Please see the following statement from PETA scientist Jeffrey Brown regarding newly confirmed U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf. PETA Science Consortium International e.V. welcomed Califf today with a letter asking him to steer the agency toward accepting modern, animal-free science in place of requiring animal testing for new medical treatments. The Science Consortium thanked the new commissioner for expressing support for a shift toward the use of non-animal methods during his confirmation hearings. Califf’s previous experience as FDA commissioner from 2016 to 2017 will be beneficial for advancing animal-free science that improves public health.
Dr. Robert Califf wants a better FDA, and so does PETA. Califf has championed the accelerated development of safe medicines through innovative proposals. At the start of his term, we’re highlighting the long list of sophisticated proposals that the agency could put into action to achieve its goals and save animals, including by supporting the FDA Modernization Act and expanding the programs that led to the development of COVID-19 vaccines in record time. There is a better way forward for humans and animals. We’re hopeful Califf sees it that way, too.
For more information on PETA’s investigative newsgathering and reporting, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
When the Bay Area Renaissance Festival opens this Saturday, there’ll be an “elephant” and a herd of PETA and Animals Rights Foundation of Florida members waiting at the gates. They’ll all be there to trumpet an alert to fairgoers that using bullhooks—weapons that resemble a fireplace poker with a sharp iron hook on one end—to threaten elephants truly belongs to a distant era, even though they’re still used at the festival, and to warn that interactions with elephants carry the risk of injury and disease transmission.
When: Saturday, February 19, 1:15 p.m.
Where: 12838 Auton Rd., Dade City
“Elephants are intelligent and sensitive individuals who are separated from their families just for the fleeting entertainment of fairgoers,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is calling on the lords, ladies, and gentlepeople of the Bay Area Renaissance Festival to stop the medievil spectacle of elephant rides.”
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview.
To help Mardi Gras revelers indulge in the best animal-friendly sweet treats the state has to offer, PETA has rounded up Louisiana’s Top 5 Vegan King Cakes—and MJ’s Café and Magpie Cafe both clinched spots on the list! MJ’s Café’s doughnut-shaped delights come in Traditional Cinnamon and Chocolate Tahini flavors, while Magpie Cafe dishes up a delicious Cinnamon Pecan flavor—and it’s taking preorders ahead of Mardi Gras.
“MJ’s and Magpie cafés are in PETA’s top tier for whipping up tasty treats that leave gentle cows and hens out of the mix and put super flavor in it,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “Everyone can get the royal treatment simply by opting for one of the reigning animal-friendly king cakes on our list.”
Consumers’ demand for vegan food out of concern for animals, the environment, and their health has sent the vegan food market skyrocketing: It grew two and a half times faster in 2021 than it did between 2018 and 2020, and it’s expected to reach $22 billion by 2025.
The other winners on PETA’s list are Breads on Oak in New Orleans, White House Coffee and Creamery in Lacombe, and Creme Confectionery in Metairie. Each eatery will receive a framed certificate from PETA, which offers a recipe for homemade king cakes on its website as well as the icing on the cake: a three-week vegan challenge!
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Laissez les bons temps rouler! Each year, Mardi Gras—or “Fat Tuesday”—is celebrated throughout Louisiana (and the world). It’s the day before Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent. This cultural phenomenon, which draws people from around the world to the Big Easy each year, is marked by parades, music, and tons of sweet, fatty foods. The iconic dish of Mardi Gras is the king cake, generally a ring-shaped cake covered in icing with green, purple, and gold sprinkles. Traditionally, there’s also a small porcelain baby baked into the cake representing Jesus, which is supposed to bring luck and prosperity to the person who finds it. While the dessert is sometimes made with eggs stolen from chickens and milk meant for baby cows, here are five vegan king cakes to try in Louisiana. They’re made without any animal exploitation and suffering, and they’re sure to satisfy.
Here are our picks for the top vegan king cakes in Louisiana for Mardi Gras 2022:
MJ’s Café is a vegan-friendly restaurant that makes doughnut-sized vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free king cakes. Two popular flavors are available: Traditional Cinnamon and Chocolate Tahini. The restaurant will be selling a limited number each day until Mardi Gras, so stop by early to grab yours before they’re all scooped up!
For Mardi Gras, Magpie Cafe is offering individual-sized Vegan King Cakes with cinnamon pecan filling, topped with icing and the traditional purple, green, and yellow sugar sprinkles. Magpie Cafe offers a wide variety of other vegan pastries year-round, including muffins and cheesecakes. The vegan king cakes are made to order and available ahead of Mardi Gras—the bakery offers individual-sized cakes in store and larger-sized cakes available for ordering at least 48 hours in advance.
Breads on Oak owners Sean and Chamain O’Mahony have been selling vegan versions of Louisiana dishes for a decade. Each year, the restaurant offers a variety of king cakes available throughout the Mardi Gras season. They’re made with an organic cinnamon brioche base, topped with vegan maple glaze and all-natural, vegan Mardi Gras color sprinkles. The cakes can be ordered unfilled or filled with a variety of vegan options: cream cheese, Bavarian cream, almond cream, tiramisu, and praline pecan. They also come in adult flavors like Strawberry Rum Cream Cheese, Brandy Raspberry Almond Cream, Bourbon Praline Pecan, and Baileys & Cream. Order yours online for local pickup or nationwide shipping.
White House Coffee and Creamery offers vegan and gluten-free king cakes, in addition to a wide variety of other vegan desserts. The king cakes are available by the slice or whole and can even be ordered frozen and undecorated so that you can decorate them at home.
You can find Creme Confectionery’s king cakes at locations around the New Orleans area, including Haydel’s Bakery, Grounded Coffee Cafe, the Lafreniere Park Farmers Arts Market on Wednesdays from 2 to 7 p.m., and other locations announced ahead of time on the confectionery’s social media. The Vegan King Cake is a soft, fluffy sweetbread rolled with cinnamon sugar and topped with vanilla icing and purple, green, and gold sugar. The Filled King Cake can be made vegan by request.
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All these bakeries are making it easier for people to celebrate holidays like Mardi Gras without supporting the violence of animal agriculture. These cakes offer tons of flavor without doing an ounce of harm to chickens or cows. It’s easy to celebrate Mardi Gras while being kind to animals—check out these vegan Mardi Gras recipes for your own inspiration. And if you don’t live in Louisiana, don’t worry—we have a recipe for mini vegan king cakes that are sure to get you in a festive mood.
Go vegan for the rest of the year and save the lives of countless animals. Our free vegan starter kit and 3-Week Vegan Challenge can help you get started:
With chilly temperatures in the forecast for the weeks ahead, who left the dogs out can be a matter for law enforcement, but PETA has rushed a code blue alert to Charlotte, courtesy of a sky-high message featuring a pup beside a bicycle to emphasize that chains belong on objects, never on living, feeling beings.
PETA responds to thousands of heartbreaking reports every year of dogs left chained up outside, struggling to survive in storms and freezing temperatures, sometimes with tethers so tangled that they are unable to reach shelter—if they even have any worth reaching. Water sources freeze in winter, snow turns food into inedible mush, and the ground gets muddy and icy. This leaves dogs vulnerable to frostbite, hypothermia, and dehydration. Cold weather and winter storms lead to multiple deaths, injuries, and near-miss rescues each year, and most incidents aren’t even reported.
“Dogs are social pack animals who need and deserve companionship, respect, and a warm place with their human, indoors,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA is calling on Charlotte residents to treat their dogs like family, encourage others to do the same, and blow the (dog) whistle on abuse.”
Hundreds of cities around the U.S.—including Dallas, Miami, and Tucson, Arizona—have enacted legislation banning the practice of tethering dogs alone outdoors. PETA asks that residents speak out against this cruel practice and push Charlotte officials to ban unattended chaining completely.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
