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Being a vegan is not an easy lifestyle choice, considering how many of our foods and beauty products contain animal products.
Living a life without animal products is a feat in itself, especially with our modern production methods. Then there's the constant line of questioning from carnivores who just don't get it. "How exactly is a vegan supposed to get her protein?" Never mind the protein myth or the fact that meat-based diets result in a higher mortality rate, vegans also have to constantly deflect questions surrounding taste: "Won't a dish taste bland without meat?"
Some vegans felt they suffered a blow to their cause after a well-known vegetarian publication was busted for using meat photography. According to reports, VegNews, a prominent vegetarian lifestyle magazine and blog based out of San Francisco, is reeling after news that its editorial staff regularly used photographs of meat and dairy dishes to accompany vegan-themed recipes and articles.
The story came to light after a blog post on Quarrygirl.com revealed that VegNews used stock images of conventional dishes to go with their supposedly vegan recipes. In one instance, the bones in a slab of grilled ribs were Photoshopped out so the dish appeared meatless.
It comes as no surprise that many angry vegans have taken their rage online, ranting on blogs, Twitter and Facebook with some even canceling their VegNews subscriptions.
In response to the ire and surprised by the fallout, VegNews's publisher, Joseph Connelly, has apologized for the use of non-vegan images. "We screwed up," says Connelly, saying the use of stock images is a common practice. "We apologize and we will have to elevate our standards and change our policy...we made a mistake."
Some commenters decried the deception, criticizing the magazine for contributing to public perceptions of vegan food as bland and unappealing. Will VegNews recover from the scandal? It's really too bad that their photo policy was such a hard one to swallow.
