We can all agree that 2020 has been a pretty surreal and challenging year. One could actually say 2020 is a year like no other year, so much so that there will be BC (before COVID) and AC (after COVID) considering how almost everything has been impacted by it. The good news is like everything in life, there is always a silver lining, and there have been some very positive developments that are worth mentioning in the world of animal welfare and the vegan food industry. Here are a few worth noting:
There is a new amazing online vegan store with hundreds of vegan products! It is called: GTFO It’s Vegan. I have never seen so many different vegan products in one place! It’s like I died and went to Vegan heaven! Every kind of mock meat, fish, seafood, egg, cheese, spread, baking mix, dog food… You name it, they have it! We have come a long way indeed!
Famous vegans in the news
If you think that real athletes need lots of meat protein, you may want to see James Cameron’s documentary The Game Changer! So many of the world’s top athletes have ditched the meat and seen their performance improve! Shout out to Lewis Hamilton! Here are more champions that joined the movement!
- 19 Vegan Athletes Who Swear By Plant-Based Diets
- 10 VEGETARIAN TV Characters Who Made DITCHING MEAT Mainstream
- 10 MORE Vegan Celebs BEFORE And AFTER Going VEGAN
Big boxes getting into the plant-based market
When you see how many giant food corporations are rushing to offer vegan alternatives to their menus, you can’t help thinking about what Mahatma Gandhi once said: “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win!”
Being a vegan for over 30 years, I can say that the past 10 years have been on steroids when it comes to mainstream businesses finally joining the movement. It has never been easier to eat plant-based fast food… which should be consumed in moderation but at least this means millions of animals have been saved because of these convenient plant-based substitutes. Every time I see a sign that says “# million served” I think that it should say “# millions of animals slaughtered”. No one wants to talk about it but the truth is that we are not really feeding 7 billion humans. That would be manageable and there would even be space for further growth. The unsustainable truth is that we are growing food to feed 45 billion farm animals that end up in restaurants (mostly fast food), grocery stores, etc. There isn’t enough land and water to grow that much grain and protein! So when I see the list below, I think that you will also agree that we have passed a major milestone:
- McDonald’s Puts Plant-Based Pork On The Menu
- Burger King Launched Vegan Chicken Nuggets, But…
- Target Launches Private-Label Vegan Burgers
- Starbucks Is Testing A Fully Vegan Breakfast Sandwich
- Walmart Just Launched Mickey Mouse Vegan Chicken Nuggets
- IMPOSSIBLE BURGER Now At WALMART
- KFC Is Launching Vegan Beyond Fried Chicken In 50 California Locations
- IKEA’s NEW Meatless MEATBALLS Are Having A MAJOR Moment
- Global Vegan Cheese Market To Reach $2.5 Billion By End Of Year
- JUST Vegan Egg Company Announce Plans To IPO
In Wildlife News
We all know that we are rapidly losing our biodiversity and species as human industries and overall population expansion keeps encroaching on natural habitats. However, thanks to the courage and determination of conservation organizations and people on the ground, some progress has been made in parts of the world. We are by no mean reversing the untold damage we have caused but the following news is worth mentioning:
- The Grey wolf has been removed from the endangered list in 2020!
- America’s Conservation Enhancement (ACE) Act was passed into law. It represents one of the largest wildlife conservation to help protect elk, mule deer, bison, and other species in Wyoming.
- Elephant Poaching Falls By 91% In 2 Years In Kenya
- Taiwan Just Banned Fishing Great White Sharks
- France bans the cruel crushing and shredding of live chicks
Did you know that it is a common practice in the egg industry around the world to toss live all male chicks into a shredding machine (yes while they are still alive!) They are considered useless because they cannot lay eggs! Imagine if the earth was ruled by giants and all males human babies were deemed disposable… - PETA funded the development of an artificial 3D deep human lung to test the effects of chemicals, nanomaterial, thus saving tens of thousands of mice and rats that would otherwise be forced to inhale them for hours at a time and for months until they died!
In the Fashion Industry News…
It takes true entrepreneurs and visionary leaders to make decisions that break away from well-established industry practices and norms and set new ones. And the winners are…
- Catherine Zeta-Jones Is Launching Vegan Leather Shoes
- SELENA GOMEZ Launches VEGAN Beauty Brand
- Adidas, Stella McCartney, Lululemon To Use Vegan Leather Made From Mushrooms
- France To Shut Down All Mink Fur Farms By 2025
- All Nordstrom Stores To Ban Fur And Exotic Animal Skins
- Exotic Animal Skins Are Now Banned At Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger
- All Dutch Mink Fur Farms To Close Permanently By 2021
- BMW 5-Series Cars Will Now Be Made With Vegan Leather
So as we, the consumers, continue to put pressure on companies by supporting those who innovate and deliver, we continue shifting away from animal products. Did you know that by being vegan you save 200 animals every year from being slaughtered?
A big thanks to PETA (People’s for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) for courageously fighting for animal rights, tracking abuse, push for legislation, and much more. Another thanks for livekindly.co/news/ for tracking and keeping up with the latest and greatest developments in the world of animal welfare, vegan products, and more!
What are you thankful for today?