Notes from the Scientific Department

Nutrition Advisors Present Educational Sessions in Rhode Island and New Jersey

Nutrition Advisors Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, and Suzanne Havala Hobbs, DrPH, MS, RD, presented sessions about vegetarian diets at professional association meetings. Reed spoke at a meeting of the Rhode Island Dietetic Association about vegetarian pregnancy and lactation. Sue spoke at the annual meeting of the New Jersey School Food Service Association (NJSFSA) in Atlantic City, NJ. She presented two sessions on vegetarian diets and incorporating vegetarian options in school meals, reaching over 120 school food service personnel and managers. The VRG donated books for a NJSFSA raffle and distributed cases of educational materials, including sample copies of Vegetarian Journal and Foodservice Update, to participants.

VRG in the News

The Minneapolis Journal interviewed Reed Mangels for a story on vegan diets.

Suzanne Havala Hobbs was interviewed for stories about raw foods diets for FitLink.com and the Utne Reader, and she was interviewed by the Durham Herald-Sun (NC) for a feature story about vegetarian cooking. Sue was also interviewed by KLRD radio in Dallas, Texas, for a segment about vegetarian diets and vegetarian cooking.

Nancy Berkoff did a vegetarian holiday special on The Wave, a popular jazz station in Los Angeles, during which she received about 20 calls and e-mails during the show about how to do an entirely vegan holiday menu. After the show, she continued to receive e-mails for about two weeks! She was the guest chef on <www.freidas.com>, a website for an international produce company, and answered about 50 vegetarian questions from consumers and food professionals. Nancy also did a guest column for Dietitian's Edge magazine (Oct/Nov 2001) on incorporating vegetarian food service into healthcare.