The number of UK vegans has multiplied by over 360 percent since 2006 as increasing numbers of Brits choose to scrap meat, eggs, dairy and other animal-based food stuffs, a new survey suggests.  The poll of nearly 10,000 people aged 15 and upwards was conducted by Ipsos MORI for Britain’s Vegan Society and Vegan Life magazine. It is the largest survey of its kind dedicated to estimating the number of vegans across the UK. The survey’s findings, which were published on Tuesday, suggest more than 1 percent of UK citizens (542,000) over the age of 15 are vegans. This marks a steep rise since 2006, when Britain was home to just 150,000. Keith Coomber of Vegan Life magazine says public perception of vegans has shifted in the face of more positive portrayals of the lifestyle choice across UK media outlets. Those who oppose the lifestyle choice say veganism is expensive and awkward to maintain, and drives global warming because consumers source far-flung products and increase their carbon footprint in the process. However, many vegans argue their way of life stops the mass exploitation and abuse of animals, induces considerable health benefits, halts environmental degradation, and constitutes a sustainable way to feed an ever-increasing global population. (rt.com)

YLE reports that Helsinki's City Board has approved a year-long vegan food trial at 20 of the capital's daycare centres. Their looking to determine the cost of providing vegan food to young ones, which has been roughly calculated to run 4.40 euros more per day for the offered breakfast, lunch, and snack. Many city daycare facilities provide vegetarian meals, but will soon exclude the dairy and eggs previously offered. A recent study of daycare centres found 27 vegan families who currently supply their children's food themselves. Daycare service providers estimate that closer to 125 families would opt for the vegan option for their kids if it was available. The trial was approved with a small majority headed by the Greens and Left Alliance, and a final decision must still get a thumbs up by the larger City Council. (ecorazzi.com)

The vegan butcher shop Herbivorous Butcher was recently contacted by Josh Borchardt, a research scientist at the Minnesota-based Advanced Space and Technology Research Laboratory, about helping to create a vegan meal plan for a two-week simulated Mars mission with six astronauts in the Utah desert. If all goes well with the simulation, the astronauts could take Herbivorous Butcher meatless meals into space for real. Borchardt approached the wizards of vegan eating because it's more practical to eat a plant-based diet in space. So far they've made a set of six breakfasts and six dinners that will be frozen for one year. They're still figuring out how long the food can be frozen and then taste fresh after thawing and cooking. (citypages.com)

VegNews reports that a company called Eaton is making it easier for winemakers to create vegan products. WineBusiness.com recently addressed the growing demand for gelatin free wine, and hypes the effortless and necessary switch to pea protein with Eaton products. Eaton supports that their SIHA Pea Protein based replacement acts as a stabilizer to everyone’s favourite dinner accompaniment, similar to the gelatin that’s commonly used now. Combined with other vegan fining agents (substances to clarify wine), such as active bentonite and silica sol, Eaton’s is confident it can match the consumer demand for animal-product free wine easily. (ecorazzi.com)

A study by doctors from the Mayo Clinic in Arizona of over 1.5 million people found, on one hand, that going vegetarian for at least 17 years added an average of 3.6 years to life expectancy, reports The Telegraph. On the other hand, people who ate meat, particularly red and processed meats, had higher mortality rates. The doctors analysed six studies which showed the impact of meat and vegetable consumption on mortality. In their review of 500,000 who hardly ate meat, the researchers found it cut risk of all causes of mortality by 25 to 50 percent. The studies were conducted in the US, Europe and China which had follow-up periods from 5.5 to 28 years. (ibtimes.com.au)