Society

Plant-based burger

© CJ Freshway

CJ Freshway Plant-Based Burgers to Be Provided to Schools in Seoul

CJ Freshway, a South Korean B2B food distributor and food service company, will supply school cafeterias around Seoul with plant-based burgers. The company recently announced that its No Meat Cheese Cutlet Burger is ready for release and distribution.  The meat-free burger is made with non-GMO soy protein, vegan chipotle sauce, and romaine lettuce, served in a hamburger bun. It can be assumed that the cheese is dairy though vegconomist is yet to confirm. According to CJ Freshway’s official Lim Ji-sun, each school will have 30 plant-based burgers to offer twice a week. CJ Freshways’ distributors will deliver to school cafeterias a plant-based meal kit containing the cutlet and the rest of the ingredients needed to assemble the burger.   Plant-based alternatives for schools In 2021, …

more

Double Your Donation: Vegan Meals For Refugees in Ukraine (More Than 20,000€ Already Donated)

vegconomist has been supporting a vegan meals project for refugees in the Ukrainian city of Lviv since April 2022 (scroll down to read more about the project). As the disgraceful invasion of Ukraine continues, we will also continue to support the project. As of September 2022, with the help of our readers and a $10,000 matching grant from the Karuna Foundation (which matches each reader’s contribution), we were able to send more than €20.000 to Lviv Vegan Kitchen. Update: September 8th, 2022: The Karuna Foundation offered another $10,000 matching grant! E.g.: You donate €50. The Karuna Foundation will also donate €50, totalling €100. A big thank you to the Karuna Foundation and the team behind it, for making this possible!

Chris & Sebastiano, ForGood

Chris Smalling & Sebastiano Cossia Castiglioni

List of High Profile ‘Changemakers’ Join Chris Smalling’s ForGood Fund

Earlier this year, athlete and investor Chris Smalling, in partnership with Sebastiano Cossia Castiglioni and Rebecca Wheeler, launched global investment firm ForGood, with the purpose of investing in companies that address the world’s largest environmental challenges and help end animal suffering.  In a recent announcement, the investment consultancy revealed the names of four new high-profile ‘changemakers’ joining the ForGood community: Helen Skelton, an English television presenter and actress; Barcelona footballer Héctor Bellerín; Australian Snooker Star Neil Robertson; and English-Moroccan Musician Zak Abel. According to ForGood, anyone that invests in planet-friendly ideas, products, and services becomes a ‘changemaker’, hence the concept behind the changemakers community.  ForGood connects athletes, musicians, entertainers, and personalities with early-stage businesses focused on tackling social, environmental, and animal welfare issues, making investing …

more

himalayan-vegan-festival

© The Himalayan Vegan Festival

The Himalayan Vegan Festival: First Plant-Based Event in Nepal to Celebrate Veganism For Six Days

The Himalayan Vegan Festival, taking place this month, will focus on raising awareness about veganism and vegan lifestyle to reduce animal suffering through the adoption of a plant-based diet.  Taking place this September from the 15th to the 17th in Kathmandu, and from the 18th until the 20th in Pokhara, the non-profit festival is a family-friendly, educational, and free-access event organised by World Vegan Organisation Nepal (WVO). “This festival will be the first and largest purely vegan festival in the country, aimed at expanding the relationship between pure vegetarians, compassionate life practice, and animal conservationists, as well as to spread awareness to the general public about veganism,” declared Ajit Thapa, WVO Nepal’s general director in a press conference covered by The Himalayan. In addition, a pre-event …

more

Chef Chloe Coscarelli

©Club Med

Club Med Partners with Chef Chloe Coscarelli to Expand Plant-Based Menu, Adds Beyond Meat Options

Club Med, a pioneer in the all-inclusive resorts industry, announces it recently partnered with famed vegan chef Chloe Coscarelli to bring more creative plant-based dishes to its resort menus in North America and the Caribbean. In addition, the brand says it is now offering Beyond Meat products as a protein option.  Creative recipes This summer, Coscarelli led an intensive workshop with Club Med’s culinary team to help the company revamp its plant-based menu options, reports Travel Pulse. Coscarelli directed the team in new food preparation, creative culinary techniques and inspirational recipes intended to get guests “more excited” about the company’s vegan offerings.  Specially prepared dishes included beetroot bourguignon, tomato tartar with feta cheese and pesto, and grilled avocado with pomegranate and truffle vinaigrette, which all …

more

Bond Pet Food Founders

Tony Day, CTO, Rich Kelleman, CEO, and Pernilla Audibert, CSO©Bond Pet Food

Bond Pet Foods Raises $17.5M in Series A From Sia and Top Investors to Scale Fermented Meat Proteins

Bond Pet Foods, a biotech startup using fermentation to create meat proteins for pet food, announces it has completed its Series A fundraising round totaling $17.5M. The startup has also broken ground on a new 15,000 sq. ft. production facility in Boulder, CO.  The oversubscribed round included top global agribusiness companies ADM Ventures (Archer Daniels Midland Company) and Cavallo Ventures (Wilbur Ellis), as well as institutional funds Genoa Ventures and Lever VC; and food/tech and sustainability investors Thia Ventures and iSelect Fund, among others. Musical icons Sia Isabelle Furler and Joan Jett also participated in the round. A key trend   The startup plans to use the new funding to expand its portfolio of meat proteins and begin scaling production at a new 15,000 sq. ft. …

more

Manna restaurant

© Manna

London Vegan Restaurant Manna to Host Celebrity Fundraising Dinner for Dog Charities

On Thursday evening, September 29th, UK dog charities All Dogs Matter and Pup Aid will be hosting a fundraising dinner at Manna, a London-based vegan restaurant in Primrose Hill. The event will feature a four-course “Taste of Manna” meal and will be attended by actor Peter Egan and media vet Marc Abraham OBE. Guests will have the opportunity to ask questions, take part in a raffle and win prizes for both themselves and their dogs. There will also be an auction featuring a signed hoodie by comedian Ricky Gervais, a signed book written by Marc Abraham, a personal tour of the Denbies wines estate and their vegan wines, and a family trip and personal tour of Earthling Ed‘s Surge Sanctuary. All profits from the raffle …

more

Memphis Vegan BBQ

©Imagine Vegan Cafe

How Memphis, the “Pork BBQ Capital of the World”, is Reinventing Itself Through Vegan Southern Cuisine

The city of Memphis, TN, famous for its status as a BBQ capital and haven of hot wings, is undergoing an unexpected transformation into a new destination for plant-based US Southern cuisine, reports National Geographic.  Among new noteworthy restaurants, Plant Based Heat opened in June 2021 to offer a fully meatless take on the city’s beloved tradition of spicy wings. Founded by Ralph ‘RJ Groove’ Johnson, Plant Based Heat offers diners vegan wings (“vings”) made from soy and pea protein smothered in a variety of signature sauces.  According to Johnson, a former branch owner of popular local chain Crumpy’s Wings, he created his concept to offer Memphis residents both excellent food and a healtful departure from the city’s meat-heavy cuisine. “I wanted to bring healthier food …

more

Supermodel Kate Moss launches wellness brand

© Cosmoss

Supermodel Kate Moss Launches Vegan Wellness Brand

British supermodel Kate Moss has launched a vegan, cruelty-free, and sustainably-sourced wellness brand called Cosmoss. The range currently features face cream, face cleanser, herbal teas, eau de parfum, and pro-collagen oil drops containing CBD. Moss says the products are designed to be used as part of three “rituals” — Dawn, Day, and Dusk — which “balance body and soul with the natural environment and the circadian cycles”. The supermodel created the brand — which took two and a half years to develop — after the pandemic inspired her to focus on spirituality and self-care. Celebrity beauty brands Kate Moss is one of several celebrities to launch vegan beauty and wellness brands in recent years. Fashion designer Stella McCartney has just partnered with the LVMH beauty …

more

Image: Russell Brand on Instagram

Russell Brand Rumoured to Be Converting Pub Into Vegan Restaurant

British comedian and actor Russell Brand is reportedly planning to convert a traditional Oxfordshire pub into a vegan restaurant. Brand, a longtime advocate for plant-based diets, bought The Crown Inn in Pishill with his wife Laura in 2020. The Grade II listed building has since remained closed, with Brand said to be temporarily using it as a recording studio while a more permanent setup is built on the property. He has promised that once the new studio is complete, the pub will reopen. But the rumours have sparked anger among locals, who want the establishment to remain a traditional pub as there are no others in the village. Speaking to The Sun, one resident questioned why Brand would buy a pub when he is teetotal, …

more

Fuller's x Made in Hackney

© Fuller's

Fuller’s Partners With Made in Hackney to Launch Plant-Based Burger in London Pubs

UK company Fuller’s Brewery has partnered with London community kitchen Made in Hackney to offer a plant-based burger at pubs owned by Fuller’s. The burger features a jerk patty made from mushrooms, quinoa, and beetroot, topped with smoky vegan cheese, tahini-dressed kale, balsamic beef tomato, and a secret sauce. It is served with triple-cooked chips. The collaboration is ongoing, and Made in Hackney will also be developing vegan Christmas dishes for Fuller’s this year. Some of the proceeds will be donated back to the community kitchen, helping to feed plant-based meals to Londoners in need. Vegan pub food Like other UK businesses, many pubs are recognising the growing demand for plant-based options and are expanding their menus. One traditional pub became fully vegan earlier this …

more

Whoa Dough Airline Cookie Bars

©Whoa Dough

American Airlines Now Offering Plant-Based Whoa Dough Cookie Bars in First Class

American Airlines, the world’s largest airline, is now offering Whoa Dough plant-based cookie bars for first-class passengers on domestic flights.  Whoa Dough’s popular gluten-free Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough flavor will be included in first-class passengers’ meal baskets. Made without artificial ingredients, Whoa Dough bars are crafted with allergy-friendly foods such as whole-grain oat and chickpea flour. Each bar contains 150 calories, 4 g of protein, 5 g of fat and is free from dairy, eggs and soy. The brand is also certified kosher and non-GMO.  Whoa Dough’s full range includes five additional flavors: Sugar, Sugar Sprinkle, Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, Brownie Batter, and a variety pack. The brand was founded by Todd Goldstein, who sought to create healthier gluten-free snacks for himself and two …

more

aquafaba

© Aquafaba.space

Ukraine’s Aquafaba.space Launches Crowdfunding Campaign For Egg White Replacer

Aquafaba.space, a plant-based egg white replacer startup from Ukraine, announces the launch of a crowdfunding campaign on the platform Indiegogo to determine the demand for its product. Aquafaba.space announced the start of its crowdfunding campaign to gauge interest in its product. The campaign has a global reach due to the international interest in the company’s product creation. The company says that Ukrainian animal rights group UAnimals will receive 10% of the money raised. The goal of the organisation is to “give the feeling of protection and safety to those who cannot take care of themselves” by protecting animals who suffer from war and brutality. Freeze-dried aquafaba Aquafaba in powder form that has been freeze-dried comprises the startup’s flagship product. The liquid that remains after cooking …

more

Fry's sausage

©Fry's

Temporary Victory in South Africa Where Seizure of Plant-Based Foods Has Been Halted

Plant-based advocates in South Africa are celebrating a temporary victory after succeeding at the Johannesburg High Court on Saturday in halting thousands of product seizures scheduled to take place today, 22nd August. The Food Safety Agency (FSA) was set to begin the seizure of thousands of plant-based meat alternatives from retailers across the country for using terms such as “burger”, “nugget”, and “sausage”, in a now familiar battle that plant-based industry has been winning in various markets. To name recent examples, the French decree on labelling was suspended just three weeks ago down to insufficient legality, and famously, Amendment 171 actioned by the dairy lobby was rejected by the EU parliament last May. Saturday’s ruling prohibits the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development …

more

Kevin Hart Vegan Fast Food

©Kevin Hart

Kevin Hart’s Vegan Hart House Restaurant Opening Aug. 25, With Eye Towards National Expansion

Comedian Kevin Hart reveals his plant-based fast food concept, Hart House, will open its first location in LA’s Westchester neighborhood on Thursday, August 25th.  Serving a menu of burg’rs, chick’n sandwiches, salads, fries, and milkshakes, Hart House aims to “disrupt fast food” with healthier and more affordable plant-based options, Hart says.  Several Southern California locations are already in the works, and the brand is looking toward US national expansion, with the eventual goal of competing with fast food giants like McDonald’s and Burger King, reports Nation’s Restaurant News.  Custom-made proteins Hart House is serving proprietary plant-based meats created by Mike Salem, Burger King’s former head of culinary innovation, who was hired by Hart House’s team to develop all-new protein analogs.  “Our analogs are at such …

more

load more