USA: PETA Names Top 10 Restaurants Offering Vegan Sausage for Oktoberfest

From peta.org

As Oktoberfest celebrations return across the U.S., PETA is raising a stein to restaurants that are making the festivities friendlier for animals by serving delicious vegan sausages. From meat-free bratwurst and currywurst to house-made seitan specialties, these spots are proving that compassionate eating never means sacrificing flavour.

Here are PETA’s picks for the nation’s top spots for vegan sausages this Oktoberfest season: 

1. Dat Dog

New Orleans, Louisiana
Oktoberfest meets Mardi Gras with the Vegan Banger, a vegan bratwurst on a toasted sourdough bun and topped with sauerkraut, dill relish, grilled onions, tomatoes, and Creole mustard.

2. Gerhard’s Brats

Minneapolis, Minnesota
This brat-focused food truck and catering vendor serves up a Field Roast Vegan Sausage piled with classic toppings such as sauerkraut, diced onions, hot peppers, and Düsseldorf mustard.

3. The Vanguard

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Start out with the Vegan Brat, crafted from house-made seitan, then topped with kraut and onions, or take it a step further by adding some vegan cheese sauce. They also offer a Vegan Chorizo Sausage seasoned with smoked paprika, chipotle, and oregano, topped with tomato, onion and jalapeño.

4. Hollerbach’s German Restaurant

Sanford, Florida
Add the Wegan Wurst, a Beyond Meat sausage, to a variety of dishes or get it as part of the Vegan Wurst Teller, an entrée of two vegan sausages served with sweet red cabbage and fries. Be sure to check out the entire vegetarian menu with clearly marked vegan options!

5. The German Knodle

St. Petersburg, Florida
Order the award-winning Vegan Mushroom Sausage with a side of Sauerkraut and fries. Want to add a little spice? Get the Vegan Curry Sausage, or celebrate Oktoberfest to the fullest, and get both.

6. Urban German Wursthaus

Portland, Oregon

The savoury Vegan Wurst is served in a soft pretzel bun and topped with tangy alongside a pickle spear, giving this classic German-inspired meal a compassionate twist. Don’t forget the vegan Schnitzel Bites!

7. Hofbräuhaus Cleveland

Cleveland, Ohio
At this Bavarian-style beer hall, compassionate guests can order a grilled vegan bratwurst on a vegan-friendly bun with Düsseldorf mustard, served with a side salad with balsamic vinaigrette.

8. Fassler Hall

Tulsa, Oklahoma
It’s hard to pick between the Beyond Bratwurst topped with kraut and Dijon mustard, and the Beyond Spicy Italian Sausage served with grilled peppers and onions. We say bring a friend so you can try both or go back for seconds.

9. Leavenworth Sausage Garten

Leavenworth, Washington
Feast on the smoky and flavourful Field Roast Smoked Apple Sage Sausage, piled high with vegan toppings like sauerkraut, relish, banana peppers, jalapeños, ketchup, and onion from the condiment bar, while wandering the streets of this Bavarian-themed destination.

10. The Schnitzel Garten

Eagle, Idaho

Rounding out this year’s winners is the Vegan Wurst, which features two Beyond Meat bratwursts served with sauerkraut and a side of your choice (make sure to ask for the vegan options). Order the Small Sausage Plate made vegan if two brats are just too much.

Frankly, we think you can celebrate Oktoberfest without harming anyone, like pigs who enjoy listening to music, and cows who can form close bonds and grieve when they lose loved ones. The meat industry painfully mutilates pigs and cows and crowds these individuals onto filthy feedlots before slaughter. Leave pigs and all other animals off your plate this Oktoberfest and year-round. Can’t make it to any of these spots? Look for vegan sausage from Field Roast, Beyond, and others at your local grocery store and make your own Oktoberfest platter at home. Complete the meal with a vegan-friendly beer.

https://www.peta.org/lifestyle/food/vegan-sausage-restaurants/?fbclid&pl=46_10_0

Most UK Meat-Eaters Find Factory Farming Unacceptable, Vegan Society Survey Suggests

From vegconomist.com

Factory farming of animals for food is unacceptable to 65% of UK adults, according to the second edition of The Vegan Society’s Empathy Index, a survey in which 82% of the 2,000 respondents eat meat. Those figures mean that, at a minimum, more than half of the meat-eaters surveyed object to the system that produces most of the UK’s meat. Citing Compassion in World Farming data, the charity states that 85% of UK farmed animals are factory farmed.

The UK charity added two farming questions to the index this year. The second found that 23% of respondents consider organic animal farming unacceptable. The factory farming result is close to recent research by Project Phoenix, which found that 67% of UK adults see factory farming as morally wrong or concerning. The same research found that 96% of UK adults either do not know how many animals are factory farmed or underestimate the number.

Image: Joachim Suss on Unsplash

Opposition to cosmetics testing climbs

The index was first run in 2024 and has used the same method in both waves. A nationally representative sample rates 29 forms of animal use on a four-point scale, from “completely acceptable” to “completely unacceptable.” Between 2024 and 2026, opposition to testing cosmetic ingredients on animals rose from 84% to 87%, a statistically significant increase. Among female respondents the figure was 90%. Testing medicines on animals was considered unacceptable by 71%.

Home Office figures show 2.54 million procedures on animals in the UK in 2025. That was the year the government published a roadmap to phase out animal testing. The Vegan Society says many products marketed as cruelty-free still contain animal-derived ingredients, such as collagen, keratin and beeswax. The charity has studied this labelling problem in its earlier consumer research on vegan cosmetics.

The largest change in the index concerned greyhound racing. The share of people who find it unacceptable rose from 55% to 60%. The Welsh and Scottish parliaments passed bills to ban the sport in March 2026.

Wool and horse riding remain widely accepted

Hunting deer is now unacceptable to 77% of respondents, up from 74%. Hunting foxes with dogs is unacceptable to 87%. The three least accepted activities were dog fighting, bullfighting and fox hunting with dogs, all of which are illegal in the UK.

At the other end of the scale, the three most accepted uses were riding horses, using animals in film and TV, and wearing sheep’s wool. The number of people who find zoo visits acceptable also rose, from 77% to 79%. Meanwhile, 85% of respondents called themselves animal lovers and 3% did not.

“The forms of animal use that we track in the Empathy Index are not all the same; some cause much greater suffering than others. However, we want to challenge the idea that animals exist to satisfy the needs and wants of humans,” the Vegan Society said.

https://vegconomist.com/studies-numbers/most-uk-meat-eaters-find-factory-farming-unacceptable-vegan-society-survey-suggests/ 

Vegan Summit Budapest Opens to International Audience After Sold-Out 2025 Debut

From vegconomist.com

Vegan Summit Budapest will add live Hungarian-English interpretation, international speakers and a jury-selected awards programme for its second edition, which takes place on November 7, 2026, at the Europa Event Center in the Hungarian capital. Organisers expect more than 1,200 attendees and over 30 exhibitors.

The inaugural summit in November 2025 sold out with more than 1,000 attendees, according to the organisers, who describe the event as Europe’s largest vegan summit by attendance. This year’s edition comes with increased capacity and a larger exhibition area.

Image supplied

Exhibitors from outside the food sector

The 2026 exhibitor list includes telecommunications, automotive and financial services companies alongside producers of plant-based meat, dairy and egg alternatives, food retailers, cruelty-free cosmetics and personal care brands, household goods suppliers and wellness companies. English-speaking staff will be available at every stand so international visitors can sample and buy products.

Organisers say the summit is designed for an audience wider than the vegan community. In a survey of ticket buyers for the 2025 edition, at least half said they did not identify as vegan.

Image supplied

Speakers and awards

The programme combines talks and panels with workshops, cooking sessions, tastings, health screenings and consultations. Speakers include world-record-setting vegan strongman Patrik Baboumian, who will address stereotypes about plant-based diets and athletic performance, and Julia Weibel, farm animal welfare specialist at PETA Germany, who will discuss vegan organic farming and present the organisation’s plan for phasing out livestock farming. Tobias Leenaert, co-founder of ProVeg International, will give a talk titled “The Psychology of Eating Meat.” Hungarian experts and public figures complete the line-up.

A jury including representatives from V-Label Hungary, WWF and Prove will choose winners in four flagship categories, who will receive the newly created Auré Planté Award. Sixteen further categories, among them Plant-Based Meat Alternative of the Year and Vegan-Friendly Restaurant of the Year, will be decided by public vote, with all winners announced at the event.

For every ticket sold, 500 HUF (around €1.40) will be donated to Noé Animal Shelter, which provides long-term care for rescued animals, including farmed animals.

Image supplied

Hungary climbs vegan search rankings

The organisers cite a 2026 analysis by Chef’s Pencil, which found that Hungary rose from 29th to 11th place globally for vegan-related search interest between 2016 and 2025, the largest improvement among the countries analysed. The report identifies Budapest, with its growing number of fully vegan restaurants, cafés and plant-based businesses, as the centre of the country’s vegan scene.

“This year we are reaching another important milestone: we are building a European-level, cross-border event in Budapest. Last year’s stronger-than-expected international interest made it clear to us that there is demand for the Vegan Summit to be open to an international audience as well.

“Accordingly, this year we are expanding with international speakers and attendees, while also increasing capacity, exhibition space and the range of programmes,” said Eniko Toth, lead organiser and marketing director of Vegan Summit Budapest.

https://vegconomist.com/fairs-events/vegan-summit-budapest-opens-international-audience-after-sold-out-2025-debut/ 

UK: La Vie launch ‘revolutionary’ new tofu nuggets and teriyaki bites

From veganfoodandliving.com

French brand La Vie is bringing home more than faux bacon as it expands into ‘natural’ tofu products

La Vie is launching a “tofu revolution” across the UK, expanding its range of realistic pork-style alternatives with new, more “natural” proteins.

Known for its bold branding and patented fat technology, the brand is launching two new products which transform tofu into a tasty chicken alternative.

La Vie’s Tofu Pan Fry Teriyaki and crispy Tofu Nuggets are designed to fit seamlessly into everyday meals, from stir-fries and wraps to quick work-from-home lunches. Providing a wholesome protein source and ready to eat in around seven minutes, they aim to maximise convenience for midweek cooking.

Images © La Vie

Where to buy La Vie tofu nuggets

La Vie’s new tofu range is available now through Tesco and Ocado nationwide.

La Vie Tofu Pan Fry Teriyaki (RRP £3.70 for 240 grams) features pre-diced tofu paired with a sweet and salty glaze sachet, designed to make preparing beautifully marinated tofu at home effortless. It packs 17 grams of protein per 100 grams.

For fans of a crunchy treat, La Vie Tofu Nuggets (RRP £3.90 for 180 grams) offer 13 grams of protein per 100 grams and come coated in an extra-crispy cornflake crumb. Air-fried in seven minutes, they provide a planet-friendly alternative to fast-food drive-thru staples.

In typical La Vie fashion, each box includes a collectable cardboard ‘Lil Buddies’ animal toy to assemble at home.

Why La Vie is tackling natural protein swaps

Following a summer of extreme weather, La Vie says that making simple dietary swaps remains one of the most effective ways to lower individual carbon footprints. The brand hopes to encourage millions of easy plant-based swaps with familiar chicken-style products that appeal to vegans, flexitarians, and more.

In a statement sent to Vegan Food & Living, Nicolas Schweitzer, Co-founder of La Vie, explained that the company aims to challenge existing perceptions of tofu: “Rather than asking consumers to completely change the way they eat, we’ve taken familiar chicken occasions and made them easy to recreate with tofu.

“From crispy nuggets to Pan Fry Teriyaki, it’s tofu designed to be delicious and genuinely easy to cook. We’ve spent years making plant-based food more fun, and this launch is about removing the barriers that can make tofu feel like hard work.”

https://www.veganfoodandliving.com/news/la-vie-launch-new-tofu-nuggets-teriyaki-bites-uk/

Not all vegan cheese melts well – why not?

From favorflav.com

By Delilah Warcup-van Eyck

Vegan ‘cheese’ can now be found in a great many shops, and of course the major supermarkets are not being left behind. Albert Heijn and Lidl recently significantly expanded their range of plant-based dairy products, and the popularity of these products is probably partly due to the fact that there is constantly so much innovation and improvement involved. So toastie lovers no longer have to grumble either, because many vegan cheeses now melt perfectly, just like real cheese. But not all of them do – so what’s the deal?

Let’s be honest: the cheese pull, in other words the thick, hot strands of cheese that form when you pull apart a diagonally cut toastie, are a big part of the fun and the experience when it comes to making a really good toastie. With some vegan cheeses, however, that whole melting story unfortunately doesn’t apply, and this is why:

They melt the cheeses

Traditional cheese is, of course, made from milk. Milk contains two important types of protein: whey protein and casein protein. Casein makes cheese melt when heated. But it only naturally occurs in animal milk, so it isn’t found in vegan cheeses.

Plant-based pleasures

With the first generations of vegan cheeses, the emphasis was not yet on melting ability. But now that eating plant-based is something many people want while they also want delicious pizzas, (veggie) burgers and toasties with loads of melted cheese, the market has changed enormously. There’s plenty of choice now!

Market research

But of course, one vegan cheese is not the same as another, which is why we recommend doing some proper research online if you want to make the switch to eating plant-based cheese. Apparently, there are some very good alternatives to ‘real’ melting cheeses such as young cheese and cheddar, but they don’t all melt equally easily. So it’s worth doing a little research, and you’ll soon discover which slices and grated versions work well on your toastie. At least, Violife apparently performs well in melting terms (both the slices and the grated version; the block somewhat less so). But however you approach it from a plant-based perspective, your karma points are definitely in good shape!

https://favorflav.com/en/new/not-all-vegan-cheese-melts-well-why-not/

USA: Foods You Might Not Know Are Vegan

From peta.org 

Grocery stores carry an array of great-tasting “accidentally vegan” food, including some items that you might not know are animal-free. “Accidentally vegan” foods weren’t created for vegans but just happen to be free of cruelly derived ingredients—meaning there’s no meat, eggs, dairy (i.e., the mammary secretions from cows or other animals), honey, or anything else that was stolen from an animal.

VEGAN 101: YOUR EASY INTRODUCTION TO GOING VEGAN

Please note that this list of “accidentally vegan” products isn’t comprehensive—and it only applies to U.S.-based products, as ingredients can vary by region. Companies frequently change their formulations, so be sure to read labels prior to purchasing.

• Bisquick
• Campbell’s Mushroom Gravy
• Cap’n Crunch
• Chex Mix
• Cracker Jack
  
  
  
• Doritos Spicy Sweet Chili Tortilla Chips
• Dum-Dums
• Fritos
• Fruit by the Foot
• Ghirardelli Premium Hot Cocoa
• Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup
• Lay’s Barbecue Flavoured Chips
• Lotus Biscoff Cookies
  
  
  
• Marie Callender’s Pies (Apple Crumb Cobbler, Blueberry, Cherry Crunch, Dutch Apple, Lattice Apple, Lattice Cherry, Lattice Peach, Peach Cobbler, Razzleberry Fruit, and Strawberry Rhubarb Streusel)
• Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
• Smucker’s Uncrustables
• Thomas’ Bagels

How Do I Find ‘Accidentally Vegan’ Foods?

If you think a product might be “accidentally vegan,” just look at the ingredients list. Keep an eye out for meat extracts, eggs, milk, or honey—cows, chickens, bees, and other animals are exploited and killed to produce these ingredients, so you’ll want to steer clear of them. Here’s a brief list of ingredients to flag for easier label scanning.

• Milk, casein, lactose, and whey: A mother cow’s milk is meant for her babies, but the dairy industry steals it to make these items.
• Eggs: Chickens are inquisitive individuals who love to stretch their wings in the sun.
• Honey and beeswax: Bees are smart, social animals who work hard to produce honey and beeswax in order to feed and support their hives.
• Lard: Pigs are playful and friendly, and they don’t want to die so you can eat foods that contain fat from their bodies.
• Gelatine: Gelatine is made from the skin, tendons, bones, and other body parts of cows and pigs, intelligent, emotional beings with unique personalities and a knack for self-care.
• Confectioner’s glaze/shellac: This is taken from the bodies of crushed-up female lac insects, tiny bugs who live in large groups and secrete shellac to protect themselves and their eggs.
• Vitamin D3: Some products may use a vegan version of this vitamin, but many times it’s extracted from sheep’s wool or fish oils. Like sheep, fish are social animals who communicate constantly with other members of their species. Fish talk to each other using sounds that humans can hear only with special instruments.
• Carmine or “natural red 4”: This red food colouring is made by crushing up female cochineal insects, beetles who enjoy hanging out on cacti and just want to live in peace.

If you’re not sure how a certain ingredient is obtained, reach out to the company to confirm.

What About the ‘May Contain’ Warning?

The “may contain” statement at the end of a product’s ingredients list is simply a notice that the item may have been exposed to an allergen during its production. The statement’s main purpose is to help consumers with severe allergies avoid a potentially life-threatening exposure—but it doesn’t mean that eggs, milk, or any other animal-derived ingredients are actually present.

While PETA supports being vegan, we put the task of vigorously reducing animal suffering ahead of personal purity. Shunning products that are 99% or more vegan but may contain trace amounts of animal-derived ingredients sends the message to manufacturers that there’s no market for these foods—and that ends up hurting more animals. For a more detailed explanation of PETA’s position, please click here.

https://www.peta.org/lifestyle/food/accidentally-vegan/?pl=9_10_0&pagenum=6

This High-Protein Vegan Cottage Cheese Is Made From Upcycled Apricot Kernels

From plantbasednews.org

Austrian food tech start-up Revo Foods has added a high-protein cottage cheese to its product line 

Revo Foods just launched a high-protein vegan cottage cheese made with fermented, upcycled apricot kernels.

According to Revo Foods, COTTAGE PROTEIN+ uses just four ingredients and contains 17g of protein per cup.

Revo Foods is best known for plant-based meat alternatives, including its “hyper-realistic” octopus, black cod, and whole-cut salmon, all made with mycoprotein. Vegan cottage cheese marks a new direction for the Austrian food tech startup.

COTTAGE PROTEIN+ combines soft apricot kernels, water, salt, and vegan cultures to aid fermentation. It is 11.5 percent protein, which Revo Foods noted is more than many cottage cheese products made with animal-derived ingredients. During a taste test, 60 percent of people preferred the COTTAGE PROTEIN+ to traditional options.

The plant-based cottage cheese is approximately 40 percent soft apricot kernels. According to Revo Foods, the majority of kernels produced by processing apricots for jams, juices, and dried snacks are discarded. COTTAGE PROTEIN+ makes waste kernels its star ingredient, “putting circular economy thinking into practice.”

According to Revo Foods, COTTAGE PROTEIN+ is made using just four ingredients and contains 17g of protein per cup - Media Credit: Revo Foods

Fermented plant-based dairy alternatives

Niccolò Galizzi, the head of food tech at Revo Foods, said, “Most plant-based fresh products aren’t fermented, they’re formulated: coconut fat, starch, thickeners, and usually no protein to speak of. We do it the other way around.”

Galizzi added, “With COTTAGE PROTEIN+, the fermentation cultures do the work for us. Texture, acidity, and flavor develop in the fermenter, not on the ingredient list. That’s why we need only four ingredients and still end up with a product that stands out on both taste and nutrition. This is truly a product that captures the trend of the time: Simple, few natural ingredients, high in proteins and tasty.”

Revo Foods’ vegan cottage cheese, COTTAGE PROTEIN+, is available now from EDEKA and REWE stores in Germany. UK shoppers will soon be able to purchase the product through the Vegan Wholesaler, an online supermarket platform.

Health, sustainability, and the power of protein

Revo FoodsCOTTAGE PROTEIN+ uses just four ingredients: soft apricot kernels, water, salt, and vegan cultures

Consumers are increasingly motivated by health and sustainability, and earlier this year, a report encouraged retailers to “capture” the opportunity of plant-based food and protein diversification by taking the sector more seriously.

Madre Brava, an international climate advocacy organization, recently analysed NielsenQ retail data to produce a report titled “Britain Backs Beans.”

Madre Brava found that unit sales of beans, pulses, tofu, and tempeh grew 7.3 percent (and 10.1 percent in value) in the first half of 2026 compared to 2025, and that shoppers are increasingly drawn towards simple, nutritious foods over fake meat.

https://plantbasednews.org/lifestyle/food/high-protein-vegan-cottage-cheese-apricot/