What you can do to help animals now
Bin the meat. The main reason animals suffer in society is due to our eating habits. If you don't buy meat, dairy or leather products then they won't be farmed and slaughtered. Opting out of consuming animal products is obvioulsy the ideal scenario but we realise it's a big step for alot of people so if this isn't for you at the moment then...
Always try to buy free range or organic. Over 850 million animals die each year in the UK for food. Free range methods have much higher welfare standards during the rearing process. the bad thing is the animals all end up in the same slaughterhouse killed in the same way but if you're not ready to give up meat and eggs yet then it's a positive start.
Go for products not tested on animals. Animals undergo horrendous tests by producers of household and beauty products. This is not contrary to claims required by law. Companies conduct these tests to cover themselves legally should anybody try to sue if their product harms them, they are performed not to protect the consumer but to protect the manufacturer.
Cruelty free products are now widely available. Most supermarkets stock cheap, quality stuff as do pound shops, etc. See our cruelty free list for more details.
Watch out for fur! Fur's making a sneaky comeback these days usualy in the shape of trim and linings after years of a rapid decline in use. Some everyday garments have fur on hoods, etc. due to the growing availabilty of cheap fur from countries like China. Most is rabbit but alot has been mislabeled and later found to dog or cat skins, always keep this in mind. Toys, keyrings, ornaments etc. are increasingly being embellished with fur now so ask before you buy, if you come across any places selling fur products get in touch with us.
If you're faced with a choice on a menu and can't decide, make it easy on yourself - -plump for the veggie option
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Only stupid people could claim vegetarian food is boring these days. Avoiding meat does not limit your choices, it opens up a whole new world. What's so exciting about eating the same foods that your mother fed you anyway.
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Buy free range eggs. Ensure the box uses the words “free range”. Marks and Spencer's use free range eggs in all their foods.
When you eat meat or dairy - aim to buy organic. A bit more expensive but you will be saving your body from a lot of nasties.
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Venture into a vegetarian restaurant. It's a fun and easy way to try out new animal-friendly foods as you and your companions can order different foods to share. Some foods you'll like, some you may not – no different to any other restaurant.
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Ponder on these statistics. Every year850 million animals are killed in Britain to be used as food. Millions more animals are tested on for cosmetics, toiletries and household products.. There are 60 million consumers in the UK who could change this situation from this moment onwards. And that includes us. It's great to have this power in our hands. Let's start using it from today.
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If you're eating take-away food choose the vegetarian option. Even McDonalds and Burger King have veggie food.
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Buy vegetarian cheese. It tastes the same as other cheeses. Look for the word “vegetarian” on the label.
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Eat a meat-free meal today. Eg choose a cheese sandwich over a ham one; the tomato soup rather than chicken. Or you can choose meat substitutes such as Quorn or Linda McCartney foods. You may not think you can make much difference. But every meat eater in their lifetime eats about 4,022 animals! In other words: 1 goose, 1 rabbit, 4 cows, 18 pigs, 23 sheep and lambs, 39 turkeys, 28 ducks, 1,158 chickens and 2,750 fish. If you do eat meat try to avoid chicken or fish. You get more meals out of a bigger animal.
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Do not buy fur. Nor items with fur trim.
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Feathers are very popular at the moment but they are all harvested from suffering animals. Some are even plucked while still alive. A very cruel industry. If you avoid fur you might like to also avoid feathers.
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Join the California set and opt for soya coffees.
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Those who care about animals are beautiful enough and don't need animals to be tested on to make them so. Despite what l'Oreal say we're sure the lab animals would say “You're not worth it”.
There are lots of wonderful cosmetics and toiletries you can buy that are not tested on animals: Almay, Ancient Formulas, Astonish, Avon, Barry M Cosmetics, Benefit, Body Shop, Chanel, Clarins of Paris, Christy Cosmetics, Co-op, Crabtree & Evelyn, Daniel Field, Dolma Perfume, Estee Lauder (and all its brands eg Aramis, Bobbi Brown, Clinique Laboratories, (including Donna Karan, Stila, Tommy Hilfiger), Daniel Field, Hard Candy, Hawaiian Resources, Hello Kitty, John Paul Mitchell Systems, Kingfisher toothpaste, Leichner Cosmetics, L'Occitane, Liz Claiborne Cosmetics, Lush, M.A.C. Cosmetics, Montagne Jeunesse, Morrisons own brand (house products only), Neals Yard, Nivea, Nu Skin International, Revlon, , Sainsbury own brand, Superdrug own brand, Stella McCartney, Tesco own brand, Tom's of Maine, Tuesdays Girl (Glitz n Glam), Urban Decay, Victoria's Secret, Weleda. Wella
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Cigarettes - American Spirit are the only cigarettes that do not test on animals.
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Check up the 1World site every 6 months or so to ensure your list is up do date. New companies are jumping on the cruelty-free bandwagon all the time which is great news for us all.
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Buying cleaning products Buy those that are not tested on animals. The following supermarkets' own label products are OK to buy: Sainsbury's, Tesco, Ecover and Co-op. Aldi - look for products that say “not tested on animals”, Morrisons own brand (house products only), Pound shops – look for labels that say “not tested on animals”.
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EASY THINGS YOU CAN DO TODAY IF YOU'RE CONSIDERING
TURNING VEGETARIAN
Contact us, tell us a bit about yourself and we'll arrange to get a vegetarian pack sent to you.
Need inspiration? Log on to this: The Meatrix (animation) www.bancruelfarms.org/meatrix/
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EASY THINGS YOU CAN DO TODAY IF YOU'RE CONSIDERING
TURNING VEGAN
Contact us, tell us a bit about yourself and we'll arrange to get a vegan pack sent to you.
