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By Dawn Carr, PETA UK Director of Vegan Corporate Projects
As a child, when I went on fishing excursions with my uncle, I had no idea that one day, I’d be declared an “enemy of the people” for speaking up for fish. But in 2001, when The Times of London warned that I was coming for Britons’ fish and chips, that’s what they dubbed me. Well, they were half right: As director of vegan corporate projects for PETA UK, I’ve helped traditional fish and chips shops from the Scottish Highlands to Land’s End add vegan fish to their menus. That’s why earlier this year, trade magazine The Grocer listed me as one of the people “driving the meat-free revolution.”
It’s not just happenstance that my heart beats for fish – I’ve always loved them. Even on those childhood fishing trips, I felt conflicted knowing that I was causing them harm.
When I was 15, I went vegan after seeing a heartbreaking photo of chickens crammed into a battery cage in my mother’s copy of PETA News (as the magazine used to be called). Then, in 1996, I telephoned PETA to check on my membership and heard a menu option for employment opportunities. You could work for PETA?! I started soon after.
My career has been a whirlwind: I’ve done eye-catching PETA demos in every US state (except Hawaii, darn it!). I “pied” Miss Rodeo America, was interviewed while wearing a chicken costume, and more than once found myself surrounded by angry mobs at fishing protests. I also took PETA’s snazzy Gill the Fish mascot to schools, and we were interviewed by TV show host Stephen Colbert.
Now, I work to build relationships with businesses and persuade them that they’re missing the boat if they fail to develop and promote vegan options. I’m not doing it to make animal-free eating easier for vegans (although that’s a nice bonus) but rather to make it more appealing to current meat-eaters, the real target audience. Once people try vegan fish, or any other vegan food, they’re hooked
On a Roll
I worked with iconic British brand Greggs to offer its first-ever vegan sausage roll at its more than 1,800 stores. When the product launched in January 2019, it grabbed headlines, dominated social media, boosted the company’s first-half profits by 58% (prompting it to open 100 new locations), and led to a brawl in Glasgow – two women actually fought over the last vegan sausage roll! It created what’s being called the “vegan sausage roll effect,” with other brands scrambling to add winning vegan options to their menus.
Vegan foods sell. After Papa John’s agreed to switch up its UK menu, its spokesperson said, “We worked closely with PETA … so we expect that the new additions will be a huge hit.” Well, not only were they a huge hit, the vegan cheese also sold out on the very first day.
All this brings us to KFC: PETA UK successfully pushed to get the chain to add a vegan chicken burger, which sold out in four days! KFC UK tweeted PETA UK’s video ending with the lines “The future is vegan. Please don’t eat birds.” Fish and chips was just the beginning.
