Vegan Pirates have picked up on the Thames Valley Vegans campaign started in 2004 for a nationally available Vegan Pizza

World Vegan Day campaigners have today launched a campaign to encourage a national pizza chain to make a healthier, more environmentally friendly, animal-free, vegan pizza.

A spokesperson from a group calling itself ‘Vegan Pirates’ revealed “We want to see a delicious and nutritious, healthier vegan version of the popular pepperoni pizza in every town throughout the UK. It should ideally have a mixed whole grain base, with a Jamie Oliver style rich tomato and vegetable sauce, perhaps meat-free pepperoni and a good dairy-free bubbly vegan cheese topping“

Research has highlighted that many people sympathetic to the aims and objectives of veganism are put off fully adopting a vegan diet because of the lack of tasty vegan choices on restaurant menus.

A nutritionist from London based Foods for Life said today “The average Pizza is one of the unhealthiest fast foods you can eat. High in nutrient stripped simple carbohydrates, drenched in animal fat, often high in salt and sugar and low in protein – the smear of the antioxidant lycopene in the tomato sauce is rarely enough to even begin to compensate for the other detrimental ingredients.” At around 730 calories a typical pepperoni pizza has nearly as much fat, even more carbohydrates and less protein than a McDonalds double Quarter pounder with cheese.

A 6 slice medium pan Pizza Hut Pepperoni Pizza has 2112 Kcals, 117g of fat, 164g of carbohydrates, 10g of salt and 101g of protein.

Tony Bishop-Weston, author of ‘Vegan’ a healthy eating cookbook by Hamlyn said “ I’m flabbergasted that a national pizza chain hasn’t already spotted the massive opportunity for a healthier animal free pizza. Research shows over 40% of consumers have a preference for healthier, more environmentally friendly, more ethically sound products. The first pizza chain to produce a truly healthy, vegan pizza will clean up. It’s not just vegans that will be queuing up or ordering online” Bishop-Weston adds “vegetarian food manufacturers now make incredibly realistic, healthier versions of typical pizza toppings such as meat free pepperoni, melting dairy free mozzarella – in fact vegan versions of almost any pizza topping you can think of!”

“More and more people are adopting vegan lifestyles as a solution to many of the world’s problems such as global warming and epidemics of preventable chronic disease. Pizza chains such as Pizza Express are crazy to be ignoring this market – even Burger King and Mcdonalds have Vegetarian Society approved burgers”

The United Nations environmental report “Livestock’s Long Shadow” and reports from the World Health Organisation on preventable chronic diseases have left many readers in no doubt that balanced vegan diets are undeniably better for the planet, better for people and of course better for the other earthlings on our planet that many people call ‘food’.

The Vegan Pirates say “If you swallow your pride and except a pizza without the cheese and extra vegetables to placate your hunger pangs you often find they charge you extra for leaving the cheese off! Vegans pay more for less – we are determined to change this.”