Vegan Crowd Opinions

What is the Best Way to Bring About Change in the Marketplace?

Here in southern Spain vegan products choices are limited/non-existent. I believe the best way to effect change in the marketplace is to be vocal about it ...let shopowners know there are shoppers looking for all types of products free from animal ingredients.

In the large upmarket supermarket El Cortes Inglés vegan friendly food like ex.tofu, seitan, brewers yeast, & brown rice can be found in a separate 'dietetic' section which actually caters for diabetics and people with food allergies or other special dietary requirements because of ill health orobesity. Again I find it is good to face the blank stares of employees when I let them know that vegans are healthy people and these products are so wrongly situated. I also regularly write letters to Madrid HQ to point this out.

We also have 'herboristas' that follow a similar dynamic and who unfortunately (because of the organic and happy meat movement) are increasingly carrying more and more milks, cheeses and meats. Again it is a question of letting them know discontent and/or choosing those herboristas which are not selling same.

I've heard it said that Spain is the least vegan-friendly country of Europe. If this is so it is the responsibility of vegans living here to make their presence felt by vocalising their needs in local shops, supermarkets, and restaurants. It's a cop out to just mail order, and terribly expensive to boot. Spain is a wonderful country and Spanish people are open to listen to consumer needs. It also has to be said that it is a wonderful place to enjoy fabulously fresh and simple produce with the fantastic range of local fresh fruits, vegetables, olives, nuts, olive oils and breads we find at local daily markets.

With imagination and determination it is just as joyful to be vegan here as anywhere else in the world. Geography (or lack of a Wholefoods!(Whatever that is)) doesn't matter- when the motivation is animal liberation, it would now be difficult NOT to be vegan, no matter where I lived.

What do you think?