Vegetarianism in specific countries

Around the world vegetarianism is viewed in different lights. In some areas there is cultural and even legal support, where in others the diet is poorly understood or even frowned upon. In many countries (such as India) food labeling is in place which makes it easier for vegetarians to identify foods compatible with their diets. In others such as Spain a request for a vegetarian meal may result in one being served tuna or a vegetable soup made with meat stock.

Asia

China

In China, although still a fairly rare practice, vegetarianism has been around since at least the 7th Century and has been practised by devout Buddhists. In recent years, it has seen a new resurgence in the cities as middle class Chinese pay new attention to issues of health and diet. [ [http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/citylife/2006-05/17/content_592715.htm Vegetarianism now a popular diet] . 2006-05-17]

India

In India vegetarianism is usually synonymous with "lacto" vegetarianism, although "lacto-ovo" vegetarianism is practiced as well. Most restaurants in India clearly distinguish and market themselves as being either "Non-Vegetarian", "Vegetarian" or "Pure Vegetarian" (lacto vegetarian). Vegetarian restaurants abound, and usually many vegetarian ("Shakahari": plant-eater, in Hindi) options are available. Animal based ingredients (other than milk and honey) such as lard, gelatin and meat stock are not used in the traditional cuisine.

According to the 2006 Hindu-CNN-IBN " [http://www.hinduonnet.com/2006/08/14/stories/2006081403771200.htm State of the Nation Survey] ", 31% of Indians are vegetarians, while another 9% consumes eggs. Among the various communities, vegetarianism was most common among Jains, Brahmins at 55%, and less frequent among Muslims (3%) and residents of coastal states respectively. Other surveys cited by FAO [http://www.fao.org/WAIRDOCS/LEAD/X6170E/x6170e09.htm] , and USDA [http://www.fas.usda.gov/htp/highlights/2001/india.pdf] [http://www.ers.usda.gov/amberwaves/February04/Features/ElephantJogs.htm] estimate 20%-42% of the Indian population as being vegetarian. These surveys indicate that even Indians who do eat meat, do so infrequently, with less than 30% consuming it regularly; although the reasons are partially economical.

India has devised a system of marking edible products made from only vegetarian ingredients, with a green dot in a green square. A mark of a "brown dot in a brown square" conveys that some animal based ingredients were used [http://commerce.nic.in/wto_sub/TBT%20Notifications%20by%20INDIA/2%20-%20GSR%20245%20-%20Health.pdf] . Even medicines are similarly marked: a well-known Omega-3 capsule made from flax seeds is marked with a red dot as the capsule uses non-vegetarian ingredients. Fact|date=February 2007

Recent growth in India's organized retail has also been hit by some controversy. Strict vegetarians are demanding meatless supermarkets [http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/bloodless-coup-as-indian-vegetarians-flex-muscle/2007/07/13/1183833772532.html]

Israel

In Israel, practicing ovo-lacto-vegetarianism is relatively easy, due to Jewish dietary laws, or kosher laws. Kosher food cannot contain pork or shellfish, and meat and dairy cannot be combined in any way. As a result, most kosher restaurants serve either only dairy or only meat, along with bread, vegetables, fruits, etc. Fish, however, is not considered to be meat under Jewish laws, so it may be served in "dairy" restaurants. Nonetheless, the "dairy" restaurants are usually a very safe bet for ovo-lacto-vegetarians.

For vegans, falafel, hummus, and other plant-based Mediterranean foods are a good option. They can be easily found almost anywhere in Israel, and are very popular among Israelis. Additionally, all products marked as "Kosher-Parve" are usually suitable for vegans as this labeling means that there are no milk or animal ingredients in the product. However, "Parve" products may contain eggs or fish ingredients, which are not suitable for vegans. Challah and some other kinds of bread also contain eggs.

In Israel there is also one completely vegetarian moshav (village) - Amirim.

See also: Vegetarianism in Judaism.

Australia

In Australia some manufacturers who target the vegetarian market will label their foods with the statement 'suitable for vegetarians', however, except for foods intended for export to the UK this labelling can be inconsistent. Flavourings in ingredients lists do not need to specify if they come from animal origin. As such, "natural flavour" could be derived from either plant or animal sources.Animal rights organisations such as Animal Liberation promote vegan and vegetarian diets. "Vegetarian Week" runs from 01 - 07 October every year ["Food For Thought", May. 06, 2008, "National Vegetarian Week" on NVW http://www.vegetarianweek.com.au/] and food companies are taking advantage of the growing number of vegetarians by producing meat free alternatives of popular dishes including Sausages and Mash and Spaghetti Bolognese. [http://www.vegiedelights.com.au/]

Europe

The definition of vegetarianism throughout Europe is not uniform, and some local vegetarians are not aware that many products they consume contain ingredients of animal origins, such as rennet, gelatin and more. However most food producers within the UK providing meat free food will go out of their way to create vegetarian society approved food to cater for the ever growing market.

Virtually all hard cheeses in continental Europe contain animal rennet with the vegetarian form not very widespread or well known.Fact|date=September 2007 As awareness grows, so does availability, and in most major cities in Western Europe it is quite common to find vegetarian products, including cheese, in particular the UK where now the majority of cheeses for sale will be approved by the vegetarian society.

In the United Kingdom increasing numbers of the British population have adopted vegetarianism since the end of World War II, especially since the BSE crisis of the 1990s. As of 2003 the Vegetarian Society estimated that there were between 3 and 4 million vegetarians in the UK [cite web |url = http://www.vegsoc.org/members/history/150hist.html | title = The History of vegetarianism in the UK | author = The Vegetarian Society | accessdate = 2007-10-09 ] one of the highest percentages in the western world,Fact|date=May 2008 and around 7 million people claim to eat no red meat [ cite web |url = http://www.european-vegetarian.org/lang/en/home/home.php | title = European Vegetarian Union |accessdate = 2007-10-09]

Voluntary labeling of vegetarian foods is widespread but far from universal. Many manufacturers label food as "suitable for vegetarians" but until recently no universally agreed definition existed. The Food Standards Agency issued guidance on the labeling of foods as suitable for vegetarians in 2006 which includes the following definition: "The term 'vegetarian' should not be applied to foods that are, or are made from or with the aid of, products derived from animals that have died, have been slaughtered, or animals that die as a result of being eaten. Animals means farmed, wild or domestic animals, including for example, livestock poultry, game, fish, shellfish, crustaceans, amphibians, tunicates, echinoderms, mollusks and insects." [Food Standards Agency, Thursday 06 April 2006, "Guidance on the use of the terms ‘vegetarian’ and ‘vegan’ in food labelling" http://www.food.gov.uk/foodindustry/guidancenotes/labelregsguidance/vegiguidancenotes]

In addition, the Vegetarian Society operates a scheme whereby foods that meet its strict criteria can be labeled "Vegetarian Society approved". Cheese is often labeled as well, making it possible to identify cheeses that have been made with non-animal rennet. Flavourings in ingredients lists do not need to specify if they are derived from animals, which can make identifying vegetarian foods difficult if they are not otherwise labeled as such, for example with the "Vegetarian Society approved" label. The Vegetarian Society regards a product as vegetarian if it is free of meat, fowl, fish, shellfish, meat or bone stock, animal or carcass fats, gelatin, aspic, or any other ingredient resulting from slaughter, such as rennet. [The Vegetarian Society (last accessed 2006/08/14) "The Seedling Symbol: The original and only one to trust" http://www.vegsoc.org/business/corporate/symbintro.html]

In Ireland, food labeling is in place.

In Spain, most "vegetarian" meals will be served with egg, or even tuna, even if vegetarians are not that uncommon; however, most food companies and markets simply do not care about it.. Vegans are almost non-existent in Spain, outnumbered instead by "strict vegetarians" which do not eat animal food but can use animal byproducts (leather, silk, wool. Vegetarianism is far more common in Catalonia than in the other autonomous regions.

In France the situation is similar to that in Spain, but is slightly more favourable to vegetarians.

In Germany, the confusion of vegetarianism with pescetarianism/pollotarianism is common. There is no food labeling in place, and buying vegetarian foods can involve reading the fine print ingredients list ("Zutaten") on many food products. However, widespread whole foods stores provide vegetarian foods even in remote areas.

In Norway, conditions are similar to Germany, except pollotarianism is largely unknown and organic foods stores are less widespread. Ovo-lacto-vegetarians make up 1–2% of the population, and food targeted for vegetarians is sold mainly in health food stores and supermarkets that focus on selection. Most restaurants will have one or two vegetarian entries on the menu, or at least produce something on request.

In Sweden, the situation is similar to that in Norway but it is easier to find vegetarian food. Almost all food stores and supermarkets have one or two brands of vegetarian food, besides that in the health department. Most restaurants will serve something vegetarian on demand, although traditional Swedish dishes have little to offer vegetarians.

In The Netherlands (Holland) in supermarkets and stores it is necessary to read the fine print on products in order to make sure that there are no animal-originated ingredients. It is very common for restaurants and local stores to mistakenly present their products as Vegetarian even though they contain rennet (virtually all Dutch hard cheeses contain animal rennet) or items such as gelatine and fish sauce, among others. The bio-industry is fast growing and in bio or health food stores awareness is much higher and items are usually correctly categorized.

North America

USA

In the United States, "vegetarianism" is usually synonymous with lacto-ovo-vegetarianism. However, vegetarians are sometimes wrongly assumed to be pescetarians/pollotarians who will tolerate some meat. Vegetarian items in markets are rarely listed as vegetarian, and people who wish to consume only vegetarian foods must read the listed ingredients. However, some things, such as the Kosher mark on dairy products, provide a shortcut to determining certain foods are meatless (in this case, since Kosher means dairy and meat cannot be mixed, the dairy product therefore is likely to be meatless). Some restaurants and caterers provide vegetarian options to patrons, sometimes explicitly indicated as such. Polls find that 2.8% of Americans are vegetarian as of 2004 and the vegetarian and vegan population appears likely to increase. [Tatge, Mark, Sept. 17, 2004, "Vegetarian foods plant stronger sales: No signs of slowing down for growing industry" on MSNBC http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6008949/] In addition, vegetarianism in the United States generally reflects regional cultural differences. It is more difficult to find vegetarian options in rural restaurants than in urban ones. The same applies to Midwestern city restaurants compared to West Coast restaurants. Restaurants that cater specifically to vegans are rare outside places like New York City, parts of the Northeast, and the West Coast. This seems to be slowly changing as vegetarian market innovations (such as veggie burgers) attain wider acceptance, demand, and distribution.

Vegetarian and vegan meals and dishes have become increasingly available in most grocery stores.

A 2002 poll of American adults [TIME/CNN POLL: Reasons for choosing a vegetarian lifestyle [http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101020715/poll/Abstract] ] found the following reasons for choosing a vegetarian lifestyle:

outh America

In South America, vegetarianism is generally uncommon and vegetarian food is often difficult to find.

Brazil

Only in large cities is it possible to find vegetarian food, mostly in self-service restaurants.

References