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ROANOKE, VIRGINIA, October 31, 2004: For telephone company CEO Norm Mason, a vegan and lifelong animal lover, there was never any doubt what he’d offer at his company cafeteria. Soy steaks and soy sloppy joes, veggie burgers, nachos and other meatless, eggless, butter-free delicacies are cooked daily using heavy bags of texturized vegetable protein. And it’s all free. Mason says he created the “Vegeteria” out of concern for the well-being of his 200 employees of Cat Communications International. “This was a way to say: ‘Look, we don’t feel it’s right to have the flesh of an animal, an animal killed for your benefit,'” Mason said. “I see it no different than smoking. People are asked to go outside and smoke.”



Bruce Friedrich, a spokesman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, says Mason is part of a growing number of vegetarian and vegan CEOS, including Steve Jobs of Apple Computers Inc., Michael Eisner from Walt Disney Co., John Mackey of Whole Foods Market Inc. and Bill Ford of Ford Motor Co., who have made it easier for employees to eat meat-free. “They haven’t actually prohibited eating mat, but they’ve certainly increased exponentially the vegan offerings in their cafeterias,” Friedrich said.



Mason, who is a PETA member, wants to go beyond catering to current vegetarians. He sees a person’s craving for meat as a nasty habit that can be broken. By providing free vegetarian lunches and stocking the room with information pamphlets about vegetarianism, Mason hopes to nudge his carnivorous employees toward a different lifestyle. Mason, 60, gave up meat about 25 years ago. He said he eased into it after a period of soul-searching about the food on his plate. So far, however, Mason’s carnivorous employees have been slow to reform. A few disgruntled employees called a local television station to complain about not being able to bring meat into the Vegeteria. But Mason says they still can eat meat–they just have to take it into another company room. Or they could go out for lunch. “I try to combine as much preaching with living by example,” Mason said. “That’s why the cafeteria is free. Nobody’s forced to eat in the cafeteria. They can go somewhere else. If they want to spend their money, that is their right.”

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