Vegan Meat Featured On US Menus 1320% More Times Since Before COVID-19
The vegan and vegetarian meat market presents major opportunities for companies across the US
Anew market report demonstrates the ever-growing popularity of plant-based meat substitutes, which present a $14 billion opportunity, the report notes.
AI platform Tastewise put the report together. It stated that the retail market for plant-based foods already sits at $7 billion in the US alone.
Tastewise found that plant-based meat is appearing on US menus 1,320 percent more compared to before the emergence of COVID-19.
Further, 9.2 percent of restaurants in the US are now plating up vegan meat. Especially in states like California, New York, Florida, Maryland, Ohio, and Oregon. The latter has the highest percentage of restaurants offering meat-free meat.
Most people are reaching for plant-based food for health reasons, the report said.
But sustainability motivations are rapidly rising – increasing by 58 percent year on year. Eating plant-based meat due to climate crisis concerns, in particular, is also growing, by 83 percent year on year.
In contrast, health concerns have dropped 12 percent year on year.
“Responding to the devastating advance in climate change, many companies are working to reduce the significant climate footprint of the animal-farmed meat industry by innovating ways to move away from animal meat,” Tastewise CEO Alon Chen wrote in the report.
“This increase in resources devoted to plant-based meat products, combined with consumer demands for real, versatile solutions, results in a timely shift in the way we consume food,” he said. “We’re looking forward to a healthier, more sustainable world of food and beverage, where we all play a part.”
Heavy metal icon Rob Zombie, real name Robert Bartleh Cummings, has been vegan for nine years.
The star, who is a founding member of the band White Zombie, made the announcement in a recent interview with GQ.
Why Rob Zombie went vegan
He told the publication he ditched animal products while at school after watching a film ‘on how brutal’ factory farming is. Several years later he cut out dairy and eggs too – dubbing them ‘disgusting’.
“Once I went vegan, it was, like…now there’s nothing to eat,” Zombie said.
“Every day it gets easier, and every day the food gets better. Veggie burgers used to be like tasteless hockey pucks, and now they’re so delicious.”
Vegan meat
Zombie also described faux meats such as the Beyond Burger as ‘transitional’ – stating that he and his wife no longer consumes them.
“Your tastes change and what you consider healthy changes,” he explained. “But it is a process, and if someone tries to go hardcore instantly they might fail.”
“You just realize, ‘oh’. This is one giant brainwashed lie we’re fed from the moment we’re born.”Rob Zombie, Singer-Songwriter
‘One giant brainwashed lie’
The singer-songwriter then talks about how veganism was prevalent in the punk era due to its link to being anti-establishment.
“Once you make these decisions, you can’t help but learn more about it. And every day you uncover what an evil industry everything is,” Zombie says.
“Dairy is the leading cause of breast cancer, yet Dannon is a big sponsor of the pink ribbon walks. It’s like Marlboro sponsoring the lung society or something.
“And you just realize, oh, this is one giant brainwashed lie we’re fed from the moment we’re born. You have to uncover each layer of the sham. “
The World’s Largest Restaurant Chain Commits to Improve Chicken Welfare
Subway has announced the commitment to improve chicken welfare in its European supply chain by 2026.
August 12, 2021
HISTORIC PROGRESS: On Wednesday, August 11, Subway announced the commitment to improve chicken welfare in its European supply chain by publicly committing to the European Chicken Commitment (ECC). This was not an easy feat, it took 22 non-profit organizations from 16 European countries and 1.5 years of campaigning to push the company to this end. Subway had already committed to the North American version of the ECC, the Better Chicken Commitment, for all its US and Canadian stores.
THE COMMITMENT: Subway now joins the growing list of hundreds of companies that have pledged to improve chicken welfare in their supply chains by adopting the European Chicken Commitment. Other prominent brands include Burger King and Popeyes. The ECC requires companies to provide chickens more space, natural light, enrichment such as perches and pecking substrates, and bans the use of fast-growing breeds, which can cause painful deformities and heart attacks.
Protest in Verona, Italy
THE FORCE BEHIND IT: Animal Equality played a major role in this campaign along with other coalition members of the Open Wing Alliance. We sent campaigners to Amsterdam to protest and attempted to meet with Subway’s leadership, held protests in Italy, Spain, and the UK, and activated our social media networks where thousands of animal advocates from all around the world took part in highly impactful digital actions. Subway couldn’t ignore the importance of raising their animal welfare standards any longer.
THE IMPACT: As of June 2021, Subway has approximately 37,500 locations in 104 countries and territories, and an annual revenue of around $10 billion. This policy commitment not only will positively alter the lives of millions of chickens used in Subway meals, but this commitment also sets a strong precedent for future campaigns to improve farmed animal welfare in the restaurant industry.
WHY IT MATTERS: Chickens raised for meat are among the most abused animals on the planet. Bred to become much larger than normal, at an alarmingly unnatural rate, fast-growing chickens suffer from broken bones, organ failure, and even death from not being able to reach food and water. They are kept in filthy conditions, crammed by the tens of thousands in dim barns that have no enrichment for the chickens to engage in natural behaviors. At the end of their shortened lives, chickens are forced to endure live-shackle slaughter, a horrific practice where birds are forcibly hung upside down and slammed into metal shackles, a process which sometimes breaks their bones. The ECC aims to address these major abuses faced by chickens used for food.
HOW YOU CAN HELP: This major step in animal protection happened because of the actions of passionate animal lovers and those who believe in progress in animal welfare. Animal Equality’s volunteers, the Animal Protectors, played a significant role in achieving this move forward for hens, as well as other corporate policies. Would you like to be informed of easy online actions you can take for animals? Sign up to become an Animal Protector today!
GROUNDBREAKING: Plant Based Food Market To Skyrocket To $162 Billion, Says Bloomberg
A new report by Bloomberg Intelligence has found that the plant-based meat and dairy sectors are growing at an unprecedented rate
A groundbreaking new report has predicted that the plant-based food market will exceed $162 billion within the next decade. A growing preference for sustainable, healthier foods is pushing the movement.
‘Explosive growth’
Bloomberg Intelligence (BI) produced the report, called Plant-Based Foods Poised for Explosive Growth. BI provides research on more than 2,000 companies, 135 industries, and all global markets.
The plant-based food market was valued at $29.4 billion in 2020. This means if BI’s predictions are correct, the market will soar by 451 percent.
Major plant-based meat and dairy brands like Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, and Oatly are driving some of this growth. Their partnerships with restaurants, fast-food chains, and global food manufacturers are making vegan options more accessible to the masses. Additionally, the collaborations are challenging stereotypes around plant-based food.
Source: Bloomberg Intelligence, OECD FAO Agricultural Outlook 2021-2030, GFI 2020 State of the Industry Report
‘Here to stay – and grow’
According to BI’s Senior Consumer Staples Analyst, Jennifer Bartashus, the meat-free movement isn’t slowing down.
“Food-related consumer habits often come and go as fads, but plant-based alternatives are here to stay – and grow,” she said.
“The expanding set of product options in the plant-based industry is contributing to plant alternatives becoming a long-term option for consumers around the world.”
Vegan dairy, in particular, could take up 10 percent of its global market shares in the next decade. Meanwhile, BI predicts that the alternative meat market will surge from $4.2 billion to $74 billion in the next decade.
But plant-based meat sales could actually surpass $74 billion, hitting $118 billion by 2030. This would be ‘a more aggressive but still realistic scenario’, BI said.
Population growth
The planet’s ever-growing population could also tip the scales in favor of plant-based eating as resources become more scarce.
The production of meat and dairy products requires significantly more resources than plant-based foods, including water, land use, and crops. Experts have warned that our current food system won’t be able to support the world’s snowballing population.
A 2018 study published inElementa: Science of the Anthropocene found that we already grow enough food to feed the 9.7 billion people that are anticipated to be on Earth by 2050. But large amounts of it are funneled into animal agriculture.
Livestock consume roughly 34 percent of global crop production, the study found. Less than half of the world’s cereals are consumed by humans.
Flexitarians
The number of vegans in the world climbs higher all the time. Currently, around 5 percent of the population identifies as vegan, BI’s report noted.
But it’s not just vegans and vegetarians driving the plant-based market. Flexitarians are boosting it in a big way, too. Flexitarianism refers to lifestyles whereby people mostly eat plant-based foods but occasionally include animal products in their diet. BI named flexitarians a ‘key demographic’ for alternative meat products, now making up a third of the US population.
Freshly just introduced six new vegan options Credit: Freshly
Nestlé’s Meal Delivery Service Launches 6 Vegan Options For The First Time
Freshly is seeing growing demand for meat-free, plant-based options
Nestlé-owned brand Freshly just launched its first-ever vegan ready meal range.
Freshly is a weekly subscription service that delivers fresh, cooked meals. A team of chefs and nutritionists developed the meals without artificial ingredients, chemical preservatives, and highly processed sugars.
Purely Plant
Freshly is introducing six plant-based options under its Purely Plant brand. Customers can reheat the meat-free meals in around three minutes.
The vegan items include the Creamy Buffalo Cauli Mac and Cheeze, Farmstead Baked Pasta with Melty Cashew Cheeze, and an Indian-Spiced Chickpea Curry Bowl.
Freshly also offers a Moroccan Herb Falafel Bowl, the Rainbow Harvest Plant-Based Burger, and its Unwrapped Salsa Verde Burrito – also known as a ‘naked burrito’.
Surging demand
Demand for plant-based food climbs higher all the time. A report from earlier this year found that the US vegan food market increased by 27 percent during 2020.
This is nearly twice as fast as the total US retail food market, which grew by 15 percent.
According to Freshly, 65 percent of its customers identify as ‘flexitarian’. Flexitarians eat mostly plant-based meals but occasionally consume animal products.
Freshly Founder and CEO Mike Wystrach said the company is ‘thrilled’ about the new additions.
“We’re thrilled to provide our customers with a convenient way to incorporate minimally processed, plant-based meals into their routines,” he said.
“We recognize that it can be challenging to eat a more plant-based diet without sacrificing on taste; but with the launch of Freshly’s Purely Plant, we’re laser-focused on delivering a variety of delicious, convenient, and better-for-you meal options, while also supporting flexitarians looking to make simple changes towards a more plant-based lifestyle.”
Nestlé controversy
Some consumers may be weary of supporting Nestlé for ethical reasons.
The world’s largest food and beverage company has been accused of using child labor, unethical water mining, and causing significant deforestation.
Nestlé To Launch New Plant-Based Pea Milk In UK Stores Next Week
The Wunda range is rivalling Swedish plant-based giant Oatly on its quest to ‘offer something different to what’s already on the shelves’…
Nestlé is bringing its range of plant-based pea milk to UK stores next week under the Wunda brand.
It comes after the food giant launched in Europe last month.
Wunda pea milk
The Wunda range is made from protein-packed yellow peas sourced in France and Belgium and promises to offer ‘strong nutritional value’ in comparison to similar products on the market.
Nestlé claims the range is high in fiber, low in sugar and fat, and enriched with calcium. Moreover, they are a source of vitamins D, B2, and B12.
Customers in the UK and Ireland will be able to find the products in Tesco and Coop stores from June 28. And, each 950ml carton retails at £1.90.
We want to offer a drink that tastes great and makes using a plant-based milk alternative a tasty, positive, no-compromise experience’ Credit: Instagram
Nestlé launch
Managing Director of Food and Dairy at Nestlé’s UK and Ireland team is Honza Dusanek.
He told The Grocer that the company is ‘really excited’ to bring Wunda to the area and that the expansion is part of a wider aim of making plant-based milk alternatives popular among people who enjoy dairy.
‘We want to offer a drink that tastes great and makes using a plant-based milk alternative a tasty, positive, no-compromise experience that is good for you and good for the planet’, he said.
Moreover, the brand is looking to ‘disrupt the market’ and ‘offer something different to what’s already on the shelves’.
In Europe, the brand said it was already witnessing a ‘quiet revolution’ in the plant-based dairy sector.
Plant-based pea milk
The plant-based milk market is certainly expanding – including one of the industry’s leaders, Oatly.
Additionally, another renowned brand – Linda McCartney – is also launching plant-milks in the UK this summer.
Competition is rife, however.
Oatly launched a legal battle against one of its rivals Glebe Farm Foods earlier this month over accusations the brand had too similar a packaging style.
The giant is seeking damages and calls for Glebe to stop using the PureOaty name.
WAV Comment – Having enjoyed many states in the USA over many years; 12, 14 visits – lost count; and witnessing some people eat, ‘dive in and eat all you can’ type thing; especially in say, Las Vegas, for example; I personally have big doubts that the USA would ever ‘entirely’ be meat free.
Obviously I would love to see it happen, but am afraid this maybe just media hype rather than reality.
Quote from article – Despite the optimism for a meat-free future, 52% of respondents said turning plant-based isn’t a ‘realistic possibility’ for them right now.
On the other hand, this 2039 scenario is approximately 18 years in the future; and so, hopefully, the very young children of today will be well educated teenagers by then; hopefully eating plant based diets, meat free, for the benefit of them, their health, animals and the environment, as so much present research clearly shows.
Only on 4/8 I was talking to a good (female) friend about all these issues; she is a hairdresser by profession and so meets many people in her work each week. She told me that from her own experiences, so many of her younger clients (we are in England) are now so fully aware of environmental, animal welfare and food issues, so divorced and so much away from the traditional ‘Sunday Roast’ mob that you sometimes find with some older, entrenched generations who have always had it that way.
So, lets hope those youngsters of today will be taking the issues with them into adulthood.
Possibly, in 20 years time, the amount of Americans who have changed to plant based eating will be huge. Maybe this vision will eventually become a reality..
Regards Mark
Average American Believes US Could Be ‘Entirely’ Meat-Free By 2039, Poll Finds
Despite the optimism for a meat-free future, 52% of respondents said turning plant-based isn’t a ‘realistic possibility’ for them right now
The average American believes the US could be ‘entirely’ meat-free by the year 2039, according to a new poll.
The 2,000-person survey was conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Vegan Strong. It found one in three respondents agrees that everyone will be eating meatless foods in the future.
The average year participants think everyone will follow a plant-based diet is 2039.
‘Plants have all the protein you need’
Despite the optimism, a staggering 52 percent of those surveyed said turning plant-based isn’t a ‘realistic possibility’ for them right now. Moreover, one in five said plant-based diets are too expensive and 19 percent think it would be ‘too time-consuming to learn the ins and outs’.
Similarly, 55 percent worry they ‘couldn’t survive on a vegan diet’ based on the amount of protein it provides.
Robert Cheeke is Vegan Strong’s National Tour Director. In a statement sent to PBN, he said: “Most people don’t realize that plants have all the protein you need.
“Yet many elite athletes are converting to a plant-based diet because they are seeing their performance and strength improve dramatically.”
However, 31 percent admitted to having given a vegan recipe a go for the first time during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Plant-based eating can be incredibly affordable if you focus on eating fruits, vegetables, beans, rice, nuts, and seeds,” Cheeke then added. “Going vegan is better for your health, your wallet, and the earth.”
The report, by global consultancy AT Kearney, says 35 percent of meat will be lab-cultured and 25 percent will be vegan alternatives.
The predictions were based on interviews with experts. Environmental impact and animal welfare concerns were cited as reasons behind the growing interest in alternative protein.
WAV Comment – Sounds better than it has been, but we want more than words; like actions ! – we will be watching and reporting any issues that do not take animal welfare to ‘the next level’. Do things right – stay out of the news; do them wrong, make headlines for all the wrong reasons – simple really.
Tyson takes animal welfare to next level with its ‘Five Domains’ platform
SPRINGDALE, ARK. – After making the decision to take the next step in its animal welfare approach from the industrywide adoption of the “Five Freedoms” framework, Tyson Foods Inc.’s Office of Animal Welfare team is leading the company’s global transition to adopting the “Five Domains” science model, which focuses on assessing the mental state of animals to determine their needs and improve animal welfare practices.
By implementing the Five Freedoms across the company’s global operations officials from Tyson’s Office of Animal Welfare said the company can realize its vision to lead the industry in animal welfare by combining compassion with science.
“Part of being a leader means being open to creative thinking, innovation, and evolving knowledge and practices,” Tyson said.
While the Five Freedoms focused on avoiding the negative aspects of animal care, the Five Domains focus on how nutrition, physical environment, health and behavioral opportunities ultimately play a role in the mental state of animals.
“For decades, the Five Freedoms have provided an essential foundation for conceptualizing animals’ welfare needs,” said Candace Croney, PhD, professor of animal behavior and well-being and director of The Center for Animal Welfare Science at Purdue University. “As animal welfare science has advanced, however, the importance of promoting positive (physical, behavioral, and mental) states of welfare in addition to minimizing negative states is increasingly recognized. Incorporation of the Five Domains reflects the leadership mindset needed to facilitate thought processes, actions, and outcome measurements aligned with achieving these goals.”
According to Tyson, research-based learning and the evolution of ideas is part of continuous improvement, and the Five Domain program facilitates a better understanding of assessing how a range of factors effect animals’ mental state and how they influence anima welfare outcomes.
“Incorporating the Five Domains into our daily conversations and actions is essential for Tyson Foods to drive continuous improvement in our welfare program and culture throughout our global operations,” said Ken Opengart, DVM, vice president of global animal welfare at Tyson Foods.
The Five Domains spotlight positive opportunities versus the emphasis on the negative experiences of animals that have been the hallmark of the Five Freedoms for the past 25 years. The new approach focuses on the components effecting the mental welfare of the animal to assess its overall welfare and apply the knowledge-based science to each species’ behavior, biology and ecology.
“Tyson’s adoption of the Five Domains represents an admirable commitment to embrace animal welfare improvements in a scientifically sound, evidence-based way,” said Dorothy McKeegan, PhD, senior lecturer in animal welfare and ethics at the University of Glasgow. “The Five Domains model represents the forefront of current efforts to conceptualize and assess animal welfare.”
For more information on Tyson Foods’ animal welfare and sustainability practices, please visit tysonsustainability.com.
WAV Comment. The UK has high animal welfare standards and should be proud of that. Most people dont want antibiotic ridden meat on their plates and produce that comes from nations which employ lower welfare standards. In the end cost is probably one driving factor, but another issue is that all meat products should be clearly labelled to inform the buyer of the standards that ‘their’ chunk of meat was produced around – was it UK or overseas produced ? – if overseas, then where from ? – was it from a non EU caged system ? – was it ritually slaughtered or stunned (properly) at the time of slaughter ?
Thus, clear labelling on food products thus gives the consumer a clear choice about what they purchase. If it bad welfare and cheap, from the far east then the consumer will know. If it is more expensive, but from cage free systems, and with less antibiotics and water in the meat, and killed to an acceptable standard, then the consumer still has the knowledge to buy a product which will cost more. In the UK, research shows that consumers are prepared to pay more for meat which is produced to better welfare standards.
If lower welfare US produced meat does not sell well in the UK, then the British customer has sent a message to the US – simple.
At the end of the day, it should be down to the well informed (clear labelling) consumer to decide. Personally, I think the UK consumer will pay more for higher welfare standards – it has been shown. Farmers, supermarlets, the government, get a grip and tell people the reality about products.
Regards Mark
Pig Meat – From ??? – Make It Clear to Consumers
Saving the bacon: will British pig farmers survive a ban on cages?
An end to UK pig confinement is in sight, but producers fear they will be left carrying the cost of high-welfare options in the face of cheap imports
After more than a decade trialling the removal of pig cages on her Yorkshire farm, Vicky Scott has lost confidence in being able to make it permanent.
Doing so would require building a new shed to create enough space to freely house all her pigs, she says. “No one will pay for this. They [the retailers] want products as cheap as chips and consumers want cheap meat.”
Yet, the UK and EU are expected to ban all forms of confinement in pig rearing.
In June, the European Commission confirmed it would table a proposal to phase out the use of farrowing crates, which are used to confine sows before and after birth, by the end of 2023. The UK – and Boris Johnson himself – have made clear that the long-term aim is to do the same.
Crates are used to confine expectant sows until their piglets are weaned after four weeks. They restrict the sows’ movement, reducing the risk of crushing the piglets.
However, as well as restricting sows’ natural behaviour and movement, including nest-building and interacting with her piglets, there is also evidence the crates increase the risk of stillbirth.
Piglets are vulnerable to being crushed by sows if they are not in a crate, but the overall mortality rates can be managed, says pig specialist Emma Baxter, from Scotland’s Rural College. Outdoor pig systems, where pigs are not confined, consistently return average piglet mortality rates similar to indoor ones where the pigs are confined, she says.
Given the majority of pigs in the UK are reared indoors because outdoor rearing is limited by soil type, producers will need to be able to adopt high-welfare indoor alternatives to farrowing crates, says Baxter.
How Black-Owned Restaurants Are Transforming The US Vegan Scene
Figures indicate Black Americans are more likely to be vegan than their white counterparts. Despite this, the movement has long been accused of being elitist. But Black-owned restaurants are turning the tables…
Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies – Easy to make and easier to eat, thick, soft and chewy homemade peanut butter cookies made in 1 bowl with peanut butter, flour, sugar, vanilla and almond milk are the best!
Find hundreds of simple, healthy, tasty vegan recipes, from breakfast, lunch and dinner, and everything in between! Browse from newest to oldest: All Recipes
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