Get your facts straight Having veggie facts at your fingertips will help you to feel confident about your new diet. Did you know? The Vegetarian Society is the oldest such society in the world, founded in 1847. Just under 1/4 of the world’s population has a predominantly vegetarian diet. Intensive animal farming can contribute to pollution and global warming. A vegetarian diet may reduce your chances of getting certain diseases. Famous vegetarians include Steven Seagal. Try telling him a veggie diet is not healthy. The Vegetarian Society approves over 2,000 products. Look out for our symbol. Approximately 3 million people in Britain are vegetarian. In the UK alone, 800 million animals are slaughtered for food each year. Baked beans are packed full of protein. Vitamin B12 is found in dairy milk and fortified products such as breakfast cereals and soya milk. The range of veggie food in modern supermarkets is larger than ever. Most restaurants offer a good choice of vegetarian options. Philosophers have argued that animals can think and therefore deserve rights. Future legislation will make battery eggs a thing of the past. Growing crops to feed to animals is an uneconomical use of valuable resources. Better to eat the crop directly. On average, pre–cooked vegetarian products are cheaper than meat products. The largest land animal in the world, the African Elephant, is vegetarian. A Mintel Vegetarian Catering Report found that in 1997 sales of vegetarian dishes at catering outlets were worth a staggering £846 million.