific interest in religion but a general interest in everything, pointed out we have no Kippot. After making the cherry soup, and then reading the recipe (in that order) he set about making one for everyone out of the cardboard Matza boxes. With some pens to decorate them everyone – men, women, Jews, Christians and Atheists – were soon adorned with Vietnamese style Kippot.

The Punters Arrive

The Seder was due to start at 9, so that Guate’s parents could get back from their church meeting. At 6 I realized Alex and I had hardly eaten all day, so I served up some of excess the Matzagna filling with crackers  which kept people biding nicely over until the main course on page 21. Before we got started, I assigned some parts to some people to save having to break the Seder up. Great enthusiasm ensured and Paola took some photos of me looking very tutor like.

The Cups One Through Four

The Seder started well, and continued for a full 4 hours through to the Nirtzah at nearly 1am. Fielding the questions, seeing the translations (for Guate’s parents) and feeling the involvement from a group we, in England certainly, wouldn’t expect to be so engaged in someone else’s culture was truly one of the best things I’ve ever done.

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A perfect day in Oaxaca

After a comfortable and productive (thanks to my recent Laptop purchase) bus journey from Puebla to Oaxaca I clambered off the bus and asked for directions to Independencia. Easy as cake, I asked a few people along the way and everyone knew exactly how many blocks and what I’d pass. What a relief after Puebla!

Soon enough, I was standing on Independencia. I checked the number, I was in the thousands. Ah dear, I wanted something less than 10! Never mind, and to the tune of Just Keep Swimming I set off for what I thought was going to be a long trek. I had not yet learnt, you see, that that in Mexico each block is one hundred regardless of how many houses are on there. So a mere 10 blocks later I had arrived!

That night I ate well, slept well and had the pleasure of partaking in a small birthday ceremony for one of the house mates. I was staying in an open house run by some great people who are starting a project to acquire land in order to become self sufficient and then to to open it up to anyone who needs it. An admirable goal and I met some dedicated people, but it’s not quite my capitalist cup of tea.

So I can’t say I was too disappointed to fall back to my CouchSurfer when the group announced they were all going for a trip, and if I had somewhere else that might work best (for everyone, since we’d only just met they didn’t want to hand over the keys just yet, and if they were all going I’d be all alone anyway).

Sami meet Ricardo. Ricardo, Sami

After a few text messages on Monday evening I had arranged to meet Ricardo in the Zocalo (town centre) in the morning. As often happens when you contact many CouchSurfers in one town, I remembered little about him – let alone what he looked like – but I knew I’d not made contact with anyone I didn’t like (which doesn’t really narrow it down). So in front of the cathedral I sat and waited for someone with that “Are you the person I’m looking for?” expression. After an uncustomary (for Mexicans) “Sorry I’m late” text he soon showed up and so began the day which was to begin the week.

I can’t honestly say I remember what we did the first day, I remember getting told off in the market for testing the avocados (“Don’t squeeze them if you’re not going to buy them”, to which I refrained from a “but how do I know if I want to buy them, then?”) and I remember catching a very bumpy bus back to Ricardo’s house. I thought that bus would never end. 20 whole minutes later, I put my spine back in line and we hopped off. It wasn’t intentional, but with a combination of Ricardo being late for work in the mornings and me forgetting how early the buses stop running (9pm) that turned out to be the penultimate bus in my whole week in Oaxaca.

Ricardo was a fantastic host, he owns and runs a restaurant with his parents and also works with other restaurants to help them attain a particular star rating. So his working hours were flexible, and for anything aside from work it seems he was a punctual person – only the second I’ve met in Mexico! We hung out a lot, usually in coffee shops and pubs. Oaxaca has no shortage of coffee shops, virtually all with Wi-Fi (though my favourite didn’t and one added 10 pesos to my 12 peso bill for using it!).

He took me to his favourite places, let me go up the hill on my own and I hung out with his friends my new friends and whoever else was sitting in the pub at the time. If this were one of the days of creation, God would have looked upon it and seen that it was good.

The Perfect Day

Wednesday morning started like any other day – in someone’s house in the suburbs of a small city in southern Mexico. After an avocado based breakfast (remember the lady who’s fruits I squished? The next lady along had a better pear.) Ricardo announced he was late for work, so into a taxi we hopped. Since he was working all day, I had the day to myself and I had big plans. I’d been making good progress with work, and today felt like a good day to fly ahead with an actual solid days work. Possibly the first since I left Currency Solutions.

I started in Cafe Brujula, one I’d heard about from Maureen and various travel guides, I heard the internet was slow but the people nice. I ordered a black coffee (local and organic as is the standard in Oaxaca) and sat down to crack on.

I had managed a good few mugs, several solid hours of work and had just finished up a blog post when Ricardo text me saying he was going for Lunch so how about meeting for a coffee in Coffee Beans? “Excellent, about time for a coffee break” I thought to myself. I paid up and headed the three blocks to meet him.

I explained a dilemma I’d been having, I want to try the local brew but I’m afraid it’s too hot out to be drinking scorching hot coffee at this mid day hour. He explained that I was in the right place for such a dilemma, since Coffee Beans have a menu of iced and flavoured coffees. By the end of my week there, we’d been through all of the flavours and even come up with a few flavour combinations of our own.

Ricardo headed off to work, and I decided I’d probably had enough coffees for one day if I wanted to have a hope of sleeping that night. I headed to Mina Street, a few blocks south of the Zocalo, where Maureen and I had found a Wi-Fi enabled chocolate cafe selling an assortment of flavoured hot chocolates. Local and organic, naturally.

I spent the rest of the afternoon working my way through a host of flavoured hot chocolate drinks while churning through another bucket load of work. That evening, Ricardo and I returned to Coffee Beans for some beers. Unfortunately there’s only one local beer and we didn’t discover it until late in the week (though we managed to squeeze one in just in time for me to still catch my bus as I left!).

An excellent day 🙂

All good things must come to an end

Nothing last forever, even a blissful week in Oaxaca. Early in the week I had ordered an extra battery for my laptop, so I could have twice as much time on the busses, but when the Genuine HP 9 Cell battery I had ordered arrived it turned out to be a compatible 6 Cell for the same price. The lying scumbag in the shop stood his ground nonetheless and persisted that it was as ordered. I took my deposit back and met Maureen in Coffee Beans for quick drink, a short rant and a ponder. Eventually it became apparent that I wouldn’t get another chance to get an extra battery, this one wasn’t too expensive (1050 pesos, around 50 GBP). So first thing Sunday I returned to Del Boy.

I booked my bus ticket for Sunday night, paying the extra 90 pesos to have the super luxury deluxe bus which had a power connection for up to 12 hours of work all the way to San Cristobal! Though I did stop to sleep, admire the view, and chat to the slightly nuts gringo in front of me.

My last two hours in Oaxaca were spent with Ricardo, we were happily finishing off the flavour list in Coffee Beans when we remembered the local beer we’d heard about but not yet tried! Oops, I was so carried away with the coffee I forgot the beer! (Saz would not be impressed!). We rushed off to the bus station, left my back pack in the left luggage and shot off up the dark northern streets of Oaxaca vaguely following my now battered tourist map courtesy of the tourist office on day 1.

We arrived, and arrived we did. This was no off license serving up the local brew, this was a beer emporium with at least 5 dozen beers from around the world and Mexico. Tempting though it all was, we had a mission. Buying a light and a dark version of the local we drank like louts on the street as we headed back to the bus stop. I have no special words for the local beer, but I’m glad I enjoyed it 🙂 We stopped on the way to the bus station only because I saw a bubble tea place and felt a desire to pay homage to Ol’ Sarah-Jane 🙂

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Oaxaca’s Hill of Doom

Well it’s really not so bad, but the few people who I’d spoken to about climbing this hill, slightly to the west of Oaxaca central, didn’t seem so keen to come with. I didn’t think it was so bad. There’s a wide path consisting of about 10 sets of stairs taking you right to the auditorium at the top. Entering the auditorium made me feel like a [[Gladiator]]. After the climb I was slightly out of breath as I walked through the cool shade of the tunnel, curving at the end so the lions can’t see you coming. I soon forgot about [[Ancient Rome]] as I climbed the final (so I thought) set of steps and looked down over a lake of buildings which was Oaxaca, filling the valley between the mountains and spilling through the gap between them to the North East.

A collection of slacking police sat chatting with their guns on their shoulders busy guarding a totally empty plot of concrete, throwing them a very Mexican “Buenos Tardes” I continued my journey up. Another half a dozen set of steps and I could see into the auditorium from the back down to the stage. The city, mountains and sky form the backdrop to the stage and you can really see why this has been a popular spot for events for many years.

The Planetarium and Observatory

Another 5 minutes up hill, along a path surrounded by trees which look like they’re bowing down to the east, lie the Planetarium and Observatory. The former is a modest size but the small exhibition outside looks well done and presumably the inside is of a similar quality. Unfortunately there’s nothing in English so my explorations stopped short. With diminishing hopes for a star studded evening I continued to the Observatory. It didn’t look promising, and a local who had come up here (with a couple of buddies) for some exercise panted between breaths that it wasn’t functioning at all anyway.

Despite the closed auditorium, all Spanish planetarium and shut down observatory I’m a big fan of the hill. It’s got a wild feel to it (though it’s being conserved by  a local group of volunteers who plant trees) and is more tranquil than an empty park on a Tuesday morning.

HUB, Oaxaca

Last summer I went for an interview at TechHub in [[Old Street]]. I’d never seen a place like it before and thought it was a fantastic idea, had the company had the money and I not been running off to Mexico it’d have been a great place to work. Maureen has found a similar place in Oaxaca (remember when I said I might not come home?). I’m meeting her in a short while to have a visit, but based on her description and my experience at TechHub it’s essentially an open plan office where freelancers, start-ups and teeny businesses can base themselves to enjoy the office culture which you can’t get working alone and to be able to network with people from different industries and sectors. So if you need a designer, you can walk around and ask for a designer. If you need a [[videographer in Oaxaca]], just pop over and say hi!

So about coming home…

Now of course I’m going to come home eventually, because London and my life there is far to fantastic to refuse, but it’s getting very tempting to stay here longer. Here being Oaxaca. With local, organic coffee on every corner and chocolate (also local, organic and almost always without milk) like you’ve never tasted before it’s going to be hard, even with gems such as Chococo back home!

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Puebla – Probably a magic town

I’ve heard Puebla described as an array of wonderful things. Though I can’t say I’ve had much luck here. This is my second attempt at a day trip, the first went something like this.

Today hasn’t been much better, my plan included walking to FedEx (1.7km) then to Loving Hut (another 1km) and then getting to the Cathedral one way or another before leaving by sundown.

But I felt a bit lazy, asked a bus driver if he went to Reforma (most of the way down the one road to FexEx). After some suspicious looking though he said yes. I paid my 6 pesos and sat down nervously.

The only good thing about this bus journey to the wrong part of the city was the nice chat with a guy from a nearby town. I alighted and by chance I found a MailPack, my hopes rose! It might not be FedEx but at least I can rid myself of carrying this package.

No such luck

For some reason even though they send the package with FedEx, they have more strict rules than me going to the FedEx office directly. After much picking things up and saying no they said the Spanish equivalent of “I think you should go here…” and even gave me bus directions.

For a box full of things too sentimental to just give away I was growing very tired of having it.

Nearly There

Now came the second good thing about Puebla, the bus driver (not the lying “Just give me some Pesos” one) had fantastic taste in music. So I was rocking out to some classics for which I don’t know the name including, heartbreakingly just as I was alighting, my current favourite The Cranberries – Zombie.

Rocking out on a second class bus in Puebla

It’s been a good couple of weeks for me and that song since Gaby took me to Celtics Bar in Mexico City and the live band played it. Still, I managed to get off, the weight of the package probably helped.

Soon enough I fond myself filling out in triplicate (which is even more frustrating when it’s on [[carbon copy paper]]) the To and From addresses, Package Contents, Value, Purpose, Country of Manufacture, etc., etc.  etc. Bear in mind I’d already done this for MailPack on forms with different logos at the top..

Finally, a bill

Upon being presented with a MX$960 (£50) bill I forgot to hesitate and ask if there was a cheaper, slower option and handed over a debit card – relieved to finally have been able to post it home. The only item which didn’t make it in was my dead kindle. I’d done enough lying for a lifetime to want to do any more and have to fill in another “potentially harmful radiation device” form.

Filled with joy and madness at having free hands I gleefully left, in my mind replaying a generic air-punching scene from some film or other (in the case of my illustration, from a website). With an hour and a half ’till my bus to Oaxaca I had time for the vegan restaurant – and directions to boot!

The Final Straw

If the package fiasco hadn’t been enough to taint my view of Puebla, walking blind around unmarked and delicately named roads with locals who don’t know their area, finally resolving to catching a taxi for 2 blocks just to not have to search out another building number to find the restaurant which turned out to be either closed down or not yet ready (it looked like a closed bank) was the final straw. Even had I not been out of time, it was time to get out of this wonderful sounding but not in my stars this time city.

I caught a 3rd class bus to CAPU (the central bus station) and within the hour was breathing a sigh of relief as my ADO bus pulled out to get me to Oaxaca 4 hours later.

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A Balagan in Puebla

I thought a stopover in [[Puebla]] sounded like a good way to break up a 4 hour trip and see a city I’d heard so much about, plus there’s a a FedEx office from where I could send some excess weight, souvenirs and presents home. To top it off HappyCow.net lists a vegan restaurant.

So I studied a map, plotted a route to include FedEx, Loving Hut and the Cathedral and set off with my trusty directions-containing notebook.

Upon finally arriving in the bus station in Mexico City I had a 30 minute wait for a bus to Puebla. So far, mostly good.

90 minutes later they still had no idea where the bus was, not all bad since I had a chance to try and send my package from the mail place in the station. Attempt #1 was thwarted by my saying that the T-Shirts weren’t new. Apparently you can’t send used (used ever, not just currently dirty) clothes with FedEx. No worries, I’ll do it in Puebla and say they’re new.

I was aiming to leave Mexico City by 11am and be in [[Coatepec]] by 7pm. It’s a 4 hour drive.

I eventually got out of Mexico City by 3pm. I asked in another Pakmail but they said they couldn’t ship to England – attempt #2 down the drain. So for a ticket to Coatepec I searched. I spent the best part of an hour going between bus companies stands (each with their own queue) before a helpful lady behind me told me what none of the staff knew: I had to change in [[Jalapa]]. With a bus in 5 minutes I wasted no more time, bought a ticket and hurried off – before even having a chance to leave Puebla bus station, let alone see the famous cathedral!

Arriving in Jalapa (Home of [[Jalapeños]]) tired late and fed up I decided against finding the other bus station, catching another bus and then a 20 minute walk uphill, and paid a small fortune for a taxi to Shayla’s house.

20 minutes later I was meeting Shayla and Maureen for the first time, but this past 10 days has been too much for one blog post, so that’s another story.

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Lohr am Main – What do you get if you put and English Jew in a kitchen with a German Palestinian?

Phew! I am exhausted. Physically, mentally, emotionally and nearly spiritually. Not the bad kind of exhausted, burt the fullfilled and ready to rest kind. Also the awful handwriting kind, I’d better make an effort or I’ll never be able to read this in future.
I spent a good proportion of my train ride today trying to find words to describe Nicole. She’s an the perfect balance between mature enough to appreciate life and young enough to enjoy it. Awesomely open minded and both interesting and interested, and the most generous person I’ve ever met! She met me at Lohr am Main Station last night at about 8pm, with her friend Martina. The train from [[Frankfurt]] was €20, cheap enough compared to the ICE (German Fast Trains) from [[Bussels]] which I decided was too much. ICE is nice enough, very space-shipy but essentially a [[pendalino]]. The local train from my connection was nicer only because it was empty – from sitting on the floor to having half a carrige to fart as I please….
Nicole has a son but no babysitter. Which suited me because I love kids and was probably too tired for clubbing. So we cooked and cooked and cooked, and then made some side dishes.
I made [[roast potatoes]] which would have made Avi proud, vegetables, gravy and as close to [[Israeli salad]] as I could with a cabbage and a tomato. Nicole made pumpkin soup, burnt some paprika, turkish coffee, Palastinian rice (without the chicken) and Martina made [[Falafel]]s and fruit salad. We could have fed the town, but we managed without them. Shortly after eating, and Nicol’s son Jamil throwing some rice around (he was too excited to have visitors to sleep), we chatted and pumped up an air bed – Nicole who had only just moved in and hadn’t quite sorted out all the furniture – and soon it was to a sound sleep all. Except Jamil, and therefore Nicole… ok so I slept like a baby.
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Frankfurt – The Germans are Coming! And I can’t wait to meet them!

Oh if you could see the sight I can see! I’m glad in many ways to not have a camera which would make a feeble attempt at capturing it. I am sat outside a cafe (With a coffee and a book) overlooking what I think is [[Frankfurt]]‘s central square.
In front of me in a relatively simple yet ornate off-white and pale red church. To my right is an ugly yet some how attractive concrete museum with pillars of ivy attempting to hide the blackening grey. Behincd the church the wonders unfold! A 6 story timber framed pointy building of deep browns and rich reds crossing over bright whites, perforated by dark windows twinkling with lights from inside. All topped off by steep slate grey roofs towering above the sloping cobbled square below.
Draps of people and snakes of tour groups slide past, high heels struggling on the aged stones heading to the designer shops who poke their noses into the square from the north.
I arrived in this most wonderous of cities at 2am this morning. My first impressions? Let’s start with second as I spent the first 30 minutes wandering around the red light district looking for the hostel mentioned in my book. Big, quiet and cheap enough (considering it included breakfast) the hostel that is.. I’m not sure ‘Dolly Dreams’ provided breakfast and clean sheets.
I picked up a prepaid German SIM and have exchanged a few texts with Nicole, my couch in [[Lohr Am Main]], and spoken to David. The plan up until a few minutes ago was to probably not see Rothenburg but to speed to Berlin and meet David on Friday.
However… I just met a guy from [[Wützburg]] (Alex) who took his Indonesian friend (Albert) there and they have rekindled my desire!
This coffee is so good, and only 2€ I have ordered another!
I saw a sign last night saying “All You Can Eat Sushi”. Wow! I’m going there! Can I find it today? Nay! So Breakfast #2, (after Tomato, Cucumber and very nice rolls with Jam at the hostel) was Humous and bread on a bench by the [[River Main]]. Next to a bridge with a boat hanging underneath it… No idea…!
I have a little stir fry left and I’ll be cooking at Nicoles tonight, but I may have to buy some soon! (I never did find that sushi bar). Anyway, my fingers are cold and Frankfurt is calling!
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A weekend in Evron, and back to Ein Hashofet

Just got back from being at [[kibbutz]] Evron for the weekend 🙂 It was good! Hopefully going to Jer next weekend!

It rained today. Every time I leave the country you get snow!

On Skype no good time to get me, I’m only online a few minutes a day here (and loving it!) but you can call me any time after 2.30 London time any day by calling 02033553172 or 08448615959 and when it asks my number is 009725xxxxxxxx. I don’t think 0203 is free in the evening, probably not.

Hebrew is going good! Learning lots, collecting verbs etc!

I liked Evron, would have been better with some company though! So.. you guys should come 😉 How it compares to other Kibbutzim? Well I can only compare it to [[Ein Hashofet]] which I think is quite opposite!

Ein Hashofet is more communal. Ein Hashofet is in the middle of nowhere… Evron… isn’t! The pub was a lot bigger and busier, which probably has something to do with the city so close by, we get the odd person from Haifa or another nearby kibbutz (theres 3 or 4 within about 8km) but for the most part it’s just kibbutzniks. The Dining Room is the same – though from what I gather they’re all the same!

Jer is the only way I can write [[Jerusalem]] without looking it up or spelling it wrong 🙂

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