Local animal welfare activists set up in front of the Allen Street Gates yesterday to pass out information and food in preparation for Thursday's Meatout 2003.

Meatout, an international diet education program that started in 1985, is an annual event created to encourage people to take on a meat-free diet.

Terri Nelson-Bunge and Eric Bunge, the event's organizers, said they passed out about 500 fliers about vegetarian and vegan diets, as well as animal rights information.

Several people signed pledges saying they would not eat meat during the Meatout, not eat meat for a month, or become a full vegetarian.

Bunge and Nelson-Bunge informed passers-by on behalf of their organization, Humanity for Animals. The two run it informally out of their house and work for animal welfare in the community, Nelson-Bunge said.

Bunge gave three reasons for yesterday's activism, emphasizing his opposition to pollution caused by farming and animal welfare.

"We do it for the animals first," he said. "Then we do it for the environment and finally for dietary reasons."

Nelson-Bunge said about a half-dozen people signed up for the organization yesterday.

"I want people to know how easy it is to be a vegetarian," she said. "There are a lot of options locally with several alternative food stores and organic sections in supermarkets."

Two vegan food producers gave the Bunges samples of some of their products with alternative ingredients to hand out yesterday.

Sun Flour Baking Company and Edward and Sons Trading Company make foods such as cookies, crackers and gummy bears tailored to a vegan diet.

Sun Flour cookies are made with soy milk and dairy-free chocolate chips. Edward and Sons' gummy bears are prepared without gelatin, which is partially made from ground animal bones.

Jessica Sieber (sophomore-nutrition) looked over the literature at the booth and signed up to receive more information. She said she has been a vegetarian for four to five years.

"I eat fish," Sieber said. "But I don't eat any other meat. I'm a vegetarian partially because of the animals and partially because of health reasons."

More information is available at www.meatout.org/about.html.