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| Vegetarian Resource Group | |
|---|---|
| Name | Vegetarian Resource Group |
| Formation | 1982 |
| Type | Nonprofit organization |
| Headquarters | Baltimore, Maryland |
| Region served | United States |
| Leader title | Founder |
| Leader name | Susan Voisin |
Vegetarian Resource Group is a nonprofit advocacy and educational organization founded in 1982 dedicated to promoting vegetarianism and veganism through research, nutrition information, and outreach. The organization conducts surveys, publishes guides, and engages with institutions to expand plant-based options in cafeterias, schools, hospitals, and communities. It operates from Baltimore and collaborates with numerous health, animal welfare, and environmental actors.
The organization was established in 1982 by Susan Voisin with early connections to activists and groups such as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, The Humane Society of the United States, World Wildlife Fund, The Sierra Club, and Greenpeace. In the 1980s and 1990s it engaged with food service providers linked to Aramark, Sodexo, Compass Group, and institutions like Johns Hopkins University and University of California campuses. Its timeline intersects with campaigns and events including the Earth Day mobilizations, collaboration with Vegetarian Times contributors, and participation in conferences alongside figures from Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, American Dietetic Association, and Harvard School of Public Health. The group monitored developments related to plant-based innovations such as the emergence of companies comparable to Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, and food policy debates in venues like Congressional hearings and state legislatures including sessions in Maryland General Assembly and New York State Assembly.
The organization's mission emphasizes promoting plant-based diets for health, animal welfare, and environmental sustainability while engaging stakeholders like Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, United Nations Environment Programme, World Health Organization, and municipal actors such as the City of Baltimore and New York City. Activities have included conducting surveys of college dining services similar to studies by Pew Research Center or Gallup, producing curricula used in settings referenced by American Public Health Association meetings, and consulting with food industry players like Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe's, and university systems such as the University of Michigan and University of Pennsylvania. The group has collaborated with or referenced standards from institutions like Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, and environmental reports by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
The organization publishes consumer guides, nutrition handouts, and school lunch analyses used by professionals linked to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Columbia University, and Yale School of Medicine. Its printed and digital resources have been cited in community programs alongside materials from Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Mount Sinai Health System, and advocacy materials similar to those from Humane Society International. The guides include shopping lists for outlets like Kroger, Safeway, Walmart, and recipes akin to collections from Epicurious or Bon Appétit while coordinating with certification entities such as Vegan Action and discussions within forums hosted by TED Conferences and SXSW.
The organization conducts and disseminates nutrition research aligning with studies from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Oxford Martin School, and meta-analyses appearing in venues comparable to The Lancet, Journal of the American Medical Association, and American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. It has produced position materials referencing nutrient topics also discussed by researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, and University of Washington. Initiatives have included surveys of school meal programs paralleling work by Food Research & Action Center and collaborative projects with collegiate researchers from institutions such as University of Wisconsin–Madison, Penn State University, and Rutgers University.
Educational outreach targets schools, healthcare facilities, and community organizations and has partnered with student groups at Harvard University, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, Brown University, Princeton University, and Columbia University. Workshops and presentations have been delivered at conferences hosted by American Public Health Association, Vegetarian Society of Great Britain, and at events like VegFest and North American Vegetarian Society conventions. The group’s outreach statistics and classroom materials are used alongside curricula from Common Core State Standards Initiative-aligned schools and referenced by campus sustainability offices such as those at Cornell University and University of Colorado Boulder.
Advocacy efforts involve engagement with policymakers, school boards, and public health officials including contacts at U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, and local health departments in cities like San Francisco and Seattle. The organization has submitted comments in rulemaking processes and participated in coalitions with Center for Science in the Public Interest, National Resources Defense Council, and Natural Resources Defense Council allies. Campaigns have addressed issues similar to those in legislative initiatives in states such as California, New York (state), Vermont, and Maryland and intersected with advocacy by groups including Food Policy Action, Union of Concerned Scientists, and Friends of the Earth.
The nonprofit operates with a board and volunteer network, cooperating with professionals from institutions like Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, University of Maryland, and Georgetown University Medical Center. Funding sources include individual donors, foundation grants similar to awards from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Ford Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and revenue from publications and donations processed through services such as Network for Good-style platforms. The group maintains partnerships with community organizations including Meals on Wheels America, student groups at University of Florida and University of Texas at Austin, and coordinates volunteers for outreach events in collaboration with municipal initiatives in places like Baltimore County and Anne Arundel County.
Category:Non-profit organizations based in the United States