In need of some cooking inspiration? We’ve got just the delicious, Asian recipes for you!
Kelly Choi, founder of the Asian snack, drinks and meal kit company Kelly Loves, is all about plant-based deliciousness. In fact, her mission is to bring the best of Asian food to the world. She has created five vegan Asian recipes for you to try: from garlicky udon noodles to crunchy veggie sushi to comforting kimchi stew. Happy cooking!
Homemade Vegan Sushi Rolls
Serves 2
Prep time 10 minutes
Cook time 0 minutes
Ingredients
100g of cooked sushi rice
1 nori seaweed sheet
30g cucumber
30g avocado
25g pickled carrot (or your favourite filling)
2g sesame seeds
Optional: bamboo rolling mat
Directions
Cut the seaweed (nori sheets) in two equal halves and place one half on the bamboo mat. Take 100g of cooked sushi rice and gently spread it across the nori sheet, leaving 1cm margin at the top of the nori and exceeding 1cm at the bottom. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the rice (optional).
Flip over the nori sheet with the 1cm margin of bare nori facing you.
Place the main ingredient in the middle of the nori, and then a second and a third (optional).
Roll the sushi roll using the rolling mat ensuring the filling is tucked in.
Release it, and trim either ends of the roll.
Cut into 8 pieces with a sharp knife.
Serve with wasabi and ginger on the side. Serve soy sauce separately in a small bowl.
Gochujang and Garlic Udon Noodles
Serves 2
Prep time 5 minutes
Cook time 10 minutes
Ingredients
400g of Udon (2 sachets)
4 tbsp gochujang
2 spring scallions
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp sesame seeds
½ tbsp sugar
4 tbsp heated neutral oil (such as grapeseed or vegetable oil)
Mix the gochujang, garlic and sesame seeds in a bowl, followed by the neutral oil, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and sesame oil until you have a thick sauce
Boil the noodles in a pan until they have softened
Set the noodles to one side once cooked
Add the noodles and mix, making sure they’re fully coated in the sauce
Finish the dish with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and your choice of either diced spring onions or chilli – depending on your preference
Start by stir-frying the kimchi with the garlic and onions, until fragrant
Add the chilli flakes, garlic and soy sauce, stirring continuously
Add the water and salt and bring to the boil
Next, add the glass noodles, tofu and mushrooms
Simmer for 10 minutes
Add the spring onion and cook for another couple of minutes
Serve with extra spring onions placed on the top of the dish or with rice
One-Pan Vegan Bibimbap
Servings 2
Prep time 5 minutes
Cook time 10 minutes
Ingredients
200g short-grain rice
170g of firm tofu, cut into small cubes
½ tsp salt
1 carrot, julienned or sliced thinly
30g shiitake mushrooms, soaked and softened
1 zucchini, sliced thinly
200g beansprouts
Large handful of baby spinach
2 tbsp gochujang
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp oil
Directions
Cook the rice according to pack instructions, setting aside once ready – you can also use leftover rice if you have
While the rice is cooking, chop the vegetables and tofu
Add the oil to a pan and fry the tofu on medium-high heat, seasoning with a pinch of salt
Fry the tofu until golden (around 2 minutes) and then set aside
Saute the carrots for 2 mins until they’re softening
Add the mushrooms, zucchini, beansprouts and a pinch of salt to the pan, cooking them through
Combine the cooked vegetables with the rice, tofu, gochujang, toasted sesame oil and baby spinach, stirring everything until the spinach has wilted and the dish is mixed well
Multiple studies from around the world agree: sustainability messaging on menus is successful in getting more diners to order plant-based meals.
Scientists have warned that global meat and dairy intake must fall if we are to combat the climate crisis, but facilitating this widespread shift in dietary patterns remains a huge hurdle. New research from various studies conducted around the world suggests that conveying the sustainability aspect of food choices is key to persuading diners to opt for low-carbon plant-based meals.
‘High impact’ climate labels reduce beef orders
The newest study emerging from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health finds the addition of climate impact labels on fast food menus had a “strong effect” on diners’ choices. Published online in JAMA Network Open on December 27, researchers concluded that both high and low climate impact labels led to a substantial decline in carbon-intensive red meat selections among the more than 5,000 participants involved in the US-based study.
High impact carbon labels were effective in reducing the number of beef orders. (Image: Unsplash)
Participants were split into three groups, with each receiving different sample burger menus that had either “high impact” on beef items, “low impact” on vegetarian, fish and chicken items, or no climate labels, respectively. The “high impact” group saw the most drastic reduction in beef choices (23%) compared to the control group, while “low impact” labels still had a modest effect (10%).
Animal agriculture is responsible for around 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions, with beef being the most taxing on the climate. Due to its high land use, feed-intensive nature and methane released into the atmosphere, raising cattle alone accounts for one quarter of the world’s total food emissions.
“Menu labelling, particularly labels warning that an item has high climate impact, can be an effective strategy for encouraging more sustainable food choices in a fast food setting,” explains lead author and Associate Professor Julia Wolfson, PhD.
These findings mirror that of a separate UK-based study published just months prior in the journal Behavioural Public Policy in October. Conducted by researchers at Bristol University, the results showed that “traffic light” ratings indicating the climate-friendliness of menu items “significantly increased” the selection of sustainable plant-based dishes.
Not just effective: many diners prefer eco-label menus
More than 1,300 adults were recruited and were given different sample food delivery app menus containing three burrito dishes, each featuring information about its environmental impact, calories, and spiciness level. All three burrito options, beef, chicken and vegetarian, were the same price.
Vegan burrito. (Image: Unsplash)
While the control group who were given a regular menu saw around one-third opting for the carbon-intensive beef burrito, those who were given a menu that featured eco-labels saw beef orders drop to 16%. Eco-label menus led to 14% choosing the vegetarian option, while the control group saw just 9% make the same decision to go veggie.
Climate labels weren’t just effective in promoting plant-based choices. Interestingly, the study also concluded that consumers seem to be open-minded about having menus featuring environmental information.
“Somewhat surprisingly, participants were positive about the eco-label, with a huge 90% of participants supporting the idea,” said lead author and Research Associate Katie De-loyde. “Our results suggest future policy could include mandatory eco-labeling…on food products as a way to promote more sustainable diets.”
Consumer understanding of sustainable eating is key
Part of why climate labels have proven successful is likely down to the fact that many consumers simply lack the knowledge about what eating sustainably means.
Another study, published in the journal Appetite on December 13, finds the majority of Britons—particularly the younger generation—are willing to make eco-friendly changes but are “prevented from doing so” due to uncertainty about specific swaps they should make.
“We were surprised by our findings,” shares Bournemouth University Professor of Psychology Katherine Appleton, who led the research. “People seem to understand [living sustainably] can mean taking fewer flights, using the car less, recycling more, but it seems that not everyone is aware of the difference that changing their diet can make as well.”
“We had originally intended [to look] at how we can encourage people to eat more foods such as beans and pulses, but we discovered that people still don’t know enough about why this is important, so to talk about increasing the consumption of specific foods is getting too far ahead for many,” she added.
The team, which based their conclusions on a series of interviews with young people of varying cooking abilities and households, recommends that greater focus must be placed on raising public awareness about sustainable eating and the effect food choices have on the planet.
Menus featuring climate impact information increased the number of vegetarian orders. (Image: Unsplash)
The willingness of consumers to make eco-friendly food swaps is evident not just in the UK, but in other areas of the world too. The latest 2022 EAT Forum report saw a majority of respondents to a GlobeScan poll perceive responsible food purchases as important to them. Nearly 30,000 adults were surveyed across 31 countries, among them Vietnam, Colombia, South Korea and Sweden. 45% indicated that environmentally-friendly food choices were “very important”, while 44% described it as “somewhat important”.
This illustrates a change in attitudes compared to a few years ago, with one Hong Kong survey conducted in 2017 finding that diners in the city did not regard sustainability as their top priority when it came to their menu choices.
Polling around 1,200 adults, the research team hailing from the city’s Polytechnic University, Texas A&M University and the University of Nevada in the US wrote: “Relative to nutritional information, respondents paid less attention to sustainability information” and “attach[ed] lesser value to the provision of information about environmentally friendly and low carbon ingredients that emanate from sustainable sources.”
Could we ‘nudge’ reluctant diners in the right direction?
When it comes to persuading the hardiest carnivores or those reluctant to “go all-in” to eliminate their meat consumption, the idea of “nudging” might work. That’s another way eco-labels do come in handy, according to one Ghent University study.
The colour green is an effective “nudge” to signal that a product or dish is sustainable. (Image: Unsplash)
The research, which was first published in the journal Proceedings of The Nutrition Society in 2019, concluded that gentle interventions like climate information on menus do motivate sustainable choices without alienating consumers by virtue of still providing the option of less planet-friendly items. Diners may feel “anticipated pride” when they choose plant-based dishes that have been labelled as eco-friendly, and even negative feelings of guilt if they are aware that a certain item is taxing on the climate.
These “nudges” might even come in the form of non-language-based communication. A more recent piece of research also conducted in Belgium showed that colours could be used to alert consumers about whether a packaged food item or product is sustainable or not. This study was first made available online in the journal Appetite on December 21.
Following local commentaries about groans and moans over the high cost of eggs—and because Iowa is reportedly the top egg-producing state in the U.S.—PETA plans to place a sky-high message downtown to remind everyone that a few more cents is nothing compared to what eggs cost hens: their lives. There’s no retirement home for hens exploited for their eggs, and in a typical year in the egg industry, millions of them are confined to filthy, cramped cages or giant windowless sheds until their overworked bodies give out—then they’re sent to the slaughterhouse. And they suffer in other ways, too: A staggering 57 million birds are dead due to the avian flu outbreak in the U.S. over the past year, and mass killing is the government’s policy during such crises.
“Nothing is less appetizing than a peek inside a factory farm’s chicken shed, where birds live in their own filth, as PETA’s investigative videos make clear,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is encouraging everyone to dig into delicious and nutritious vegan eggs, which are kind to birds and your bank account.”
PETA notes that after avian flu outbreaks, workers slowly smother chickens to death with a water-based foam, gas them to death, or shut off all airflow in densely packed chicken sheds while raising the heat to as high as 120 degrees and adding carbon dioxide—suffocating and baking the birds to death, an agonizing process that can take hours.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat” and which opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview—offers a list of affordable vegan egg options on its website. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Following local commentaries about groans and moans over the high cost of eggs—and because Indiana is reportedly the second-largest egg-producing state in the U.S.—PETA plans to place a sky-high message downtown to remind everyone that a few more cents is nothing compared to what eggs cost hens: their lives. There’s no retirement home for hens exploited for their eggs, and in a typical year in the egg industry, millions of them are confined to filthy, cramped cages or giant windowless sheds until their overworked bodies give out—then they’re sent to the slaughterhouse. And they suffer in other ways, too: A staggering 57 million birds are dead due to the avian flu outbreak in the U.S. over the past year, and mass killing is the government’s policy during such crises.
“Nothing is less appetizing than a peek inside a factory farm’s chicken shed, where birds live in their own filth, as PETA’s investigative videos make clear,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is encouraging everyone to dig into delicious and nutritious vegan eggs, which are kind to birds and your bank account.”
PETA notes that after avian flu outbreaks, workers slowly smother chickens to death with a water-based foam, gas them to death, or shut off all airflow in densely packed chicken sheds while raising the heat to as high as 120 degrees and adding carbon dioxide—suffocating and baking the birds to death, an agonizing process that can take hours.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat” and which opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview—offers a list of affordable vegan egg options on its website. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
In 2022, we saw many of our food trend predictions come true, so we know we’ll be seeing more exciting vegan food news this year, too! Of course, we can expect new vegan products to hit shelves, new cookbooks to be filled with inspiring recipes, and more options to be added to fast-food menus—but what else? We’ve looked into our crystal ball to make a few predictions for the year ahead:
Caffeine Alternatives
While we’ll still be sipping on coffee, we can see caffeine alternatives becoming more popular this year, since they can be enjoyed all day and generally have other health benefits as well. FigBrew is one option—it’s made from figs and similar to coffee, but it won’t make you jittery. Other options might be made with chicory, maca, or even mushrooms.
Flavorful options like the Giant Baked Beans in Tomato Sauce and Greek Chickpeas with Cumin and Parsley from Trader Joe’s are examples that have been around for a while, but we think tinned marinated beans will become extremely popular this year. They’re easy to prepare for a quick lunch or for entertaining guests and full of protein, but they aren’t made from the bodies of intelligent individuals.
Lab-grown meat is sure to make animal agriculture obsolete soon, and one place you’ll start to see it this year is in companion animal food. The companies Because, Animals and Wild Earth are both working on high-quality cultivated meat options for dog and cat food.
Mocktails Galore
Canned mocktails and other nonalcoholic liquor alternatives have been on the rise for years, but we think 2023 will bring a boom for these products. We’re especially excited about options like Kin Euphorics, which use adaptogens and botanicals that relax you without a buzz or a hangover. Booze-free bottle shops and bars are even popping up in cities across the country, and we’re sure more will be on the way soon.
This year, it’ll become even easier to satisfy your craving for nostalgic snacks. Vegan Babybel is already in stores, meat- and dairy-free “lunchables” kits are coming soon, and the grocery store aisles are already filled with cruelty-free options along these lines. Which veganized snack are you most hoping to see?
Convenience will always be trendy, but so is having a satisfying breakfast. Brands like MorningStar, Alpha Foods, and Field Roast have recently launched tasty frozen vegan breakfast items, and we’re sure even more options will be on the market this year.
These days, there’s a vegan version of almost anything you can think of, including steak. Juicy Marbles’ and eat meati’s options cook up just like meat, but they aren’t made from the flesh of a playful cow. Beyond Steak is already hitting stores and should be popping up on more Taco Bell menus soon.
Editor’s Note: This piece came about because Dan commented on a Linkedin post about our original article. We appreciated his insights so we invited him to write this piece to share his thoughts.
I am writing this rebuttal in response to the recent article “Our Junk Food Addiction Is Bad News For The Planet, Study Finds” and the publication by Musicus et al, which the article references. I want to contest some of the statements made in the article, starting with the title and the associated cover figure of the news article, which incorrectly associates plant-based meat with adverse environmental and health impacts.
The goal of the recent study by Musicus et al. was to determine health and environmental impact as a function of diet, from a longitudinal prospective study. One-hundred fifty foods were included in the survey, and the authors split a subset of these foods into different categories, according to four established health indices – the alternative healthy eating index-2010 (AHEI), plant-based diet index (PDI), unhealthy PDI, and healthy PDI. For each index, study participants were split into five groups of equal size (quintiles) based on their score – i.e., the first quintile is the 20% of participants with the lowest scores, the fifth quintile is the 20% of participants with the highest scores. Then for each group/quintile, the authors calculated some environmental and health impacts.
Before looking at how the different subgroups compare, it’s worth looking at the sum of the data first. Across all participants in the survey, animal-derived products account for the vast majority of environmental impact. For instance, red and processed meat accounts for 31% of greenhouse gas contributions and 59% of cropland needs. If we group the categories into animal, healthy plant-based (vegetable, fruit, tea and coffee, legumes, nuts, whole grains, vegetable oils) and unhealthy plant-based (fruit juice, sweets, sugar-sweetened beverages, refined grains), the overall contributions are largest for animal foods by a wide margin. For instance, 78% of greenhouse gas emissions and 88% of cropland needs are accounted for by animal foods (including “other foods”, which are largely animal-derived).
Because the environmental impact of animal products, particularly red and processed meat, is so large, variation in their consumption drives most of the differences across the diet indices, including the plant ones. For instance for AHEI, the decrease in red meat consumption was by far the largest difference in environmental impact between the first and fifth quintiles (the data for other diets is not presented in the paper). Red and processed meat, not plant foods, also explains the modest differences in environmental impact comparing the 1st and 5th quintiles of the unhealthy PDI.
The authors gauged healthiness by comparing the relative risk of cardiovascular disease in study participants across each dietary index. As presented in Table 1, the relative risk of cardiovascular disease decreases monotonically across the quintiles for AHEI, PDI and healthy PDI and the three indices are basically indistinguishable in terms of relative risk of cardiovascular disease (note however, that the plot of these data in Supplemental Figure 1 does not match the data presented in Table 1!). As noted by the authors “Reduced red and processed meat consumption was the largest contributor to these observed beneficial effects”.
In contrast, there is a modest increase in the risk of cardiovascular disease for those with a diet disproportionately high in unhealthy plant-based foods, which is why the authors write “whereas healthy plant-based patterns were associated with indicators of better human and environmental health, including significantly reduced cardiovascular disease risk; greenhouse gas emissions; and use of cropland, irrigation water, and fertiliser; unhealthy plant-based patterns were associated with adverse human and environmental health effects, including significantly increased cardiovascular disease risk and use of cropland and fertiliser.” We already covered that the environmental impact of those in the 5th quintile of unhealthy PDI is driven by differences in red and processed meat. The specific foods contributing to the moderate health effects are not probed in the paper (and the authors informed me that said data is not available). But based on Supplemental Figure 3, the categories with the biggest increases in consumption are red and processed meat, sweets and sugar-sweetened beverages, all of which are linked to cardiovascular disease when consumed in excess. So rather than emphasizing that not all plant-based diets are equal, I think a better takeaway is that excess sweets and sugar-sweetened beverages can offset some of the health benefits of a plant-based diet.
But what about the environmental and health impacts of plant-based meat and dairy? The food survey started over 30 years ago and so has limited inclusion of plant-based meat and dairy. Under “vegetables”, there is a category “Tofu, soy burger, soybeans, miso or other soy protein.” However, no plant-based meat or dairy are included in the PDI scoring system, so this study does not directly address the relative environmental or health impacts of plant-based meat and dairy products.
While plant-based meat and dairy foods were not included in this study, we can apply the same approach to assess environmental impact. For instance, Impossible Foods (my employer) performed a life cycle assessment comparing the potential environmental impacts of an Impossible Burger and conventional, industrially-reared ground beef burger from farm field to manufacturing gate. Producing an Impossible Burger took 10X fewer greenhouse gas emissions and 20X less cropland than a ground beef burger. Likely, these dramatic differences broadly apply to plant-based meats and dairy.
But what about the health impacts of plant-based meat and dairy? Unlike environmental impact, there is not a simple categorical answer. One, there is tremendous variation among these products (e.g., soy milk vs. almond milk). Two, health benefits depend on what you are comparing them to (e.g., broccoli vs. a hamburger) and are influenced by the other foods you eat (e.g., burger with salad and water vs burger with french fries and a soda). Third, the metrics by which nutrition and health benefits are assessed are generally rudimentary (and often wrong) – e.g., the degree of “processing” has a negative health connotation and is considered in current nutrition guidelines, but has little to no correlation with actual micro- and macronutrient content.
We can at least compare nutrition profiles of plant-based replacements and their animal counterparts. Compared to an industrial ground beef burger, the Impossible Burger macronutrient content is purposely similar, with matching protein quantity and quality, and similar total fat. Both burgers have high levels of heme iron, which is absorbed much better than non-heme iron. The Impossible Burger has 20% less saturated fat than the beef burger and does not contain cholesterol. Saturated fat and cholesterol intake have repeatedly been linked to negative health outcomes, in particular cardiovascular disorders. Micronutrient content is pretty similar too, but with the Impossible Burger having higher levels of several vitamins and minerals. Impossible Burger has some fiber, whereas ground beef has none. The Impossible Burger also has a modest amount of sodium (~1/6th of daily recommendation). All in all, the nutrition profile of the Impossible Burger is superior to its animal counterpart.
More sophisticated health comparisons are now emerging. For instance, a recent randomized crossover clinical trial showed that replacing animal burgers with Beyond Meat burgers led to improved cardiovascular disease risk factors.
In addition to nutrition content, we should consider (and emphasize) the many indirect positive impacts on population health from replacing animal products with plant-based counterparts. Without a doubt, animal agriculture is the most destructive practice in the history of the planet. Animals in the food system are the primary drivers of climate catastrophe and biodiversity collapse, which have profound indirect effects on health and life quality everywhere. Additionally, animals in the food system contribute to widespread antibiotic resistance and are the driver of most zoonotic diseases.
In conclusion: as a general good rule of thumb, the best diet for you and the planet is one rich in plant foods, which can include plant-based meats and dairy, and low in animal products and junk food.
About the author: Dan Hogan is a Research Fellow at Impossible Foods developing transformative protein technologies for plant-based foods. Prior to joining Impossible Foods in 2020, he led the bioinformatics and core technology groups at Tocagen Inc, which utilized retroviral gene therapies for cancer treatment. He earned his PhD in Biochemistry from Stanford University.
German food-tech startup Project Eaden has announced a €10.1 million seed funding round for its novel fiber technology used to create plant-based steak.
Creandum, Atlantic Food Labs, Shio Capital, Trellis Road, and several angels including former Rügenwalder MD Godo Röben led the new funding. The initial funding round was last June. And last month, Magnetic and Atlantic Food Labs increased their investments by another €2.1m.
Project Eaden says the financing will further the development of its proprietary bio-fiber technology that creates meaty steak that looks, cooks, and tastes like conventional.
Fiber spun meat
“Project Eaden is a technology company, so we’ll be investing in our own R&D activities and the initial production setup,” Project Eaden co-founder Jan Wilmking said in a statement. Wilmking co-founded Project Eaden last year with materials scientist Dr. David Schmelzeisen and Mymuesli founder Hubertus Bessau.
“We’ve built a highly-motivated team of professionals to further develop our unique, proprietary technology over the past nine months, including tissue engineers, food technologists, material scientists, and culinary professionals,” Wilmking said.
Photo by tommao wang on Unsplash
Carl Fritjofsson, General Partner at Creandum says that eating meat is associated with excessive land and water usage and unsustainable levels of greenhouse gas emissions. “But, for most people, it’s simply too much of a pleasure to give up on,” he says.
“Until today, existing plant-based options haven’t solved this dilemma, as they lack compelling taste, texture, and look despite higher prices. Project Eaden has the potential to become the industry’s game changer. That’s why we’re so excited to lead this round, which is one of the largest in the European plant-based meat tech sector,” Fritjofsson said.
“Project Eaden is meaningful innovation at its best, representing our mission to back world-class teams with a maximum possible footprint. We are happy to continue our long collaboration with the team,” said David Rosskamp, founding partner at Magnetic.
Project Eaden says its bio fiber technology recreates the taste, texture, and appearance of animal meat. The tech is similar to fiber spinning for synthetic fiber use across other industries including textiles, aerospace, and automotive. It says it’s using the same technology for meat — noting that it’s highly scalable and affordable.
Fiber spinning is an ancient practice; Egyptians used spindles to turn flax fiber into yarn. By 1665, after the development of the spinning wheel, Robert Hooke explored the idea of producing synthetic threads. It wasn’t until the 1930s that the world saw the first spinning of fully synthetic fiber, giving rise to nylon and polyester, which revolutionized the fashion industry. Project Eaden says it’s now time for another evolution to spinning — this time for food.
Plant-based meat 2.0
“Both plant and muscle fibers are versatile building blocks with fascinating material properties, which is why so many of today’s high-tech materials are natural fiber-inspired,” Schmelzeisen said. “For example, we use carbon fiber for rockets and satellites, and biomaterial-based implants for humans. Now, for the first time, we’re replicating meat, fiber by fiber, using proven and easily scalable textile industry technologies.”
Project Eaden says these fibers can be designed with precision to meet technical requirements including elasticity, water-binding ability, and strength. The ultra-thin fibers are bundled into strands that mimic conventional muscle tissue. The fibers are then combined with vegetable fats for a marbled, plant-based meat nearly identical to its animal-based counterpart.
Courtesy Juicy Marbles
Project Eaden joins Juicy Marbles, another European startup working to displace whole-cut animal meat. But Project Eaden says its tech is unrivaled in taste and texture.
“Our ultimate goal is to offer consumers a product that eliminates every single reason there is to eat animals,” Wilmking said. “We intend to fully recreate and even improve on the sensory profile and the overall pleasure people experience when they eat meat.”
Bessau says a delicious plant-based steak isn’t only associated with benefits for the consumer market, “but also for the planet because livestock are responsible for six percent of all greenhouse gas emissions,” he said. “The ‘carbon hoofprint’ is just as large as the carbon footprint of the entire global transport sector – road, air and sea combined.”
Actor Hugh Jackman recently apologized to vegans and the “chickens of the world” for the number of birds he ate prior to starring in Wolverine, so today PETA rushed him a basket of vegan chicken with a message from some adorable chicks to help him figure out how to get fit in a humane and healthy way.
“Hugh had the good sense to apologize to chickens, and with this scrumptious basket of vegan eats, PETA hopes he’ll now turn those regrets into resolutions,” says PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange. “PETA promises Hugh that going vegan will balance his karmic debt and help him get into tip-top shape for Deadpool 3. A win-win!”
PETA notes that vegan eating is popular among top-performing athletes and bodybuilders, including record-breaking strongman Patrik Baboumian, past winner of the title “Strongest Man of Germany.” But more importantly, anyone who goes vegan prevents nearly 200 animals a year from enduring daily suffering and a terrifying death. Birds killed for their flesh are confined by the tens of thousands to severely crowded, filthy sheds and trucked through all weather extremes to slaughterhouses, where their throats are slit—often while they’re still conscious.
For more information on PETA’s newsgathering and reporting, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
Because Starbucks agrees that animal-friendly vegan milks are better for the planet than dairy milk but insists on charging extra for them, Cleveland Animal Save activists and PETA supporters will gather outside the chain’s 19555 Detroit Rd. location on Monday to intercept would-be customers with free RISE Brewing Co. vegan lattes made with creamy oat milk. The action comes after nearly 150,000 PETA supporters asked Starbucks to end its vegan upcharge.
When: Monday, January 16, 8 a.m.
Where: Starbucks, 19555 Detroit Rd., Rocky River
“Starbucks is counting its beans when it should be counting the number of customers it will lose if it doesn’t end the vegan milk upcharge,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “People who choose to drink responsibly for the sake of animals or their own health or because they know that dairy farming is fueling the climate catastrophe are angry with the company for placing profits above ethics.”
PETA has also held vegan coffee drink giveaways outside Starbucks locations in Cincinnati; Loveland, Colorado; Omaha, Nebraska; and several other cities.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat or abuse in any other way”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview.
Right next to a local Burger King restaurant, PETA is launching a national campaign reminding everyone that human supremacy is a whopper of a problem—and to leave it behind in 2023. Placed along U.S. 31 before it hits cities big and small across the country, the unmissable plea features an image of a woman alongside faces of other animals in an effort to tackle speciesism, the archaic belief that other species exist solely for humans to eat and exploit.
“The ability to feel love, pain, and loneliness is shared among species, yet many humans grow up thinking of themselves as superior to other animals, which lays the foundation for exploitation,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA’s new campaign encourages locals to hit the brakes on speciesism and make kind choices for animals, at the drive-through and beyond.”
Despite animals’ extraordinary talents, abilities, and intelligence, speciesism is used to defend using them as experimentation tools, food, clothing, or playthings. Not only does this mentality contribute to the deaths of billions of animals each year, it also accelerates the climate catastrophe and the spread of zoonotic diseases. To combat speciesism, PETA encourages everyone to buy only cosmetics and household products never tested on animals; eat and wear vegan; and avoid aquariums, roadside zoos, and circuses that have live-animal acts.
The billboard is located at 2504 U.S. 31.
PETA’s motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat or abuse in any other way.” For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
What does the alt protein industry have in store for us amidst a very turbulent 2023 ahead? A lot, actually. Below, I share my 12 crystal ball takes (in no particular order).
I sat down to write these trends and ended up writing a whole piece about where plant-based meat is going. Amidst predictions, I wanted to share my views on the sector as a whole, given all the brouhaha out there, and I think it’s worth a read.
Author’s Note: This is my third year making alt-protein-specific trend predictions. You can see my 2021 ones and how I did (pretty well, actually!), and here’s last year’s list, as well as my performance (less well, 2022 was rough folks, but still in the running).
This one may seem obvious for industry insiders and has been coming for a while. While affordable and scalable cultivated meat flesh on supermarket shelves is likely years away, cultivated fat is achievable and startups are already collaborating to create sausages, meatballs and more. So much more to come here, because fat is an integral part of animal meat’s mouthfeel so a cultivated fat add-on could help win over those sitting on the plant-based meat fence.
2) Affordable Flexitarianism
Food shoppers are watching their budgets more than ever. They are chasing value and that means brands need to be creative on the pricing front. I foresee a slew of more affordable plant-based products, perhaps reformulated to be cheaper to manufacture. In this vein, my crystal ball suggests a lot more vegan-ready meals (same as I predicted last year) and more plant-based brands venturing into this space à la Impossible Bowls. Also, lots more value packs coming your way, such as Quorn’s Costco Value Packs and Beyond Meat’s pandemic value pack iterations.
Courtesy The Better Meat Co
3) Fungi Forward Fun
I once hosted a Clubhouse chat during which participants told me that many Americans are scared of mushrooms and don’t buy them. I am not sure if that is still true (this was 2020) but as someone who lives in Asia, it’s really hard to believe. Here in Hong Kong, we regularly eat at least 5 kinds of mushrooms every week. Mushrooms are delicious, versatile, budget-friendly, and ideal as replacements for animal meat in so many dishes because of their terrific textures and minimal processing. I’m thinking in 2023 we will see more in this space. And in various formats too, from mycoprotein to mycelium and beyond.
4) More Culinary Diversity, Please
One of the reasons alt protein is still such a niche sector is that it remains far too Western-centric. A majority of the products that have been launched are burgers, nuggets and mince, most with European-derived cuisines in mind. Folks, the proverbial “West” is basically less than a billion people. The 7-billion-plus-strong ROW (rest of world) is who we need to be serving (especially since animal protein demand is growing fastest there) and there are hundreds of cuisines begging for smarter protein product drops. I predict a lot more action on this front, particularly in Asia, where the alt-protein revolution is only just beginning. This prediction dovetails well with general food trend reports that are forecasting mega growth in ROW culinary heritages including Cambodian, Filipino, Nigerian, Dominican and many more. Alt protein should serve wider food trends and meet consumers where they are, which is a much more diverse and authentic gastronomic place.
Photo by Anastasia Shuraeva from Pexels.
5) Canteen Impact
A lot of the data around plant-based meat sales being flat is based on SPINS data, a company that tracks retailer sales, ie grocery stores. What’s missing from this is food service data- ie how much plant-based meat/dairy/seafood/eggs large-scale food catering companies like Sodexo and Compass Group are cooking up. These companies have two main audiences: students (schools and universities) and employees (corporate cafeterias) and collectively serve hundreds of millions of people a day (Sodexo: 100+ million, Compass: 150+ million). When they adjust their menus/feature plant-based options, they can have a ginormous impact in terms of lowering our food emissions. And these companies are committed to plant-based meat in a big way. And not just out of good-heartedness, but also because they have their own Net Zero goals, and decreasing the volume of high-emission animal protein products on their menus is a big part of achieving those goals. Further, in a Gen Z-forward world, catering to diversity is KEY. That means offering up menu items to suit all kinds of dietary preferences. Both education and corporate institutions are under increasing pressure to do so, which means the food service operators have to adapt.
Note: SPINS data doesn’t include fast food/QSR chain data either. And there’s plenty to be excited about on that front too. Moral of the story: plant-based meat is going nowhere.
6) Nostalgia Branding Reigns Supreme
I can’t say this is a Sonalie original, but after having read over a dozen Gen Z trend reports, I feel low-key confident in telling you: expect a lot more nostalgia-induced packaging across all food sectors (currently dominating snacks and beverage aisles), including meat, dairy and seafood analogues. When the economy sucks, we all crave comfort, and that’s what nostalgia branding offers our loud and proud inner child. This trend goes beyond packaging- it extends to product selection too. Think animal-free dairy mac and cheese boxes, vegan fish fingers, plant-based instant ramen, “chickn” pot pie, and more.
Nestlé and Perfect Day’s Cowabunga milk is now available in select locations | Courtesy
7) Big Food x Animal-Free Dairy Go Steady
This is a continuation of my 2022 prediction around precision fermentation- I had a feeling the space was going to take off in a big way and it did. But what I foresee for this year is Big Dairy going full-steam ahead on animal-free dairy formulations, from cheese to yogurt to milk to ice cream. The headlines have already started from the likes of giants such as Fonterra, Bel Group, Unilever and Nestle among others. One of the biggest drivers of these collaborations is the industry’s need to account for their GHG emissions profile. For years, meat took most of the climate activist heat. But in the past couple of years, dairy has come under the spotlight, and rightly so. Expect to see a slew of announcements on this front.
8) Healthy Plus Formulations
In an age of inflation and recessionary pressures, companies must give their consumers every reason to choose their brands over others. And for alt protein brands, who are already perceived to be more expensive and “less than”, health is where they should be investing when it comes to product formulation. We need to give consumers more than just meat replacements and I think some brands get it and are going to jump on this. While I have predicted cleaner-label products before (to muted success, I still think plant-based brands need to do better in this area), this is more than that. Gen Z consumers in particular are hungry for food products that are both delicious AND good for you. Study: the phenomenon that is Mid Day Squares, aka functional organic chocolate energy bars. Also look at Athletic Greens’ unicorn valuation and Olipop fiber-rich prebiotic soda (because soda can’t just be soda anymore). Plant-based meat/seafood brandings should be experimenting with super nutrients and functional ingredients to give consumers that healthy plus bang for their buck (plus with the new US FDA healthy food guidelines, they may not have a choice).
Because, Animals cultivated mouse meat
9) Alt Protein Pet Food FTW
As much as millennials delayed having kids, millennials are choosing to forage the experience altogether. And they are replacing babies with pets. Pet ownership is on the rise and we can’t help but want to spoil our fur babies. That means best-in-class nutrition and food. Pair that with social media ensuring that more pet owners than ever grasp the environmental cost of their furry friends, and this is a massive area of opportunity. There’s already some decent action on the plant-based side of things. But I’m thinking the cultivated pet food opportunity is going to grow. My prediction? Not only will you see more alt-protein pet companies burst onto the scene, but you will also see some existing human-focused players diversify into the pet world, especially seeing as Big Food is jumping into this 112+ billion dollar opportunity.
10) The Quiet Quitting of PB Founders
Word on the VC street is that funding has dried up for plant-based meat. Not only for economic reasons (inflation, looming recession, freefalling public markets), but also for category reasons (plant-based meat is over, or haven’t you heard?)- too many brands, lackluster products, non-recurring customers. Less funding doesn’t just mean fewer new startups, it also means more existing startups will have to close shop because they will run out of money. I predict that over the next year, we will lose 10-20% of the plant-based meat landscape. Unlike with other industries, you won’t hear about it in your Linkedin feed. Why? Well because the majority of these companies (and their investors) are impact-driven. And it’s not good for the mission to talk about failure too much. It just feeds the (Big Meat Lobby) haters. And when you are talking about the future of the planet, the stakes (steaks!) are just too high. Hence…the quiet quitting of plant-based founders.
One of these 'milks' has been shipped halfway round the world and tastes like dust, it also contains stabilisers, emulsifiers, synthetic vitamins and a health warning. The other is produced in Britain, contains milk and no health warnings at all… #februdairy@februdairypic.twitter.com/TS8rr79oVK
An example of an anti alt dairy tweet, part of the pro dairy campaign Februdairy
11) The Politicisation of Alt Protein
Folks it’s been fun. But our time in the “new and innovative sector” sun has ended. For the first few years, Big Food (and Big Meat, Big Dairy, Big Seafood) was happy to let us grow and prosper in our tiny little market share corner. But we’ve made enough of a scene to get their attention and they aren’t too happy about how we’ve managed to get a decent chunk of their customers to question their product’s ethics/health/eco credentials. In my 2021 edition I predicted the revenge of Big Meat. And that’s more than come true. But it’s about to get a lot more sinister. As the industry continues to mature, Big Food is coming for us with its big guns (think Big Oil tactics), and that means politics. We are headed for an Alt Protein = Woke Liberal, Red Meat = Healthy Conservative world. It’s going to get ugly. Examples given: The Nebraska governor’s raging against plant-based meat ahead of the US midterm elections. Big Dairy infiltrating TikTok with anti-oat milk content. Farmers across the world are rebelling against climate action. More to come.
12a) Cultivated Meat Regulatory Approval Continues – US
Last year I predicted that we would see regulatory approval in the US or Israel. I was semi-right. Cultivated chicken meat maker Upside Foods made history to be the first US company to earn GRAS status by the FDA (aka their chicken was deemed safe for human consumption). But that’s only half the battle. To sell their product commercially, they need approval from the USDA. I predict that at least 1 US company gets USDA approval by the end of the year. Upside is strongly positioned to be the chosen one, but cultivated sashimi startup Wildtype could just as likely achieve the milestone. As could BlueNalu.
Meatable’s cultivated pork is coming to Asia soon | Courtesy
12b) Cultivated Meat Regulatory Approval Continues – Global Outlook
I predict the Singaporean government will grant commercial approval to at least 1 local cultivated meat player (I vote for MVP Shiok Meats, which focuses on cultivated seafood), and at least 1 more foreign player (likely Dutch cultivated pork player Meatable or Mosa Meat, given recent announcements).
Despite what remains an optimistic outlook for cultivated meat in China and some recent notable discussions, I don’t believe we will see commercial approval there in 2023. And I have changed my mind about Israel. While I do believe the country is home to some of the most exciting alt protein startups in the world (I do predict the country will continue to produce incredible cultivated meat innovation) and the government is very supportive with funding and talent, commercial approval is unlikely in 2023, thanks to a new ultra-conservative government and domestic geopolitics.
Over in Europe: again, lots of innovation and industry support, but Brussels is well known for being ultra-careful when it comes to approving novel food technologies (see: GMOs) so while I do think the Continent will eventually say yes to cultivated meat, it’s going to take a while. As for the UK, well, while some folks believe it will lead in this area, I remain skeptical. Firstly, their domestic political landscape is a mess (ref: every political headline for the past 4 months!) and secondly, UK farmers have a powerful voice. The government is not going to rock that boat.
For an overview of the ten most supportive countries when it comes to cultivated meat, see here.
Other stuff I am watching:
Seaweed as a super ingredient > we’ve barely scratched the surface of this wonder group of sea vegetables and we will be seeing more seaweed-fortified foods across the board as companies scramble to make their products more sustainable and more healthy (seaweed serves both).
More upstream supply chain biotech funding > (machinery, serums, scaffolding, cell lines) > as VCs get increasingly gun-shy around backing new cultivated meat and precision fermentation end-product teams, they will turn to upstream technology plays, which is very good for the space. The sector can’t scale with sorting out the fundamentals.
Alt food growth > we need to rethink how we produce more than just meat, seafood, eggs and dairy. Coffee, chocolate, palm oil, and sugar- all have problematic ethical and environmental footprints, from child labor to exploitative working conditions to deforestation. So many more companies will come to market to (try to) wrong the rights!
Philippines-based plant-based meat manufacturer WTH Foods has launched Umani, a new range of frozen plant-based products drawing on Filipino culture.
The mission-driven WTH Foods says its new range of frozen meals is part of its goal of helping to feed the planet’s estimated population of ten billion people by 2050.
Umani
The new WTH Foods Umani range, a combination of the Japanese word “umami”(“delicious) and the Filipino word “ani” (“harvest”), the frozen range includes sausages, burgers, meatballs, mince, sisig, tapa, tuna, and a holiday ham roast.
Umani’s products are made from wheat, soy, and microalgae. The company says they offer a good source of protein and fiber while being free from trans fats, cholesterol, hormones, and antibiotics common in conventional meat.
“We, at WTH Foods, innovate food experiences and transform the way the world eats one plate at a time,” Carissa Lim, co-founder and chief operating officer, told The Philippine Star.
“We hope to raise awareness on nutrition, sustainability and food security, and find new ways to satisfy the population’s dietary protein requirements,” Lim said.
Diving into plant-based seafood
The company, which Lim co-founded alongside Stephen Co and Carlo Ng, says it will also turn its attention to the booming plant-based seafood category beyond the tuna offered in the Umani range.
“We use microalgae for food applications, such as plant-based seafood, beverages, sauces and high-moisture extrusion,” Lim said.
Umani is taking on traditional meaty Filipino dishes like sisig with plants | Courtesy
“Our R&D will develop our microalgae solutions for biomass supply, extraction of value ingredients, and development and isolation of our own strain,” she said.
WTH has been working with universities, government agencies, and R&D teams to develop new products and expand its reach. It’s eyeing expansion to Southeast Asia, Europe, North America, and the Middle East over the next few years.
“We expect to grow in terms of distribution and register the products with appropriate regulatory agencies for global expansion and presence in Asia Pacific and Europe. We would collaborate with other businesses and improve accessibility to our products and services,” she said.
Lotteria Co. Ltd., the South Korean quick-service restaurant chain with more than 1,300 locations, has added a new version of its Ria Miracle plant-based burger to the menu.
The Ria Miracle Burger II, which follows its Ria Miracle Burger launch in 2020, is now on the menu at Lotteria locations across South Korea.
The chain, known for Korean-style hamburgers and fried chicken, says the new burger is soy based. Its predecessor was made from wheat gluten.
The Ria Miracle Burger II
Lotteria received pushback when it launched its first Ria iteration; the burger buns contained milk and eggs and the sauce had beef extract in it. The chain reformulated to meet the growing demand for plant-based options.
“These days, a growing number of Koreans are interested in plant-based burgers,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “Our new burger would be good for those who eat and have started to eat plant-based food.”
Lotteria’s Ria Miracle Burger || is made from ‘veef’ | Courtesy
Ria Miracle Burger II is made from soy protein, which the company says gives it a meaty texture and flavor. It comes with a soy-onion sauce and tomato. Lotteria also launched ‘Lea Miracle Burger II’ and ‘Double Ria Miracle Burger II’ options.
“Customers who prefer alternative meat are gradually increasing due to the expansion of new consumption trends among customers,” An official from Lotte GRS said in a statement. “We plan to take the lead in the athletic burger market.”
‘Ethical consumption’
Following the 2020 launch of its first Ria Miracle Burger, Lotteria said it sought to reflect the market trend, “in which more people are showing an interest in ethical consumption. We will continue to expand the market, so that customers who care about the environment and their health can enjoy various types of veggie burgers.”
Burger King is launching 2 new vegan burgers for Veganuary
In a LinkedIn post, The Good Food Institute said the menu update “is just the latest sign that alternative proteins are picking up steam among local consumers.” It cited data from The Korea International Trade Association, which has previously predicted that plant-based meat “could overtake conventional meat for market share by as soon as 2040.”
The launch comes as other fast-food chains, chiefly, Burger King, are leaning into plant-based offerings. Burger King just unveiled a new vegan bacon cheeseburger at its U.K. locations for Veganuary.
Local diners just might think twice about chowing down on fried chicken after they see—and hear—“Hell on Wheels,” PETA’s new guerilla-marketing campaign featuring a life-size chicken transport truck covered with images of real chickens crammed into crates on their way to a slaughterhouse, complete with actual recorded sounds of the birds’ cries and a subliminal message every 10 seconds suggesting that people go vegan. Its first stop will be Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken at lunchtime on Thursday. The truck will then confront locals at Chick-fil-A downtown, the Texas State Capitol, Lucy’s Fried Chicken, Tumble 22, Hoover’s Cooking, and Flyrite Chicken Sandwiches through Sunday as part of the group’s national tour.
When: Thursday, January 12, 12 noon
Where: Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken, 117 San Jacinto Blvd., Austin
“Behind every barbecued wing or bucket of fried chicken is a once-living, sensitive individual who was crammed onto a truck for a terrifying, miserable journey to their death,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA’s ‘Hell on Wheels’ truck is an appeal to anyone who eats chicken to remember that the meat industry is cruel to birds and that the kindest meal is a vegan one.”
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview.
The idea that plant-based meat is over is ridiculous. Sure, too many mediocre brands launched too fast and too early. But amidst a burning planet and worsening climate crisis, the category is just getting started.
Over the past few months, media headlines decrying plant-based meat’s demise have dominated US airwaves. These headlines are grossly misleading. First of all, it’s a very North America-centric view of the world- around the world, there is evidence that consumers are decreasing their animal meat consumption and embracing plant-based meat. In fact, we published an entire report on the growing alt protein industry across Asia Pacific. Secondly, a lot of these headlines use Beyond Meat as the industry avatar by which to judge a sector that has over 1,000 companies. This is a misguided way to look at things, as I write about here.
The idea that plant-based meat is over is ridiculous. Did too many brands launch too fast? Sure. Did a lot of mediocre products end up on grocery shelves? Absolutely. Does that mean we should pack up our plant-based leather bags and go home? Heck no.
Reality check: in the US, plant-based meat sales are down or flat. Investment into the space has more than halved according to Crunchbase data (from $ 2 billion in 2021 to $800 million in 2022). And anecdotally, I used to get dozens of new product pitches and funding announcements in my Green Queen inbox every week and now we are down to less than five. Across the world, plant-based meat is taking a beating. For a deeper look at what’s going on with plant-based meat sales in the US and abroad, I recommend this alt protein investor’s analysis.
I am in no way suggesting that the industry does not have its problems. There are too many plant-based products that simply don’t taste great – vegan commercial cheese is a particularly disappointing area. A number of consumers find the products overly processed (though let’s get real about what’s in our meat and remind ourselves that it’s carcinogenic!). Investors absolutely got caught up in the hype and didn’t always do their DD, backing companies that were undeserving. The products are often more expensive than their animal counterparts, which is highly problematic, especially when regular folks are battling skyrocketing food inflation due to an uneven economy, rising interest rates and supply chain chaos.
All that said, Impossible Foods just reported a 50% increase in retail sales in 2022, which shows that good governance + good branding + good product R&D (over the past 18 months, the company debuted chicken nuggets, meal bowls, sausage links and more) is still a recipe for success and repeat consumers. Hot take: Beyond Meat is having a bad year because the company could be run better, not because plant-based meat is done and dusted.
If anything, the justification for the sector has never been clearer. Here are some of them. 1) Gen Z is hyper climate aware and they are ditching meat, and their friends and families are becoming social omnivores. 2) Our global food supply is increasingly interrupted by climate change-related extreme weather- your pantry will not look the same in five years- many of your favorite foods will be too expensive or impossible to source. 3) Food insecurity continues to be a major problem and governments are turning to alternative protein as a solution – Singapore’s 30 by 2030 plan is a good case study. 4) Industrial meat production requires too heavy a GHG emissions price. 5) Industrial meat consumption is linked to a slew of diet-related diseases. That means sick folks, skyrocketing healthcare costs, and a less productive population. 6) Industrial meat requires more land, more water and more energy than we have to give if we are being realistic about our resource allocation. 7) It also produces more methane and demands more antibiotics than we (humanity) can afford. Cue the superbug resistance crisis. 8) Demand for animal protein keeps growing, particularly in Asia, where hundreds of millions of people are becoming middle class and looking to increase their dietary status via meat consumption.
I could go on and on (I haven’t even touched upon the ethical case against eating meat- here are the best books to get you started if you learn more) but you get the gist. Animal protein production is broken and the status quo needs to be upended. Hence, the case for plant-based meat.
Are you an advocate of organic, whole food, plant-based diets who can’t understand why folks need beef replacements? Good for you! Keep on enjoying the healthiest diet around.
For everyone else, we need lower emission options. The world’s largest fast-food chain, McDonald’s, sells over 2.36 billion burgers a year (this is a 2021 stat). That’s the industrial meat we desperately need to convert to plant-based.
Some back-of-the-napkin climate math. The average burger is responsible for around 2.84 kg of CO2. So that’s approximately 6.7 million tonnes of CO2 in McDonald’s burgers alone (excuse my crappy, back-of-the-napkin math). According to tree offsetting data, you’d have to plant 300+ billion trees* to offset the carbon cost of the burgers, not to mention everything else on the menu. And all the other fast food chains. And all the industrial supermarket meat. For perspective, we currently plant 1.9 billion trees a year.
And no, we can’t feed the world’s animal protein appetite using 100% grass-fed, regeneratively-grown beef, sorry. That type of meat will remain a tiny proportion of total meat production and only be eaten by an elite, privileged (mostly Global North-dwelling) sliver of our global population.
So, onwards for plant-based meat! Tomorrow, I will share my 2023 alt protein trend predictions, and they include plenty of suggestions and ideas for the industry on how we can better serve our customers and our purpose. Stay tuned.
*According to the agency Encon, “to compensate 1 tonne of CO2, 31 to 46 trees are needed.” So 6.7 million tonnes x 46 trees is how I got to the 300+ billion trees needed.
Israel-based Vgarden, Ltd., has launched its first vegan tuna in tins and pouches.
Vgarden says its plant-based tuna has the same appearance, texture, and flavor as conventional tuna. And it is competitively priced to other canned tunas, too. It joins a growing category in the protein successors market.
‘Clean-label, scalable, affordable, and sustainable’
“Tinned tuna has a very distinct flaky, yet moist and chewy texture, with a powerful fresh-from-the-sea aroma,” Ilan Adut, CEO of Vgarden, said in a statement. “Our new tuna-like product is clean-label, scalable, affordable, and sustainable. But for our plant-based creation to serve as a true substitute, even beyond compellingly mimicking all of the sensory qualities, it also has to match tuna as much as possible in nutritional value.”
Vgarden, founded by Kibbutz Gan Shmuel and the Eliav family, has already brought vegan meat and dairy products to market under the MashuMashu brand with placement in Australia, Canada, Asia, and Europe.
Vgarden tuna is sustainably made | COurtesy
The company says it dived into vegan tuna as a growing number of consumers are becoming more concerned about seafood and overfishing, especially wild tuna populations. According to the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation,13 percent of tuna stocks are considered overfished.
Tuna is the world’s most popular fish; the global tuna market is expected to grow from more than $41 billion in 2022 to nearly $50 billion by 2029.
Tuna is an affordable and accessible protein, but consumers are also wary of ocean pollutants including heavy metals and microplastics, both of which are increasingly common in tuna.
Vgarden tuna
The new vegan tuna was a 12-month development process. The “short list” recipe includes pea protein for a protein count of 11.2 to 14 percent. The company says the manufacturing process used minimal energy and water, further lifting the burden on marine life. The tuna comes in pouches for chilled storage and shelf-stable tins that use patent-pending technology to protect its flavor and texture.
Vgarden’s tuna is canned in a patent-pending process | Courtesy
“Aquaculture and the overfishing of this high-in-demand fish has had a devastating effect on their numbers to the point that it has put several species, such as the yellowfin and the Atlantic Bluefin, on the edge of extinction,” said Tom Rothman, Head of global sales at Vgarden.
“This not only poses problems in terms of food security but also negatively impacts the delicate and fragile balance of the marine environment,” Rothman said. “Our plant-based tuna solution can help turn the tide on this ecocatastrophe and contribute to the restoration of the ocean’s wild tuna populations.”
A whole latte love is heading to locally based Stumptown Coffee Roasters, winner of PETA’s Compassionate Coffee Chain Award. The group is honoring Stumptown for its decision to make oat milk the default option in all of its milk-based drinks—a move that helps prevent day-old calves from being torn away from their mothers in the dairy industry, a top producer of greenhouse gases. Stumptown, which belongs to a growing list of businesses that—unlike Starbucks—don’t charge extra for vegan milks, will receive a framed certificate and a box of cow-shaped vegan chocolates.
“PETA credits Stumptown with promoting a compassionate brew by leaving mother cows and their calves in peace and helping to slash greenhouse gas emissions fueled by the environmentally disastrous dairy industry,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA urges coffee drinkers to buy only from ethical roasters that encourage kindness and don’t upcharge for plant milk options.”
More people than ever are choosing plant milks, and the consumption of dairy milk has declined by 40% over the past 50 years. Stumptown said it switched to oat milk as the default option because of its creamy deliciousness, increasing customer demand, and its lower impact on the climate.
Stumptown, Panera Bread, Pret A Manger, Noah’s New York Bagels, Blue Bottle Coffee, and Philz Coffee offer dairy-free milk at no extra charge, but Starbucks charges more, despite agreeing that vegan milks are better for the planet than dairy milk. PETA, along with more than 140,000 supporters, is calling on Starbucks to end its price hike on vegan milks.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat or abuse in any other way”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
A whole latte love is heading to Stumptown Coffee Roasters—PETA is giving the coffee chain, based in Portland, Oregon, a Compassionate Coffee Chain Award for its decision to make oat milk the default option! This is a huge move that helps prevent newborn calves from being torn away from their mothers in the dairy industry, a top producer of greenhouse gases. Stumptown also belongs to a growing list of businesses that don’t charge extra for vegan milks, unlike Starbucks, which still charges its customers extra for choosing the compassionate option.
More people than ever are choosing plant-based milks, and dairy milk consumption declined by 40% over the last 50 years. Stumptown said it made the switch to oat milk as its default option because of oat milk’s creamy deliciousness, increasing customer demand for it, and its smaller impact on the climate.
While Stumptown, Blue Bottle Coffee, Panera Bread, Pret A Manger, Noah’s New York Bagels, Philz Coffee, and other chains offer dairy-free milk at no extra charge, Starbucks charges more, despite agreeing that vegan milks are better for the planet than dairy milk. PETA, along with more than 140,000 supporters, has been calling on Starbucks to end the price hike on vegan milks.
Whether you’re participating in Dry January or Damp January or you just want a tasty drink to sip on at any time throughout the year, mocktails are what you need. These refreshing beverages are a bit fancier than your standard soda or sparkling water, but they’re still alcohol-free, so everyone can enjoy them.
Many of these types of drinks are already vegan (including several store-bought options), but keep an eye out for ones made with ingredients that harm animals. Honey—which is stolen from industrious bees who work hard to produce it—is one common ingredient you might see, along with cow’s milk and even sometimes eggs.
But we’ve got you covered with some of our favorite vegan mocktail recipes to help spark your creativity:
Even non-alcoholic whiskey sour recipes sometimes contain egg, but this one is made with aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas) instead. It’s also made with Spiritless Kentucky 74, a vegan whiskey alternative.
A favorite for weekend brunch, this Bloody Mary recipe leaves the liquor out but retains all the flavor and nutritional benefits of this savory drink. And by using a vegan Worcestershire sauce, you won’t be mixing fish into your drink, either.
Who says you have to stop drinking eggnog after the holidays? This rich, creamy mocktail can be made with your favorite store-bought vegan nog, but it’s elevated with a homemade coconut caramel sauce. Mmm.
This take on a classic highball cocktail uses Kin Euphorics’ High Rhode non-alcoholic liquor, which is made with a combination of adaptogens and botanics that are gently relaxing but won’t give you a buzz.
If you want a better-for-you nightcap, this hot toddy–inspired recipe has all you need. Plus, it doesn’t use honey, which is stolen from hardworking bees.
Seedlip’s Spice 94 beverage gives this margarita mocktail a lovely, complex flavor. Plus, this brand doesn’t use fish bladders or gelatin for filtration. (Yeah, some brands do that. )
There are countless vegan mocktail recipes out there to choose from, whether they’re made with non-alcoholic beer, wine, or liquor or just juices and sparkling waters. Be sure to choose ones that don’t use animal-derived ingredients such as honey, eggs, and milk.
For more recipe inspiration and tips for going vegan, order your free vegan starter kit:
New data from leading food service distributor Sodexo shows ten percent of all meals sold through its U.K. and Ireland sites in 2022 were vegan or vegetarian.
The number of plant-based meals sold through Sodexo’s nearly 500 U.K. client sites grew from eight percent in 2021 to ten percent last year. Leading the growth were clients in the health care industries, selling an average of 17 percent vegan or vegetarian meals. Clients in the East Midlands saw the biggest proportion of plant-based meals at 21 percent.
‘A shift in consumer awareness’
“Whether people are vegan, vegetarian, or just want to try something new, it’s great to see that more and more customers are trying plant-based meals across our sites. This really demonstrates a shift in consumer awareness, a wider range of options, and a marketplace responding,” Claire Atkins-Morris, Director of Corporate Responsibility at Sodexo, said in a statement.
Sodexo’s vegan options include lentil celeriac chestnut pie, potato mixed bean chilli, tofu summer tart, Southern Indian vegan chickpea curry, vegan mushroom burger, vegan chicken nuggets, and aubergine masala among others.
Photo by Anastasia Shuraeva from Pexels.
Sodexo says its Energy and Resources clients saw the biggest increase in vegan and vegetarian meals year-on-year, growing from two percent in 2021 to 12 percent last year. Schools and universities were surprisingly lower at five percent, despite younger generations driving demand for plant-based options. Government sites grew from five percent to seven percent. Corporate Services client sites made up 13 percent of meals, up from ten percent in 2021.
Veganuary
Sodexo released the data ahead of Veganuary, the popular U.K.-based campaign that encourages people to eat vegan for the entire month of January.
“We’re delighted to see Sodexo reporting an increase in sales of vegan and vegetarian meals across their UK and Ireland client sites,” Toni Vernelli, Head of Communication & Marketing at Veganuary said.
Veganuary is coming
“Veganuary is here to support anyone who wants to try being vegan, but it makes our job a lot simpler when organisations like Sodexo are offering delicious, nutritious, and easily accessible options,” Vernelli said.
“We are a proud supporter of Veganuary, and our community of chefs are encouraging more customers to try our plant-based meals by developing delicious vegan and vegetarian recipes that show the variety of meal options people have at our client sites,” Atkins-Morris said. “As part of our Net Zero commitment, we have set ourselves the goal of increasing the number of plant-based meals and recipes our clients choose from to 33 percent by 2025.”
Burger King has launched a new Bacon King range with two vegan options for Veganuary: The Vegan Royale Bakon King and The Plant-Based Bakon King (Single or Double).
The new burgers, available at U.K. locations, build on Burger King’s growing vegan offerings. The new burgers feature vegan from Natalie Portman-backed brand La Vie and dairy-free cheese from Greek company Violife. Last month, Burger King made La Vie’s vegan bacon a permanent menu item at more than 500 locations.
‘A diverse and innovative range of products’
“We’re incredibly proud of our new menu additions and confident that our customers will enjoy the new plant-based bacon and cheese as much as we have in taste tests,” Katie Evans, a Burger King U.K. representative said in a statement. “The extension of our plant-based offer reflects our ongoing commitment to serve a diverse and innovative range of products, whilst aiming to reach a 50 percent meat-free menu by 2030.”
Courtesy
Romain Jolivet, La Vie’s chief marketing officer, praised Burger King for its “open-mindedness” and its leadership that allows “millions of consumers” to be able to try “our next generation of plant-based bacon.”
“With only 7 ingredients and a product packed with proteins and fibers, this is a bakon for the kings, not for the clowns,” Jolivet said.
Soco Núñez de Cela, brand and communications director at Burger King U.K., said the fast-food chain is thrilled to be joining forces with La Vie.
“The synergy between our two brands and fierce campaign tactics meant this partnership was a match made in heaven.
Nuñez says that after the success of the Bristol and Leicester Square meat-free restaurants, the chain is looking forward to building on its partnership with La Vie “to ensure we meet our goal to become 50 percent plant-based by 2030 in the U.K.”
50 percent plant-based by 2030
Last year, Burger King added vegan nuggets to its U.K. locations. And following its plant-based location in London and Bristol, it hosted similar pop-ups in Portugal, Austria, Spain, and Switzerland. In Germany, the chain now offers a vegan version of everything on its menu
Burger King vegan pop-up | Courtesy
“Adapting to customer preferences is a key focus at Burger King,” the chain’s U.K. chief executive Alasdair Murdoch said in a statement.
“We are committed to helping our guests make good decisions about what they eat and drink and providing them with informed choices.”
Local diners just might think twice about chowing down on fried chicken after they see—and hear—“Hell on Wheels,” PETA’s new guerilla-marketing campaign featuring a life-size chicken transport truck covered with images of real chickens crammed into crates on their way to a slaughterhouse, complete with actual recorded sounds of the birds’ cries and a subliminal message every 10 seconds suggesting that people go vegan. Its first stop will be Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken at lunchtime on Saturday, before it goes on to confront diners at the San Antonio Riverwalk, Native Grill & Wings, the Chick-fil-A store outside Ingram Park Mall, and The County Line through Sunday as part of the group’s national tour.
When: Saturday, January 7, 11 a.m.
Where: Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken, 812 S. Alamo St., San Antonio
“Behind every barbecued wing or bucket of fried chicken is a once-living, sensitive individual who was crammed onto a truck for a terrifying, miserable journey to their death,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA’s ‘Hell on Wheels’ truck is an appeal to anyone who eats chicken to remember that the meat industry is cruel to birds and that the kindest meal is a vegan one.”
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview.
Because Starbucks agrees that animal-friendly vegan milks are better for the planet than dairy milk but insists on charging extra for them, Toledo Area Animal Rights Activists and PETA supporters will gather outside the chain’s 5231 Monroe St. location on Monday to intercept would-be customers with free RISE Brewing Co. vegan lattes made with creamy oat milk. The action comes after nearly 150,000 PETA supporters asked Starbucks to end its vegan upcharge.
When: Monday, January 9, 8 a.m.
Where: Starbucks, 5231 Monroe St., Toledo
“Starbucks is counting its beans when it should be counting the number of customers it will lose if it doesn’t end the vegan milk upcharge,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “People who choose to drink responsibly for the sake of animals or their own health or because they know that dairy farming is fueling the climate catastrophe are angry with the company for placing profits above ethics.”
PETA has also held vegan coffee drink giveaways outside Starbucks locations in Cincinnati; Loveland, Colorado; Omaha, Nebraska; and several other cities.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat or abuse in any other way”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview.
Because Starbucks agrees that animal-friendly vegan milks are better for the planet than dairy milk but insists on charging extra for them, PETA supporters will gather outside the chain’s 2551 N. Downer Ave. location on Monday to intercept would-be customers with free RISE Brewing Co. vegan lattes made with creamy oat milk. The action comes after nearly 150,000 PETA supporters asked Starbucks to end its vegan upcharge.
When: Monday, January 9, 8 a.m.
Where: Starbucks, 2551 N. Downer Ave., Milwaukee
“Starbucks is counting its beans when it should be counting the number of customers it will lose if it doesn’t end the vegan milk upcharge,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “People who choose to drink responsibly for the sake of animals or their own health or because they know that dairy farming is fueling the climate catastrophe are angry with the company for placing profits above ethics.”
PETA has also held vegan coffee drink giveaways outside Starbucks locations in Cincinnati, Ohio; Loveland, Colorado; Omaha, Nebraska; and several other cities.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat or abuse in any other way”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview.
The California-based Climax Foods is using biotech and plants to create ‘moonshot’ cheese — a sustainable dairy alternative that can help fight the climate crisis.
Climax’s German-born founder and CEO, Dr. Oliver Zahn came to the category with a science background; he worked at Google, SpaceX, and Impossible Foods prior to launching the vegan cheese brand in 2020 and was armed with a deep understanding of the climate crisis and the need for tangible solutions.
Climax Foods
Following its Seed funding round — $7.5 million, the largest Seed raise for a food-tech startup — the company turned an old chocolate factory in Berkeley, California, into its cheese laboratories.
Climax Foods’ first products are Blue cheese, Brie, Chèvre, and Feta | Courtesy
That work is now coming to fruition as the company has announced plans to launch its artisanal cheese in three U.S. markets: New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
The first cheeses it’s bringing to market include Blue, Brie, Feta, and Chèvre. Climax says they taste and perform like conventional cheeses. The dairy-free cheeses are made from seeds, legumes, and plant oils.
Rethinking ancient practices
“We started from a profound appreciation for the complex flavors and textures of dairy products,” Zahn said. “Cows have made our milk for thousands of years. However, less than ten percent of the plants they eat get turned into food for humans, which has led to significant environmental and health problems in today’s much more crowded world.”
Zahn says It is human nature to rethink ancient practices, “so we came up with a smarter way. By using data science to accelerate plant-based ingredient and process discoveries, we are saving thousands of years of tinkering to create products that are just as tasty as the cow-based predecessors without the downsides, today.”
The company is using tech it calls “Deep Plant Intelligence” — a combination of molecular-level data about animal products and its proprietary plant-based ingredients database. The tech allows Climax to create its recipes from thousands of plants.
Climax Foods is building a new production facility | Courtesy
Climax is partnering with Caroline Di Giusto — a world leader in conventional cheesemaking. Climax is also building a new production and pilot hub in Petaluma, California.
“Our technology and ingredient discoveries will soon power the replacements of bigger categories with successors that will be equally delicious and nutritious but more sustainable and – because our products are not heavily processed – substantially more economical and environmentally friendly,” says Zahn.
Hello Plant Foods can’t keep its vegan foie gras, Fuah!, in stock.
Following King Charles’ recent ban on foie gras at all royal residences, the longtime decadent favorite food got an ethical makeover. The royal ban follows other efforts to restrict foie gras including bans in California and New York.
Spanish plant-based meat brand Hello Plant Foods first announced its vegan foie gras last month, several weeks after King Charles announced the royal ban. The brand says it’s also the first vegan foie gras for food service distribution.
Fuah! Gras
Hello Plant Foods didn’t take the responsibility of recreating the popular luxury food lightly; the company says it tested 800 recipes over the course of a year before its launch.
The market appeared to be ready; just 12 hours after it launched 5,000 units of the product, it sold out at supermarkets and specialty stores across Spain. A second production round of 30,000 units also sold out.
Fuah! Gras is the first vegan foie gras for for food service | Courtesy
Hello Plant Foods is capitalizing on a market gap; only Nestlé’s limited edition vegan foie gras has widespread European placement, but demand is high.
“We’re absolutely gobsmacked,” Javier Fernández, Hello Plant Foods founder, told The Guardian. “Our plan was to start slowly … but we’ve just increased our production sevenfold. It’s crazy.”
Fernández launched Hello Plant Foods during the pandemic with the goal of developing vegan products that mimic organic meats; foie gras is made from duck and geese livers.
Hello Plant Foods says it mimics the taste and texture of conventional foie gras using cashews, coconut oil, lentil flour, potato starch, and spices. The Spain-produced foie gras costs about half as much as conventional.
“Our vegan foie gras is so similar to the traditional animal product that consumers will not notice the difference. Everyone who tries it says that it is hyper-realistic. We are sure that soon many more people will take the step and join our vegan alternative because more and more consumers are becoming aware of the food’s impact on the environment,” Fernández said.
Late last year, Nestlé’s Garden Gourmet laucnhed a limited-edition vegan ‘voie gras’ ahead of the holidays season.
Nestlé’s Garden Gourmet launched vegan foie gras last year | Courtesy
“Hello Fuah! will become the category’s benchmark product and will be available throughout the year,” says Fernández. The company also makes vegan burgers and bacon.
But all focus is now on Fuah! as Fernández says there’s a “hidden” consumer that loves foie gras. “But what happens is that a photo of the ducks with the tubes sticking out of them flashes before them and they don’t want it,” he said. “When they try Fuah! their eyebrows shoot up and they go: ‘Madre Mia.’”
Traveling to Africa to admire animals in their natural habitat is on many bucket lists, but it used to be the norm for safari guests to find native animals they saw during the day—including giraffes, oryxes, and wildebeests—served up as dinner each night. Thankfully, that’s changing. Studies show that a quarter of safari guests are now either vegetarian or vegan, and safaris that cater to guests who want to photograph animals—not exploit them—are on the rise.
If you’re planning a trip of a lifetime, we’ve got you covered. These top animal-friendly African safaris offer delicious, satisfying vegan food options, and the lodges are free from animal skins and trophies and are stocked with cruelty-free products, including toiletries. Safari guides take guests to protected reserves or national parks, where the animals’ safety and comfort are paramount. Small groups always maintain sufficient distance and visit during specific times of the day so as to minimize stress. These companies are also eco-conscious and participate in projects that support their local communities. Some offer excursions to reputable wildlife rehabilitation facilities and even allow guests to join in on rhino protection efforts.
Keep reading to learn more about PETA’s top animal-friendly African safaris.
Vegan Safari Africa owner Helene Forward went vegan six years ago and has changed her business to reflect her values since then. The lodges and mobile camping safaris offer delicious meals made with fresh, whole-food vegan ingredients that are sourced locally. The company also supports responsible tourism—for example, travelers can visit the Okavango Delta, a UNESCO World Heritage site where wildlife is protected by both the Moremi Game Reserve on its eastern edge and the numerous wildlife concessions within Ngamiland.
From luxury lodges to quaint inns, World Vegan Travel has an experience for everyone, with tours, meals, and activities that are handpicked by vegans for vegans. You can take guided walks through a forested primate sanctuary, an afternoon cruise up a river to view birds and monkeys, and lessons in rhino conservation, and you can even learn how to prepare traditional African vegan cooking with a local chef. World Vegan Travel also offers lodging with Desert & Delta Safaris, a three-time award winner in WTM Africa’s Responsible Tourism Awards. Every aspect is monitored for its animal and environmental impact and was specifically built with the goal of having as small a footprint on this fragile ecosystem (and the animals who depend on it) as possible.
Kings Camp is a luxury safari experience with gourmet vegan cuisine, cruelty-free spa amenities, and even vegan wine and cheese tastings. It’s located in the Timbavati Private Nature Reserve, facing an open savanna with an active waterhole visited by a wide variety of wildlife, day and night. The camp employs a certified vegan hospitality consultant and a vegan safari guide, who ensure the best experience possible for visitors. You can visit the Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, participate in rhino anti-poaching flights, or take a flight to spot wild horses from the air.
In 2021, Alluring Africa partnered with Vegans, Baby CEO and founder Diana Edelman to create ethical tours that protect wildlife and the ecosystem. The lodges on Alluring Africa’s vegan safari tours offer animal-free bedding, cruelty-free toiletries, and vegan food—and there are no animal skins or trophy heads displayed in any of the lodges. Unique vegan guest experiences include a multicourse gourmet dinner at award-winning restaurant La Colombe, high tea overlooking Cape Town’s captivating landscape, and a wine tasting. The tours also limit disturbance of the animals by giving them the space and respect they deserve.
Destinations: Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe
Air Safaris 269 owner J.C. De Klerk has been vegan for more than a decade, and he personally coordinates with lodges to offer vegan meals, cruelty-free toiletries, and rooms that are free from animal skins and trophies. He named his company in homage to a calf whose ear was tagged “269” and whose rescue started an animal rights movement in Israel. De Klerk reports that he found it “so strange and sad when after a wonderful game drive, to then find the very animals that you just saw, on the menu.” PETA agrees!
For more information on why animal-friendly safaris are vital for the protection of wildlife, check out PETA’s investigation into South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s connection to the trophy hunting industry:
When you’re booking any travel experience, always be sure to keep animals in mind. More than half a million animals are exploited worldwide in the tourism industry. Don’t participate in any activities that use and abuse sentient beings for entertainment—avoid elephant rides, tiger cub petting, dubious roadside zoos, “swim with dolphins” encounters, and anything else that promises an up-close and personal experience with animals.
Climate change will affect hundreds of millions of Indians and bring about widespread food insecurity- government support of alternative proteins is essential to achieving national food security and independence.
By: Ambika Hiranandani of the Good Food Institute India, MPhil., Public Policy, University of Cambridge and Shyam Mehta, Vice President at CREAEGIS India, Consumer, Retail and Consumer Technology Sector
Implementing strategic sustainable food policies today will be the foundation that will help bridge nutritional gaps and feed India in the future. This month, a report from the World Bank jolted the billion-strong nation by forecasting that India will be one of the first countries to face heat waves that break the human survivability limit. According to the report, over 160-200 million people in India will be vulnerable to heat waves by 2030 and 34 million people will lose their jobs because of heat stress associated with productivity decline.
Climate scientists have long cautioned that heat waves caused by global warming will create obstacles in India’s quest for food security. This March was the hottest on record and shrunk wheat production in key producing states, increased the price of the crop by 20%, and led to an export prohibition. Other crops that will bear the brunt of these heat waves will be soya, barley, and mustard. Faced with weather-related uncertainty and other challenges, India’s farming communities are forced into debt which they can often never return. In the Marathwada district of Maharashtra alone, 600 farmers have committed suicide because of their inability to pay back debt and make their operations profitable. Over 70% of rural Indian households depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. According to the International Food Policy Research Institute, by 2030 73.9 million Indians will be at risk from hunger; if one were to factor in the effects of climate change this figure increases to 90.6 million.
Flaws with the government’s response to food security concerns
To meet food security needs, the government is investing heavily in the livestock sector which is yielding tremendous financial results. Over a six-year period that ended in 2021, the livestock sector registered a compound annual growth rate of 8%. India is currently home to over 35% of the world’s livestock and India is one of the top 5 methane emitting countries. We are aware that 14.5% of the total GHG emissions come from livestock and 44% of these emissions are composed of methane. Over 20 years, methane’s global warming impact is 80 times that of carbon dioxide. India has not signed the Global Methane Pledge. The Global Methane Pledge was signed by over 100 countries at COP 26 who have committed to reducing their methane emissions by 30% by 2030. Professor Partha Dasgupta in his report on the Economics of Biodiversity emphasized the need for us to understand the hidden costs of environmental destruction and for us to quantify this in economic terms. If we were to analyze India’s livestock growth with this lens, it would perhaps tell a very different story.
Alternative proteins: sustainable hero foods
This is where alternative proteins come in as a sustainable hero food to provide nutritious, tasty and inexpensive food to the nation and help strengthen the economy. India’s sherpa to the G20, Mr. Amitabh Kant, in his speech at the Good Food Institute’s Future of Protein Summit referred to this sector as a “sunrise sector” which is filled with potential to help mitigate problems ranging from malnutrition to climate change. By 2030, according to Bloomberg Intelligence, the plant-based food market is expected to be worth USD 162 billion and account for 7.7% of the global protein market. In a high growth scenario India’s local market will be worth approximately USD 713 million and, in a low growth scenario, will be USG 217 million. So far there are start-ups that have brought plant-based mince, kebabs, and patties. These companies have created high-end products which are gaining popularity in an urban environment; however, the rural consumer has not been catered to. The potential for plant-based meats to meet the nutritional needs of those at the margins remains largely unexplored. The global CM economy is expected to be worth USD 450 billion by 2040. There are a couple of CM start-ups in India, Clear Meat has developed and tasted its first cultivated chicken mince product in early 2020 and is planning to launch its first market-ready product by 2023. Sutapa Sikdar of Clear Meat explains that as there is no specific regulatory framework for cultivated meat in India, they have not been able to apply for regulatory approval. However, they are in touch with the Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and are hopeful that structures will be put into place. MyoWorks, an early-stage start-up, is looking to manufacture a range of ingredients and scaffolds for the cultivated-meat industry globally. MyoWorks has received USD 50,000 from the Department of Biotechnologyto demonstrate preliminary proof of concept.
India has the foundation needed to develop alternative proteins; its agricultural biodiversity lends itself to developing plant-based meats from a diverse range of crops. It produces 25% of the world’s pulses and is of the world’s largest producers and exporters of millet. Startups are working with indigenous farming communities to grow Pongamia seeds which are a rich protein source and creating livelihoods for otherwise disenfranchised people. Its biopharma sector has the potential to pioneer innovation in cultivated meat.
The Food Safety Standards (Approval of Non-Specified Foods and Food Ingredients) Regulation, 2017 details the procedure for the pre-market authorization of ‘novel’ foods. Novel foods, according to the regulations, are new additives; processing aids; food ingredients consisting of or isolated from bacteria, yeast, fungus, or algae. However, the definition of ‘novel’ food stops short of making a direct reference to ‘animal cell culture’. Regarding plant-based products, the usage of the terms ‘milk’, ‘butter’ and ‘cheese’ for plant-based products was prohibited by the FSSAI through an executive order dated 15th July 2021. The reasoning behind this order was that the ‘General Standard for Milk and Milk Products’ under the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 did not permit the usage of a dairy term for a plant-based product. The order also directed that action be taken against companies flouting this rule and that e-commerce sites delist plant-based products using such terms. However, coconut milk and peanut butter were spared from the application of this order due to the international usage of these terms. This was challenged in the Delhi High Court by plant-based product manufacturing companies. As the issue currently stands, the court has temporarily permitted plant-based product manufacturers to use dairy terms pending their final decision on the issue.
The critical importance of government support
The government sets the public policy agenda which determines where research funding goes, details enterprises that will receive fiscal benefits and that those at the margins benefit from novel innovation. So far, India has not set the public policy agenda in favour of the growth of alternative protein companies. Food security is a major theme of India’s G20 presidency and India advocated for 2023 to be declared as the International Year of Millets by the United Nations. The building blocks for an alternative protein-positive policy are there and can be built on with tangible targets which also ties into India’s net zero commitment.
Policy options to mainstream these hero foods
Policy options such as creating a favourable regulatory framework, providing economic incentives to companies that leverage plant-based proteins to meet the rural needs of those at the margins, and creating structures within the government that focus exclusively on the development of alternative proteins need to be explored. The Swachh Bharat Mission focused on sanitation was the world’s largest nudge campaign and changed the habits of millions of Indians. Similar nudges can be employed to change India’s eating habits to nutritionally rich sustainable food.
Alternative proteins have the potential to ameliorate previously unsolvable wicked problems ranging from food insecurity to GHG emissions from food to malnutrition. Innovation can only go so far with limited government support to achieve its potential. India can get ahead of the curve by changing its local landscape and becoming a global player; however, the time to act is now.
Spanish vegan meat brand Heura has released a sustainable, plant-based fish range with the oceans’ health in mind.
Leading Europe’s plant-based meat category, Barcelona-based Heura is now diving into the plant-based fish category with the launch of vegan F’sh Fillet and F’ish Fingers. “This is just the start,” the company says, noting it will expand the fish alternative range.
Heura F’sh
Heura says the new products are both low in saturated fat and rich in plant-based protein. The products also boast 40 milligrams of Omega-3 fatty acids – comparable to conventional fish. Omega fats are critical for healthy brain function, skin, and joint health.
The products were in development for more than a year, Heura says. It claims to be the first company to conduct a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) for plant-based fish based on the ISO 14040 standard. According to the LCA, the climate impact of Heura’s vegan fish products are 70 percent lower than conventional fish.
Heura is entering the vegan fish category | Courtesy
“Science and data have shown us the importance of keeping marine ecosystems intact, and the best way to do so is to reduce human activity to the minimum,” Marc Coloma, Heura’s co-founder and CEO, said in a statement. “As a mission-driven food-tech startup steeped in rich Mediterranean heritage, we recognized the need to introduce fish successors, so people across Europe can continue to enjoy the foods we love, while minimising the negative impact on the planet and animals.”
Heura points to the growing demand across Europe for plant-based alternatives to animal products. It says nearly half of European consumers are reducing their meat consumption as part of climate commitments.
“This reduction is a great step forward for the future of the earth and its inhabitants, since animal products account for 82 percent of the carbon emissions of European diets,” the company says.
But Heura says despite the growing awareness, much of the shift is happening with beef, pork, and chicken alternatives — a move it says “leaves global fish stocks to continue to plummet each year.”
The company points to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization data that show 70 percent of fish populations are already fully exploited or completely deleted.
‘Net positive food system’
“The launch of our 100 percent plant-based fish is our latest step towards Heura’s ambition of creating a net positive food system by accelerating the transition to plant-based protein and offering sought-after foods with a significantly lower CO2 impact that enables a more just food system,” Coloma said.
Heura says its vegan fish has a 70% smaller footprint than conventional | Courtesy
The two new products come on the heels of announcing expansion into the U.K., with placement at 200 Waitrose supermarkets, just ahead of Veganuary.
“Over the past year, Heura has grown its availability in the U.K. sixfold, and joining the shelves of Waitrose will further address the growing desire from British consumers to reduce their intake of animal meat products,” Coloma said.
“Throughout 2023, Heura will be focused on expanding its reach across Europe, to offer even more people meat successors – 100 percent plant-based foods that are superior from a nutrient-density and sustainability standpoint.”
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