Society is increasingly reconsidering what we eat and how we produce our food. The movement to create a kinder, more sustainable food system is growing, and more people are choosing plant-based foods.
Companies are responding to the rising demand by offering more vegan meats, cheese, milk, eggs, and other products than ever before. High-profile events such as the 2020 Academy Awards and this year’s COP26 climate conference and Met Gala have had mostly or, in the case of the Met Gala, entirely plant-based menus, reflecting greater awareness of the cruelty and environmental harms of factory farming.
Here are some of the year’s most remarkable developments in the world of plant-based food:
1. Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh launched their vegan brand Imagine Meats, offering a range of plant-based meat products.
2. Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra partnered with GoodDot to promote plant-based food.
3. BVeg Foods, a plant-based protein company in New Delhi, released plant-based sausages in 91 stores across the NCR and Chandigarh.
4. Online retailer Vegan Dukan launched Ultx, a plant-based creamer and curd brand.
5. Haldiram’s entered the plant-protein market with a plant-based keema pao and keema samosa.
6. Vegan food brand Piperleaf launched the plant-based egg alternative Eggishh in India.
7. Marriott India announced it would create vegan items for its Mood Diet menu using locally sourced ingredients.
8. Blue Tribe launched plant-based chicken and pork sausages.
9. Nestlé invested $4 million in U.S. startup company Sundial Foods, which plans to make plant-based chicken with lifelike skin and bones.
10. Nestlé introduced a 100 percent plant-based Kit Kat bar in response to increased consumer demand. Even Kim Kardashian praised the new vegan Kit Kat!
11. Former U.S. president Barack Obama opted for a meat-free menu at his 60th birthday party.
12. KFC Thailand added vegan chicken to its menus as part of an effort to expand the brand’s plant-based options.
13. Fast-food giant McDonald’s unveiled the McPlant, a plant-based burger made with a Beyond Meat patty.
14. Cadbury released its first vegan chocolate bar, the Plant Bar, in two delicious flavours.
15. Iconic Swedish company IKEA introduced plant-based meatballs in Canada and the United States.
Bloomberg estimates that the global market for plant-based foods could reach $162 billion by 2030. Unquestionably, plant-based eating is only getting bigger.
