Empowering Women in Veganism: Inside the Vegan Women Summit 2024

From vegconomist.com

The Vegan Women Summit 2024 took place at the Pacific Design Centre in West Hollywood, California, on May 9 and 10, drawing nearly 1,000 attendees from six continents. With over 100 speakers and brands, the summit celebrated the contributions of women in the vegan industry, including the fields of food, fashion, beauty, and sustainability. 

The summit began with a pre-party gala where celebrities such as Moby, Red Foo, Nika King, Sharon Carpenter, and Aubrey K. Miller were in attendance on the red carpet. Founder Jennifer (Jenny) Stojkovic welcomed the over 300 guests to the summit, where guests had the opportunity to sample Climax Foods blue and brie cheeses, along with catering by Ma-Kin Sushi, 2foods USA, and La Crepe Du Jardin.

© Vegan Women Summit

Keynote speech by Ethan Brown

Ethan Brown, founder of Beyond Meat, delivered an inspiring keynote speech in conversation with Stojkovic where he shared his personal journey of transitioning to a plant-based diet and creating a successful plant-based meat alternative company. He spoke on the importance of resilience, risk-taking, a “little bit of insanity,” and embracing failure as a pathway to success. This is especially crucial considering the challenges faced by the company as of late.

                                            “We’ve got to stop being purists. We’ve got to support each other”

Reflecting on the political and emotional obstacles faced by the industry, he spoke on the agricultural lobbies in every state, the control they have, and their resistance to change. He noted, “They’re really big, and they’re really powerful. And they control Washington. Right? And so it’s just a lot harder, but there’s also this emotional component, right? You don’t hear people say, my daddy had a landline. I had a landline. You never heard that. Right. But when it comes to [eating plant-based], you do hear it.”

Brown is optimistic about the future of the plant-based meat industry and his predicted shift away from terms like “fake” and “artificial.” He stated, “You won’t hear this alternative meat, this fake meat, even plant-based meat, they will all be meat. Your grandchildren will be eating meat right from plants and not thinking about it.”

© Vegconomist

Brown addressed the challenges of fear-mongering and disinformation, noting the safety and benefits of plant-based ingredients. “There’s nothing in our products that’s going to harm you. There’s nothing. There are 1000s of studies out there saying that processed meat, red meat, all these things are going to really harm if you eat them in large levels.

“There’s not a single study out there with any merit that says there’s anything wrong with any of the ingredients we use. Red lentils, brown rice, yellow peas. All of these things right from the earth are being grown by real farmers. We’ve got to stop being purists. We’ve got to support each other.”

Stojkovic and Brown further spoke on the unity and shared goals among vegans and the importance of working together towards a common goal of creating a kinder world, which was a key theme present throughout the day. They urged others to stop the infighting, and the necessity to come together and support each other as an industry if we are to drive long-standing change.

Climax Foods blue cheese © Vegconomist

Guests and brand showcases

Special guest Oliver Zahn, founder of Climax Foods, made headlines with his company’s blue cheese, which recently faced disqualification from the Good Food Awards due to a last-minute technicality.

Notable brands like 2Foods USA, VBites, GoodSAM, and Mooji Meats showcased their innovative products, along with vegan collagen bone broth from Liven Proteins and plant-based steak from Mooji Meats.

Also in attendance were industry up-and-comers like Blue Zones Kitchen, Prophecy Foods, and Never Better Foods, who sampled its plant-based cheese options made from ingredients like pea protein, sunflower protein, chickpea protein, and konjac.

Mooji Meats plant-based steak © Vegconomist

Panels and discussions

The summit featured a diverse array of panels and discussions, covering a wide range of topics relevant to the vegan industry:

• Longevity panel: Esteemed doctors, including Dr. Melissa Sundermann, Dr. Janel Gordon, Dr. Robyn Tiger, and Abigail Coleman, founder of Blue Zones Kitchen, discussed the impact of plant-based diets on longevity and overall health.
• Plant-based entrepreneurship: Nia Gatica and Jayde Nicole, founders of Sugar Taco, shared insights on building successful businesses in the plant-based sector, discussing the challenges and opportunities they encountered along the way.
• Rising women in food: Moderated by Terry Stanley of Adweek, this panel featured Fei Luo of Liven Proteins, Delaney Berman of Prophecy Foods, Insa Mohr of Mooji Meat, and Mehek Khera of Niramaya. The discussion centred around entrepreneurship, taking risks, gender dynamics in food tech, and the importance of collaboration and support within the industry.
• Fungi, plastic-free Fashion, and executive careers: Further panels covered innovative topics such as the use of fungi in sustainable products, the rise of plastic-free fashion, and building meaningful executive careers, focusing on the challenges women face in leadership roles and the need for supportive communities.
• Heather Terry of GoodSAM: Terry discussed the importance of working holistically with your supply chain, along with transparency in product sourcing. GoodSAM works directly with farmers and invests in them and their businesses, centring around regenerative agriculture with smallholder farmers and indigenous communities. Terry spotlighted the company’s commitment to ethical practices, sustainable agriculture, and fair wages for farmers in order to support business longevity and a secure supply chain. 

© Vegan Women Summit

The “New Plant-Based Consumer”

Jenny Engel and Heather Golden Ray from Hey, Sunshine Kitchen, Kate Dugan from Beyond Meat, and Ipek Trinkaus from Milkadamia discussed consumer insights and pricing strategies, including the need to prioritize volume and affordability in the current market.

They spoke on the innovation process required for new product launches, with key takeaways being the need for qualitative and quantitative research, internal panels, and taste testing for product validation, as well as the importance of scalability and connecting with purpose, not just profit.

The panel was further asked about their thoughts on consumer acceptance of cultivated meat, with Dugan noting the challenges of positioning. She stated, “I think nailing the positioning of cultivated meat is actually a pretty difficult task. Because I do think you certainly have consumers who feel a little bit conflicted, but they’re not willing to necessarily change their behaviours.  I think there is a category of people that it totally makes sense for. But I think the question is, really, how do you position it, and how do you actually get them to change their behaviours?”

© Vegan Women Summit

Plant-based foods, competitions, and book signings

Mr. Charlie’s and Violife provided food throughout the day, with Mr. Charlie’s serving breakfast sandwiches with TiNDLE sausage, and for lunch, it was “Not a Chicken Sandwich” with TiNDLE’s chicken patty, along with salads from Pura Vita LA, Violife queso and chips, and offerings from Beyond Meat. 

In the Top Chef Challenge, Adjoa Courtney (Chef Joya), Ratbek Sadvakassov, and Rebecca Yang competed for the title, using Mellody Farms vegan honey and Impossible meat in their recipes. Chef Joya took home the win with her honey garlic vegan lamb chop served on sweet potato polenta and smoked Swiss chard.

Throughout the day, attendees had the opportunity to meet and get books signed by authors such as Redfoo & Momfoo, Lyana Blount, Remy Park, Lauren Toyota, and Nick Cutsumpas in the Creator Corner.

© Heather Mills

Recognition and closing awards

The summit concluded with keynote Heather Mills, owner of VBites, speaking on overcoming adversity, the significance of marketing and branding, understanding the global market and anticipating challenges, along with an unwavering commitment to what you do.

She shared, “Make sure the product is absolutely brilliant and don’t compromise on your product because it won’t last. […] You’ve got to plan your business and everything you do like it’s going to be a disaster, but remain hopeful and enjoy every day because you could all be gone tomorrow.”

Mills was also honoured as Woman of the Year, recognizing her unwavering commitment to the vegan movement and her impactful leadership. Impossible Foods took home the award for Best Place to Work, and Upside Foods won Innovation of the Year.

https://vegconomist.com/fairs-and-events/empowering-women-veganism-inside-vegan-women-summit-2024/

The vegan superfoods to know in 2024

From specialityfoodmagazine.com

The plant-based sector is chock full of buzzy food products. Speciality Food finds out which in-demand foods retailers should be stocking now

The exact number of people in the UK who follow a vegan diet is always in flux, but trends in food consumption have given the industry a clear message: almost half of Brits said they were reducing their consumption of meat fairly often or all the time, according to YouGov’s latest research.

In Europe, the plant-based food market is expected to reach $13 million by 2028, according to Euromonitor. Vegan food is big business, but with countless new product launches and trending superfoods coming and going, knowing what to stock can feel like a minefield. Do customers want simple whole foods, or are they more interested in cutting-edge fake meat? 

“The market is diverse,” explains Declan Rooney, plant-based protein growth platform manager at Ingredion. “Some consumers seek alternatives that mimic traditional meat and dairy…other consumers look for natural options that solely use clean label ingredients.” 

What customers expect from their plant-based products is also varied, he says. “This ranges from seeking more adventurous tastes and textures, and trust and transparency, to health and nutrition, affordability, and convenience, as well as adapting well-known dishes.”

Scratch vegan cooking is in

On the whole, participants in the most recent Veganuary challenge preferred choosing to cook vegan meals from scratch rather than relying heavily on meat alternatives, such as sausages, burgers and nuggets, says Dr Toni Vernelli, international head of policy and communications for Veganuary.

And the sales data backs this up. “Sales of wholefood, plant-based products like tofu, tempeh and fruits and vegetables were very strong, with brands such as Tofoo and Better Nature Tempeh reporting huge year-on-year sales increases for January 2024 compared to 2023,” Toni says. Tesco also reported a big increase in sales of fruit and vegetables in January, as well as in plant-based protein sources like tofu, legumes and falafels.

This trend in consumer demand is being influenced by cost as well, as Toni notes that the cost-of-living crisis “motivated many to make their food budget go as far as possible,” thus leaning towards simpler ingredients like grains and pulses, which they can use to batch cook plant-based meals at home.

As awareness about ultra-processed food grows, health is becoming a greater deciding factor too, with Toni citing “a desire to cut back on processed foods” driving demand for real, natural vegan ingredients.

However, the convenience-factor can never be completely discounted. Heather Mills, a plant-based food and gut health expert and founder of VBites, says, “Consumers are also very busy, so this is why we offer products like ready to eat sausages that can also be warmed in seconds in their air fryer. Delicious foods that are easy, better for the planet and cruelty free.”

Must-stock vegan ingredients

With these latest trends in mind, what should retailers be stocking now to cater to plant-based and flexitarian shoppers? Toni says consumers “are looking for versatile ingredients that are easy to cook, high in protein, and with a good, solid texture that can be used to give substance to vegetable dishes like curries, pasta, salads, burritos and bakes”.

Heather says functional foods are another stand-out trend. “Vegan foods that perhaps boost immunity, improve digestion, support heart health and more,” are in high demand. Natural products that promote good gut health are also worth stocking. “With such growing awareness of the gut microbiome’s role in overall health, vegan superfoods can include ingredients that support gut health now, such as fermented foods, prebiotics, and probiotics,” Heather says.

Tofu, tempeh and seitan

The new demand for natural products is driving demand for good old-fashioned tofu, tempeh and seitan. Tofu and tempeh, which are made from soya, offer a great source of plant-based protein, and they’re also a source of amino acids. Retailers might want to offer traditional silken tofu from the likes of Clearspring or flavoured versions like Taifun’s Wild Garlic or Smoked Tofu. Tempeh, though less well-known, is increasingly being sold in ready-to-cook pouches from brands such as Better Nature and Tempeh Meades.

Seitan, which shares similar attributes to tofu and tempeh, is made from vital wheat gluten, so while it’s not suitable for those with a gluten allergy, it’s a great protein source for soya allergy sufferers. Toni notes that while seitan is popular among vegans, it can be more difficult to track down. Stocking products like Biona’s Organic Seitan Pieces, then, might give fine food retailers an edge over supermarkets.

Beans, lentils and peas

Pulses, like beans, lentils and peas, are also a must-stock, with brands redefining the category by branching out to new formats, like quality jarred beans, and unusual heritage varieties. 

“Legumes and pulses, like lentils, chickpeas and butter beans, are having a renaissance as they are incredibly nutritious, versatile, satiating and affordable!” Toni says. A chickpea ‘tuna’ salad recipe from Veganuary continues to be one of the brand’s best-performing posts on Instagram whenever it is shared.

Ingredion also expects demand for pulse proteins to rise, such as those from peas, fava beans, lentils and chickpeas.

Some brands are using the growing demand for pulses to create innovative new products. The Good Pulse Company, which was featured in the EIT Food Accelerator Network’s new cohort of 58 ground-breaking start-ups, uses peas to create a healthier solution to plant-based cheese, resulting in a product that’s high in protein and fibre. And legumes aren’t just for savoury dishes. Foreverland Food, which was also chosen for the accelerator, is an Italian foodtech start-up using Italian carob to create a vegan, allergen-free chocolate alternative.

Whole grains

Another group of store cupboard staples that are crucial building blocks for vegan meals are whole grains. 

Quinoa has soared in popularity in Europe in recent years, but there are plenty of alternatives for retailers to explore with lesser-known but increasingly growing reputations, like buckwheat, farro, freekeh and teff. 

Each grain type has a unique history, different health properties and a variety of uses that in-the-know consumers are keen to explore. Just be sure you’re stocking whole grains and not refined grains to get all the good benefits. Explore all the grains you should know about here.

Mushrooms

Mushrooms seem to be sprouting up in just about every food category. Increasingly these fungi are being used medicinally as adaptogens that help the body adjust to stressors. Indeed, Mintel found that 35% of consumers are looking for food and drink products using healthy ingredients “based on ‘ancient wisdom’ such as Ayurveda and Chinese medicine”, so mushrooms certainly fit the bill.

You’ll find them in drinks, with everything from non-alcoholic cognitive cocktails to coffee brands like Oyl that hope to help Brits manage their energy levels, or Dirtea, which offers mushroom powders with calming, focus or immune-boosting claims.

Mushrooms are being used in a variety of ways in food and snacks, too, with meat replacements, like Fable, boasting a naturally meat-like texture and umami flavour in their product made from shiitake mushrooms, or mushroom-based crisps from Real Naturals or Other Foods.

Seaweed

Speciality Food recently explored the growing popularity of seaweed in fine food products thanks to the product’s health benefits, sustainable credentials, versatility and popularity in global cuisines. As well as being used to create vegan-friendly snacks like seaweed chips, brands like BettaF!sh use seaweed to flavour their plant-based fish products. The brand Impulse has also created a seaweed-infused tempeh product.

Mintel recently called kelp seaweed “one of the next big sustainable ingredients to watch out for in Europe”. The research group’s AI tool revealed that kelp’s prevalence in product launches in the food and drink industry rose steadily from 2005 to 2023, and there are more launches on the cards for 2024. “Food and drink brands have the potential to explore greater options with kelp; for example, in the snack category, creating seaweed-infused crispy seaweed chips or mixing seaweed into already popular items such as crackers or popcorn,” says Emma Schofield, associate director of Global Food Science for Mintel.

“Manufacturers can make seaweed more approachable for consumers and enhance its adoption by presenting it in familiar formats,” she added.

This trend is already well underway in the fine food sector, but retailers can expect to see it pick up steam in the coming year.

https://www.specialityfoodmagazine.com/food-and-drink/vegan-superfoods-to-try

Are Almonds Really Unethical? The Truth About Their Bad Rep

From plantbasednews.org

Almonds have been scapegoated by everyone from Piers Morgan to the writers of ‘The Good Place’ - but how unethical are they really? 

Over the last few years, there has been growing awareness of the huge impact our diet has on the environment. Study after study has shown that meat and dairy is destroying the planet, and the science is clear that we must move towards a more plant-based food system to avoid climate collapse. But despite this, society often chooses to ignore the impact of animal foods, and focus instead on demonizing vegan foods. One of its favourite targets? Almonds.

The furore against almonds can be largely traced back to the exploding popularity of almond milk, which took place in the 2010s. As more and more people went plant-based and became vocal about our food system’s problems, the media and popular culture fought back, deciding to blame vegans for eating almonds, rather than themselves for eating dairy. 

Piers Morgan regularly labels vegans “hypocrites” for eating almonds on his show. Publications often cite almonds in articles claiming that vegans are destroying the planet. A daytime show called This Morning once warned viewers not to drink almond milk if they had an “environmental conscience.” In the hugely popular TV sitcom The Good Place, a running joke throughout the series is that Chidi ended up in hell because he enjoyed almond milk on his coffee, despite knowing its “environmental impact.”

But why are almonds so notorious? And do they really deserve this reputation? Here, we delve into everything you need to know about the ethics of eating almonds. 

The popularity of almond milk 

                           Almond milk is growing in popularity             Adobe Stock

Variations of almond milk have been around in some cultures for hundreds of years, but its popularity as a plant-based milk alternative started in the 21st century. Around a decade ago, in 2014, almond milk hit headlines when it overtook soy as the USA’s favourite plant milk. It maintains this title today, with soy and oat milk following behind. In just three months in 2021, almond milk sales reached USD $344 million. The global almond milk market is worth around $5.46 billion. 

Almond milk is essentially a blend of almonds and water, and many brands add sweeteners or sugar, as well as fortifications of vitamins and minerals. Almond milk is popular in coffee, breakfast cereal, and a wide range of plant-based recipes. It’s now available at pretty much any cafe, supermarket, or restaurant you go to. 

The environmental cost of almonds

The main reason why almonds are controversial is because they use up a lot of fresh water. Around 80 percent of the world’s almonds are grown in California, a state that regularly experiences droughts. Between the years of 2012 and 2016, a time when almond milk was first becoming mainstream, California experienced its worst droughts on record. Blaming almonds for these droughts has therefore been easy, convenient, and commonplace. 

And, to an extent, almonds do deserve this blame. Tree nuts need a huge amount of freshwater to grow, and almond farming uses up nine percent of California’s freshwater. This is a substantial amount, and the fact that almonds have become more popular over the years has worsened the problem. Due to growing demand, growers have started planting almond trees in hot and dry regions, such as the western San Joaquin Valley, where water supplies are fragile. This means that a huge, and growing, amount of groundwater is being irrigated to keep these trees healthy in difficult conditions. 

There is no doubt that almonds are using up water, and people are right to label them as not environmentally-friendly in that regard. The mistake society makes, however, is believing them to be worse than dairy.

Almonds VS dairy 

The vast majority of media reports, segments, and popular culture moments that attack almond milk for its water usage fail to give any mention to the huge water use of dairy. 

While nine percent of California’s agricultural water is used for almonds, around 16 percent is used to grow a crop called alfalfa, which is predominantly grown to feed dairy cows, as well as other farmed animals. A Food and Water Watch report published in 2023 found that dairy farming alone uses 142 million gallons per day. A study published in the journal Nature in 2020 reported that beef and dairy production is “the leading driver” of water scarcity in Western USA. A University of Oxford study published in 2022 found that dairy milk uses 628 litres of water per litre of milk, while almond milk uses 371 litres.

When assessing the environmental impact of a food, it’s not just water use that should be taken into account. The amount of greenhouse gas emissions, pollution, and land use the food contributes to, are all key indicators of how eco-friendly it is. In regards to these three categories, almond milk actually fares quite well. 

According to the Oxford study, almond milk produces the lowest emissions of all plant milks cited, at 0.7 kg per litre. Oat milk produces 0.9 kg, soy milk 0.98 kg, while rice milk emits 1.18 kg. Dairy milk is by far the biggest contributor to greenhouse gasses, producing 3.15 kg per litre.

Almond milk also uses far less land than dairy at 0.5 square meters per litre, opposed to dairy’s 8.95 square meters. It’s worth noting that almond farming uses trees, which help remove carbon from the atmosphere, meaning its use of land is considerably more environmentally friendly than dairy’s. In terms of eutrophication (the pollution of ecosystems with excess nutrients), almond milk is the second least harmful of all milks studied. 

Almond milk and bees

Another highly publicized issue with almonds is that they use bees in their production, as almond trees require cross pollination to grow. 

Migratory beekeeping refers to the practice of transporting hives of bees long distances so they can help pollinate certain crops. Beekeepers often make a significant amount of their income by renting out their honey bees for this purpose. Bees are sentient beings, and making them travel in this way is likely highly stressful for them. Many die on route, and huge numbers are also killed on farms. 

According to a 2020 report by the Guardian, beekeepers renting bees to almond farms were seeing bees die in “record numbers.” High mortality is attributed to pesticide exposure, diseases from parasites, and habitat loss. Using honey bees to pollinate crops also wreaks havoc on native bee populations, as they compete against them for food and resources. They may also spread diseases to other bees. 

There is no doubt that migratory beekeeping is exploitative, and some people have claimed that foods like almonds (as well as avocados, cherries, kiwis, melons, and butternut squash) are not vegan because they are grown as a result of it. 

Are almonds vegan?

Contrary to what some of the media says, almonds are suitable for a vegan lifestyle   Adobe Stock

The assessment that almonds are not vegan because of migratory beekeeping is not true. Almonds, along with avocados and other vegetables, are suitable for vegans. The definition of veganism, as outlined by The Vegan Society, is about avoiding animal use and exploitation “where possible and practicable.” It would be both impossible and impractical to avoid all indirect harm to animals while living in a non-vegan world. Veganism is about minimizing harm, rather than avoiding it altogether.

That said, that doesn’t mean that vegans support migratory beekeeping. Many strive to buy products that come from farms who do not rely on it, and vegans also fight for a plant-based food system where crops are farmed more naturally, and migratory beekeeping is not viable or needed. 

If you are using the bee exploitation argument as a reason to consume dairy over almonds, it’s worth remembering that migratory beekeeping is also used to grow alfalfa and other crops fed to farmed animals, meaning dairy consumption contributes to bee exploitation too. Animal farming is also the leading cause of biodiversity loss, which is having a significant effect on bee populations.

Drinking cow’s milk directly supports an industry that breeds, raises, and exploits 270 million sentient beings globally. Cows, like all mammals, must give birth to a baby in order to produce milk, and they are forcibly impregnated around once a year to that end. After they give birth, their baby will be taken from them after just a few hours. If the baby is female, she will likely suffer the same fate as her mother. If the baby is male, he will either be shot or sold to the veal industry. Illnesses like mastitis (a painful udder inflammation) and lameness are common on dairy farms due to the conditions in which the animals are kept. Dairy cows will therefore often spend their entire lives in pain. Once their milk dries up, they will be sent to the slaughterhouse. 

The bottom line

There is no doubt that almonds are more water intensive than many other plant foods, and they are far from an environmentally-friendly food. Almond farming also causes harm to animals, contributing to exploitation and death of bees. 

To some, therefore, almonds and almond milk are unethical foods, and should be avoided. This is a reasonable assessment to make, and it is absolutely right that almonds may not be compatible with some people’s lifestyle choices. If you are concerned about almonds but consume meat and dairy, however, it’s very likely that your issues with almonds are eclipsed by the products you are eating. 

Over the last few years, almonds have gained a reputation that they don’t entirely deserve. Our society gives huge emphasis to the environmental and ethical costs of almonds and other plant foods, while largely side-lining or ignoring the significant costs of animal foods. This is misleading, and it gives the entirely false impression that almond milk is worse for the environment than dairy. Time and time again, however, almonds – and other plant foods – have been shown to be more environmentally-friendly, and more ethical generally, than animal products.

https://plantbasednews.org/culture/ethics/are-almonds-unethical/