The Vegetarian Society’s April Fools -

Guinness - winners of the Imperfect World Award

30 March 2007

It may sound like an April Fool, but The Vegetarian Society insists that there’s something fishy about Guinness and has named the popular stout as winner of its annual Imperfect World Award.

The veggie wooden spoon award is voted for by members of the public and presented to the manufacturers of the product that most vegetarians would like to buy and enjoy, but can’t because the recipe or production process includes dead animals. This year’s winner, Guinness, is made using the swim bladders of fish, a process which many breweries manage to replace with more animal and veggie-friendly alternatives.

Isinglass, used to clear the materials held in suspension in beers, is derived from the swim bladders of certain tropical fish - especially the Chinese sturgeon.

Su Taylor, Press Officer at The Vegetarian Society said, “Guinness really are the April Fools if they can’t respond to the countless potential customers who contact us every week asking where they can find a vegetarian-friendly stout. They say in their advertising that good things come to those who wait, but we’re hoping that vegetarians won’t have to wait much longer…..

The Vegetarian Society’s Awards promote the best practice among caterers, manufacturers and retailers, and highlight the importance of integrity in the vegetarian market place.

NOTES TO EDITORS

• For further information/interviews please contact Su Taylor in the Press Office on 0161 925 2000 or email press@vegsoc.org

• Outside office hours The Vegetarian Society Press Office can be contacted on 07973 108 165/ 7. Alternatively visit the website for lots more information at www.vegsoc.org

• The Vegetarian Society defines a vegetarian as a person who eats no meat, poultry, game, fish, shellfish or crustacea. Vegetarians also avoid the by-products of slaughter such as gelatine or animal rennet in cheese. The Society only approves products containing eggs when they are free-range.

• In France the person fooled is known as poisson d’avril. The French traditionally celebrated this holiday by placing a dead fish on the back of friends. Today the fish is substituted by a paper cut out.

• Many things have changed since The Vegetarian Society was founded in 1847 but two important definitions haven’t: