Australian Vegetarian Society

The Australian Vegetarian Society’s aim is to increase the number of vegetarians in Australia in order to stop cruelty to animals, benefit human health, protect the environment and preserve world food resources. The society is a non profit-making, non-sectarian organization dedicated to campaigning, education, information and research.

The Society was founded in the late 1800s to spread the principles and benefits of vegetarianism and the ideal of a humanitarian way of life in Australia. Since its inception, the Society has played a major role in promoting vegetarianism throughout Australia by organizing public meetings, lectures, films and videos as well as publishing and distributing literature.

The society, together with The Natural Health Society of Australia, publishes the quarterly magazine New Vegetarian and Natural Health which has become a major voice of the vegetarian and natural health movements in Australia. The magazine is automatically sent to all new members of the Society.

We also publish a variety of literature which covers the main aspects of vegetarianism; provide an information service for those seeking nutritional advice as well as information on vegetarian products, restaurants, caterers, cooking classes and recipes.

The Society liaises with conservation and consumer groups, both to further its own aims and to support campaigns with similar interests. It also maintains close contact with vegetarian societies abroad and is a member of the International Vegetarian Union. We also encourage the use of non-animal alternatives such as soya and rice milks, non-dairy spreads, ice cream alternatives, and so on.