Birmingham Food Not Bombs returned to the streets on Saturday the 13th of October for National Anti-McDonalds Day, in combination with the recently formed Midlands Vegan Campaign.
We set up directly in front of the McDonalds and Pret a Manger (which is owned by McD) on Cherry Street, Birmingham City Centre, serving “fast food” in the form of cooked-on-the-spot veggie burgers (with home-made vegan mayonnaise and chunky tomato salsa), as well as the traditional Food Not Bombs curry and cakes.
The serving was a resounding success, with FnB getting through approximately 200 veggie burgers and several large groups of young people who had been going into McDonalds persuaded to turn them down in favour of free vegan food instead. Public reaction was overwhelmingly positive, everyone from homeless people to students and shoppers queueing up and small children even taking salad!
Information was given out about MCDonalds’s exploitation of workers, its destructive impact on the environment and about the connections between food politics and wider issues such as homelessness, poverty and war, as well as information about vegan alternatives including flyers for the upcoming Free Vegan Food Fair in Kings Heath on Saturday November 10th.
Midlands Vegan Campaign accompanied the stall with eyecatching banners, posters and placards, as well as donating a particularly delicious carrot cake.
All in all an extremely enjoyable, inspiring and satisfying day…
For more info and to get involved contact:
Food not Bombs: brum_fnb@lists.riseup.net or 07904529362
Midlands Vegan Campaign: mvc94@yahoo.co.uk or check out www.veganmidlands.org.uk