Other great vegan businesses & organisations
​and important info about additives & allergens:

We believe, here at Ananda Foods, that simply being 'vegan' isn't enough. We strive to be ethical, sustainable and honest. We trade with compassion and fairness. Here are some like minded people; a list of other organisations, businesses and sources for further information on vegetarian and vegan diets, products, additives, allergies, blogs and charities you may like to support or access.  (This is a work in progress, by no means complete. .)

​Áine Carlin - Áine Carlin is a vegan lifestyle, beauty, fashion and food blogger who published her own vegan recipe book in 2014. Her online blog 'PeaSoupEats' has been up and running since 2009.

Animal Aid - Animal Aid is the UK's largest animal rights group and one of the longest established in the world, having been founded in 1977. They campaign peacefully against all forms of animal abuse and promote a cruelty-free lifestyle. If you really care and want to make a difference - these are the people to help.

Boho Hemp - Boho Hemp for many hemp products that are otherwise hard to get hold of. They sell accessories, skincare and clothing for women, men and kids. Hemp is a good source of material because it softens with use and yet remains hard-wearing and the cloth stays cooler in warm weather as well as retaining heat in cool weather.

Church - Temple of Fun - totally vegan sanctuary/hangout/eatery/bar/venue etc new home of Make No Bones, tattoo art and Drop Dead brand - and general all round place to be. Near to us at Kelham Island, Sheffield. Home of Make No Bones . . did I say that already?!   

and talking of local vegan businesses, just up the road from us in Dronfield is Adams Fruits. So much more than fruit and veg! They support local vegan businesses like us and stock loads of artisan vegan stuff!

Greenpeace - Greenpeace defend the natural world and promote peace by investigating, exposing and confronting environmental abuse, and championing environmentally responsible solutions.
​
Ecopunk - ecopunk.org.uk is well worth checking out. Emphasis on doing, not just talking. 

ETHICAL CONSUMER - keep informed and abreast of which businesses conduct themselves in a sustainable, ethical, humane and animal friendly fashion. Customizable search and user defined criteria for assessing who is who and what is what. The go-to reference for ethical trade and business -you may be surprised at which popular companies and products don't look so good under close scrutiny! No prizes for guessing who/which should be avoided at all costs. . . 

Harper's Bizarre - Harper's Bizarre produce proper smelling soya wax candles with many different scents - from fresh and floral to patisserie to Christmas themed and retro scents! If you find a jaffa cake scented candle, be sure it'll smell like the real deal - so good you could almost eat it!

INFINITY  in Brighton, 
Organic and ethically led supermarket for vegetarian and vegan produce, with artisan bakery. We love Infinity!

LUSH -  produce handmade cosmetics. Not all their products are actually veggie, but they were one of the first to promote plastic-free products.

the BOX BOOK CLUB -  Now this is pretty brill! The girls at the club have a subscription box for YA lovers of reading and all thing things bookish, and that includes munchies for the read! In this digital age we think that is an admirable and awesome objective. Highly recommend, check out:  www.bookboxclub.com

Ms CUPCAKE - Ms. Cupcake aims to bring ‘free from’ cake to the masses.  They do this through baking incredible cakes, raising the profile of a vegan diet, and educating clients and local community on how they can create ‘free from’ cakes for themselves. They also have a bakery in Brixton open 7 days a week.

PETA - The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals Foundation is a UK-based charity dedicated to establishing and protecting the rights of all animals. They're a charitable organisation that works to educate the public about the horrors of cruelty to animals. Often contraversial, always on point!

THE VEGAN PUNK  Vegan and/or consciously curious? Concerned about the welfare of all animals? Get the whole picture at:  
                                                                        https://theveganpunk.com

VEGAN TUCK BOX    - a fantastic gift and monthly subscription box for vegans. Great tasting and genuinely kind and ethical vegan tuck! They specialise in boxes to suit all pockets. Our kids love Vegan Tuck Box and so do we.  

VegFest - VegFestUK are organisers of some of Europe's biggest veggie and vegan festivals. They came into existence in Bristol in 2003, where they staged a fair for eating, socialising, learning about healthy ethical eating, dancing, partying - you name it! It's a heaven for many people, whether they want to mix with like-minded people, are curious about veggie lifestyles, or just want to eat all day and soak up the party atmosphere.

VEGAN LARDER    if you haven't come across vegan larder yet - you must have been off-planet. Their boxes are truly inspiring and are totally vegan, palm oil free, and includes gluten free option. They focus on smaller independent businesses, always 100% delicious, check them out! Particularly when looking for that super cool foodie Christmas prez!

Vegetarian Society - (OK, not vegan, but for many a step in the right direction, the first rung on the ladder, perhaps . .) the Vegetarian Society exists to influence, inspire and support people to embrace and maintain a vegetarian lifestyle. Established in 1847, they're the oldest vegetarian organisation in the world.

Vegan Society - The Vegan Society works towards making veganism an easily adopted and widely recognised approach to reducing animal and human suffering. They have an instantly recognisable trademark symbol to show which products have their approval and are genuinely vegan. If a product claims to be vegan or has a 'vegan recipe' but doesn't have the society's approval, you can be sure there's a reason! They are very strict and thorough with their research into companies and products. People are able to buy accredited products with confidence, knowing that they are 100% vegan in every respect!

VeganStore - the store for vegans! Compassionate fair trading vegan store. We love them. Nuff said . . . Oh, and they're in Brighton

VeganTown -  Are you Vegan? Do you like chocolate? Pay a visit to Vegan Town. . .! 

Va Va Vegan - cafe in Amersham is a totally brilliant vegan cafe. Check out their awesomeness!

VIVA! - Viva! campaigns for a vegetarian/vegan world because most farmed animals spend their short and miserable lives in the filth of factory farms and are killed with sickening barbarity. They expose this abuse by secretly going inside these shameful places and filming the suffering – publicising it with nationwide campaigns that bring about change. Viva act for change and education within society. Equip yourself at vivashop.org.uk/whyyoudontneeddairy

ANONYMOUS -FOR THE- VOICELESS - campaign for animal liberation through activism & education. 

Hunt Sabs - what can we say?...they put themselves in harms way to protect the indigenous wildlife of this country AND try to uphold the anti-hunt law when the police refuse to.

ADDITIVES, ALLERGIES AND ENVIRONMENT 
Check the following for really important information you may not be aware of:

"Would You Eat Chocolate with Polyglycerol Polyricinoleate?" it may be vegan but it's as nasty as the most nasty thing! Do you know which major 'vegan' brands and products use this stuff? If you value your health, find out! 
https://youtu.be/wWwpSvj2rB8

...and whilst on the subject of dubious non-food additives to chocolate and sweets:

Release Agents for sweets and chocolate - chocolate is just chocolate, particularly if it's vegan, right? Unfortunately this often isn't so. It may be vegan and it may comply with industry regulations, but what is really in it? Non-food additives, like silicone, are legally permissable in quantities that are significant! Here's part of a blurb from a huge international food ingredient manufacturer, which I musn't name, for it's silicone additive (which it proudly states can be used at quantities even as low as 2%!):
'The low-volatility of ******  Emulsion eliminates excessive film and smoke. This innovative solution is compliant with multiple food . . . regulations adapting to global market requirements and offering very good dilution stability performance.'
The purpose of many additives for commercial production is not to make a food product healthier and more nourishing, but rather to make it easier and quicker to make, thereby REDUCING PRODUCTION COST! We would like to believe that consideration is given to health consequences for consumers, but I fear many of the additives used by large (including commercial vegan) manufacturers have a cost to the consumer which isn't financial. 

Carrageenan - from seaweed so it must be ok to eat.... right? This non-food additive finds it's way into so many foods and vegan 'alternatives' such as chocolate, cheese, milks, ice creams, sweets and marshmallows (not Anandas!). Why do so many independent award winning researchers and scientists condemn it? Are minutely different molecular phosphate weights the only real difference between iota, kappa and lambda? And is it true that all carrageenan types degrade into a dangerous form in the presence of stomach acid (hydrochloric)? Why have 'safe' consumption limits been determined if it is not dangerous? Is there a correlation between the rise in diabetes, stomach disease (inc IBS), and the widespread introduction and use of carrageenan in foods? Because there's a huge vested interest in this additive, with a lot of money behind it, a cursory online search may initially lead one to believe that carrageenan is safe. Dig deeper and you may not be so sure. . .  Check out Frontiers in Pediatrics, Carrageenan, as a good starting point for collated research, also the vegan princess US. 

Food labelling FSA 08  - revised criteria for the labelling of food and additives have been produced by the fsa. They say that the intention was to clarify, re-assure and help enforce standards in regard to what manufacturers can claim regarding 'natural pure fresh' etc. The fsa essentially concludes that existing legislation is largely sufficient. One would think that terms such as 'pure' or 'natural' can only be used when a product actually is pure or natural. After all: the Cambridge dictionary defines natural as 'found in nature and not involving anything made or done by humans'  the Oxford dictionary as: 'natural - existing in . . nature; not made or caused by humankind'. We believe that it is in everyone's interest to be aware of how differently the fsa define these terms for the labelling of pre-prepared foods and confectionary. FSA rules are a very good argument for only taking notice of Vegan Society accreditation when it comes to choosing genuinely vegan food, because there's no 'wiggle room' with the Vegan Soc., every aspect has to be 100%, and if the company, not just the product, is certified - then you know you're making a safe choice.

The terrible cost of cheese 
https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24132170-100-the-truth    A useful article when discussing the merits of going vegan with vegetarians . . or anyone! Just ignore the poor 'representative' sample (and review) of vegan cheese options though. They didn't look further than the shelves of a certain mega large supermarket. Let's be honest, if the reactionary and 'dyed in the wool' science community acknowledges the issue, then there's hope for everyone! ...AND NOW: check out New Scientists main feature 'Going Vegan' for the planet, the animal and ourselves. I know...right!?! They're still a little wide of the mark...but edging closer.

Secret allergy triggers -- revealed!
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/10/20/healthmag.allergy.trigger/index.html

Beat Outdoor Allergies
https://www.bhg.com/health-family/conditions/allergies/beat-outdoor-allergies/

Is a Mold Problem in Your Home Making you Sick?
https://www.angieslist.com/articles/mold-problem-your-home-making-you-sick.htm

13 Ways to Allergy-Proof Your Home
https://www.thisoldhouse.com/ideas/13-ways-to-allergy-proof-your-home

Allergies on the Job: 7 Workplace Irritants
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/AllergiesNews/story?id=7291101

5 Allergic Reactions You Could Have at the Beach
https://www.verywellhealth.com/beach-allergies-83199

Seasonal Allergies in Babies and Toddlers
https://www.whattoexpect.com/first-year/health-and-safety/seasonal-allergies-babies-toddlers/                                                                                                
Big thank you to Kelly Coleman at Consumer Health Labs for most of the above!

IN CONCLUSION, HERE'S SOMETHING FOR YOU TO CONSIDER:

"People are fed by the Food Industry, which pays no attention to health
and are treated by the Health Industry which pays no attention to food"