VEGANISM

BRIAN KATEMAN: 'According to The Good Food Institute, SPINS retail sales data released this past July showed that grocery sales of plant-based foods that directly replace animal products grew 31% in the past two years to reach $4.5 billion. Plant-based milk was the most developed of all plant-based categories, accounting for 13% of all dollar sales of retail milk, followed by “other plant-based dairy.” But within that category, one sector seems to be lagging behind: plant-based cheese. Although dollar sales of plant-based cheese grew 19% in the past year and 69% over the past two years, it…

CASPAR SALMON: 'Well into Veganuary and the head-scratching confusion over just exactly what veganism is continues.The perception of veganism as a diet or passing fad has somehow clung on in the health pages of our newspapers...There is a continual debate in the media about whether ‘the diet’ is healthy. This is beside the point. There is a stream of misinformation designed to trick people into believing that vegetarianism and veganism are simply not possible. This madness must stop, and it’s extraordinary that it has endured this long... Making the personal choice to live more ethically…

DAN SATHERLEY: 'A new documentary aired in the UK, which calls for farming to be phased out in favour of food grown from bacteria in factories. George Monbiot's Apocalypse Cow aired on Wednesday night (UK time) on Channel 4. It begins with Monbiot - who was arrested last year during an Extinction Rebellion protest - saying flying less and getting rid of plastic straws isn't going to be enough to save the world from ecological catastrophe. "There's a bigger culprit that hardly anybody is talking about," he intones. "The food industry is destroying the living world and it appears to be…

AGDAILY: 'The Animal Agriculture Alliance announced its new website and updated resources to celebrate the beginning of a new decade... One of the Alliance’s newly updated resources is the animal rights activist groups web. The web details how activist groups are connected through funding, project collaboration and flow of staff and volunteers. “The purpose of this web is to show that while some groups publicly represent themselves as moderate and others are more upfront about their radical views, they are all connected with the same agenda of ending animal agriculture,” said Kay Johnson…

MATT REYNOLDS: 'Once seen as the preserve of hippies and animal welfare activists, in 2019 veganism went mainstream. A growing awareness of the impact that our diets have on animals, our health and the environment has sent people clamouring for plant-based alternatives to meat and animal products. And fast food chains – eager to cash in on the popularity of plant-based diets – are racing to introduce meat-free versions of their flagship products. All this means that you can expect this year’s Veganuary – the annual drive to get people to give up animal products for an entire month – to be…

VENESSA CHALMERS: 'Most meat eaters admit Veganism is ethical and good for the environment, a survey has revealed. But University of Bath experts found lovers of bacon, pork and steak also fear a plant-based diet would taste bland. Results of the poll of 1,000 meat-loving Britons showed 70 per cent thought a vegan diet was sustainable and ethical. The study, which comes while many will be attempting 'Veganuary', also revealed half of Brits believed it was healthy. However, they are clearly put off by a diet without animal produce, with half rating the food as tasteless. Although veganism…

EMIKO TERAZONO: 'Meat consumption in developed countries show signs of having peaked amid health scares and environmental and sustainability concerns. It has enormous implications for the planet, the $US1.2 trillion ($1.7 trillion) livestock meat market and individual traders... “I see it as a natural development in the food industry,” says Paul Martinelli, managing director of the meat supplier that has been working out of Smithfield since the 1980s. “There is a lot of interest in the product and our clients are asking us about it. They may choose to do it more in January and February than…

ROSIE GREENAWAY: 'Two advertisements promoting Veganism which were removed from public transport by bus company Arriva are to be reinstated after the Veganuary campaign successfully fought the decision. The ads – which launched on 20 buses in Shrewsbury and Telford on 9 December – had been organized and funded by a local vegan group and were due to run for four weeks. Arriva’s decision to remove them came after the company reported complaints, although it would not disclose the number of complaints, nor discuss their nature... Arriva initially offered a full refund for the advertising, but…

MEG ZUKIN: 'Joaquin Phoenix was an influential voice at the Golden Globes on Sunday night not just because he won best actor in a drama for his performance in “Joker.” According to sources, the actor — who is a staunch animal rights activist — also convinced the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organization that runs the Golden Globes, to implement its first all-vegan menu at the ceremony’s star-studded dinner. Phoenix suggested the idea to the Globes, and played a key role in persuading them to make the switch, insiders told Variety... Phoenix obliquely acknowledged his role in the…

LIM LI YING: 'The links between diet and health have been thrust into the spotlight with Netflix’s documentary The Game Changers, in which Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton and former body builder Arnold Schwarzenegger discuss success on a plant-based diet... Demand for plant-based options are on the rise. Apart from plant-based meat options, there is a need to look at the implications of a plant-based diet... Chef Arnaud Hauchon, culinary curator at Fivelements, understands the lifestyle and how we can no longer “force” people to convert to a diet. “All of the deadliest diseases…