campaigns > vegan stalls

Free Vegan Food Stalls

Promoting veganism on street stalls can be a great opportunity to introduce people to vegan food and a cruelty-free lifestyle.

Vegan Campaigns do regular vegan stalls. The free vegan food on the stall is a great way of drawing people over and we have had lots of brilliant feedback about our stalls and the food on them. These stall really help to break down the stereotypes surrounding vegan food, because people can see how nice the food is!

The Basics
All you need is a folding table (a pasting table from a DIY shop is ideal, being fairly light and portable), tablecloth if possible, leaflets, food, things to serve the food with and 3-4 people. There should be no problem setting up a stall, but if you are unsure about restrictions in the area you plan to go, contact your local council. Find a busy shopping area and set up your stall in a public place, not a private area like an indoor precinct. Set your stall up so it is not causing an obstruction.

People may ask about nutrition, or where they can get cruelty-free alternatives, it is very helpful if you have that information available. Before we start the stall we often find out where the nearest health food shop/s are located. On one stall we were giving out Redwoods sausages and we knew a health food shop nearby that stocked them, so pointed people who asked in that direction. Later on the health food shop told us they sold a lot of those sausages that day, so it really pays to be able to direct people to a health shop.

On the stall include:

• Information on the reasons why people go vegan, for example info on the cruelty involved in the meat and dairy industries.
  
  
• Information on the practicalities of going vegan.
  -Vegan guides on what food to buy, where to buy it, recipes (these tend to be very popular and we have a recipe sheet that you can download), vegan-friendly restaurants etc..
  -Information about vegan nutrition.
  -You could also include a range of information about other non-animal products such as toiletries, shoes and clothing.
  
  
• Free vegan food samples. Make sure the food is tasty! The food samples could include home made food (have copies of the recipes available where possible) and some shop-bought food for people that don’t want to cook (have the packets on show). Imitation meat and non-dairy cheese can be good to show people direct alternatives, and we have found that chocolate and sweet foods are good at pulling people over to the stall.
  
  
• Don't forget that you made need some plates, cutlery, cocktails stick (e.g. for sausages), napkins and other bits and pieces to help you display and serve the food.

The Food
Redwood and Frys often donate free food samples for us to use, so are worth contacting. We have very much appreciated their support.

On the home-made food front we often make courgette and red pepper mini-quiches and carrot cake, they both go down really well. Cut the cake into small pieces.

Sausage rolls made with packet sos-mix (add some fried onion) and Jus-roll puff pastry are also popular. Most pastry items go down well. We always give out food that is easy to pick up.

We also give out free vegan food samples on a tray. Go out and offer the samples to people, this really helps in getting people over. Make sure that everyone who takes a food sample either from the stall or the tray is offered a leaflet. Why Vegan by the Vegan Society is a good one to offer.

We are developing ideas for street stalls all the time, if you have any other suggestions please email them to us.

We are also keen to have help on the stalls. If you are vegan, and would like to get involved, please email us.