By JENNY JOHNSON, Staff WriterThe vegan food blogger was one of a handful of celebrities who took to social media to share their experiences at a protest last week in New York City over an executive order requiring meat and dairy products to be labeled as “vegan.”
It was a moment that could have been seen as a major turning point in the vegan movement.
But as activists protested the ban, some of the celebrities and vegan activists took issue with the decision to label meat and cheese as “free” on vegan labels.
The ban was initially announced in June, but it was widely condemned as discriminatory.
It was also met with criticism for its effect on the food industry.
On Thursday, the Food & Wine Festival said that it has removed the vegan and vegetarian options from its menus, citing the “misleading and misleading labeling.”
“I can’t believe I have to make a decision like this.
It’s one thing to choose to be vegan, it’s another thing to have to tell others what to eat,” said actor/comedian Jon Hamm.
“There’s no reason to label everything as vegan.”
He added, “I’m sorry.
But I’m also sad.
We’re all human beings and we all make mistakes.”
The event that sparked the protests began when activist Kate Harding, who is vegan, brought up the issue at a press conference in New Orleans.
She said that the ban had been a “burden” for her.
“It was not something that I wanted, it was not a thing that I was excited about,” she said.
“It was just a burden.”
A number of celebrities weighed in on the issue, with celebrity chef Jamie Oliver sharing that he felt the executive order was unfair.
“I think it’s very important to say that, in terms of the cruelty that goes on in this country, and we’re seeing it in the dairy industry, it doesn’t go away,” he said.
“And it doesn´t go away in any way, shape or form.
It just gets worse.”
In response to the criticism, actor and comedian Jamie Foxx posted on Twitter, “To my vegan friends, I love you.
You make me laugh.
I’m sorry if you’re in pain.
We all do.”
Foxx went on to share that he had been trying to understand why some of his vegan friends were offended by the label.
“I have friends who are vegan, and they say that the only reason they don’t want to go out to restaurants is because they feel like they’re going to be treated as second class citizens.
That’s what they’re really worried about,” he added.
“And I’m sure there are a lot of vegans that have friends that are not vegan, that don’t like the way they are treated, but they’re not going to go outside because of that.
It might not be their biggest concern, but I think it makes it more of a problem.”
The actress Emma Watson shared a similar sentiment, writing on Instagram that she was “sorry for the pain you are going through,” but added, “(I think) it’s also time to acknowledge that there are still animals who are not treated like we are.
And if we don’t stop, there will be more.”
The Vegan Society, which represents the vegan community, issued a statement saying that it had spoken to Harding and “the issue of the label on food has been brought up.”
The society said that Harding was in touch with the Vegan Society and that the vegan food blog has been “updated with vegan options” for the past few months.
