IEPER HARDCORE FEST

Ah, food & music, what a lovely combination !! 

And speaking of combinations: even in the food court itself we try to offer you year in, year out a good variety of tastes, all of course still 100% plant-based. Yeah, right on: fully natural meals & snacks in front- & backstage, since 1992 or 29 editions long. We might say we’re a trendsetter & we might have some experience on this matter, hihi …

A plant-based diet is healthier for you, the animals and the entire planet.  Veganism is not just a food thing, it’s an ever growing ethical movement and one of the most powerful choices one can make in life.  It is also the biggest ‘thing’ in the green policy of (y)our fest, no matter what else we all do besides this, and yes, we’re proud to say so: “ that is a lot !! ”. 

As a lot of you may have noticed or heard, the last couple of years, we’ve been working with the best vegan foodtrucks & stands around as an addition to our own Ieperfest catering, Ieper Hardcore Food (what’s in a name?).

WHY VEGAN?

Well, maybe a more sensible question would be Why not? As your fork is a very powerful tool for changing our world. In a world where solidarity is increasingly important, a conscious choice for less meat and dairy is good for everyone (a fair food distribution, if we can only end the capitalist system responsible for world hunger! Working on it…), the environment, animals and your health.

One sixth of the world population is malnourished and every year more than 6 million children die from malnutrition. Over sixty percent of the total production of grain, maize and barley is used for livestock feed. Tons of corn and millions of hectares of land brought into production today are used for animal feed. In total, the cultivation of animals and producing animal feed uses 78 percent of the agricultural space. On these grounds, we can plant and grow organic food fit for human consumption that provides all the necessary nutrients. Eating meat is thus totally not efficient: to produce one kilo of meat, we need 100 times more water in comparison to the production of one kilo of grain or vegetables. An average vegetarian needs 180 kilos of grain annually, for a meat eater that’s 930 kilos of grain (for 1 kilogram of beef, 9 kilogram of grain is required!). Meat production uses at least ten times more energy than growing vegetables.

Animal agriculture is the leading cause of deforestation, water consumption and pollution, is responsible for more greenhouse gases than the transportation industry, and is a primary driver of rainforest destruction, species extinction, habitat loss, topsoil erosion, ocean ‘dead zones’, and virtually every other environmental ill. Yet it goes on, almost entirely unchallenged.

Animals are considered and treated like products. The term “speciesism” is often used and has been around since 1973. Veganism even longer: the word and the ethics behind it saw the daylight in 1944. Many decades have since passed, yet their true meaning is often unknown or unclear. There are a bunch of nice animal rights stands in the MoreThanMusic Tent here on ieperfest with all the info you need. Feel free to check them out & ask questions!

We know now that too much meat is not healthy. Obesity, cholesterol problems, diabetes and heart disease are the prices we pay for a flesh and high calorie diet. It doesn’t even matter what our ancestors ate and that we’re considered to be omnivores. Numerous studies show that vegans and vegetarians live a healthier live and get all the nutrients they need. What’s more important is our eating habits today and how they affect the world… 

And if you think that meatless is tasteless, you should definitely try every single snack and meal provided here at Ieperfest and see for yourself.

Have a nice meal!