Last summer, the Vegetarian Resource Group (VRG) published a poll measuring the number of adult vegans in the United States. They’ve now conducted 12 such polls between 1994 and 2020, with the most recent one showing the highest percentage of the population as vegan (3%) which translates to the highest number of vegans to date (7.6 million). Possibly more important, there’s been a strong, steady increase in the number of vegans over the course of these polls.
By Sam Tucker, Australia and New Zealand Outreach Coordinator
Eating vegan at fast food chains in New Zealand has never been easier! From Dominos to Burger King to Hells Pizza to Subway and more, there are countless vegan fast food options to choose from.
Dominos has a great range of vegan pizzas with mock meats and dairy-free cheese including the vegan El Scorcho, Godfather, Hawaiian, Ham and Cheese and Beef and Onion. They also sell vegan cheesy garlic bread and their regular garlic bread is vegan too!
At Subway, try the Veggie Patty, Veggie Delight or Smashed Falafel (without tzatziki). Choose whatever veggies you like and then choose from any of the following vegan sauces: BBQ, Sweet Onion, Sweet Chilli or Tomato.
The Rebel Whopper at Burger King is entirely plant-based when ordered without mayo and so is the salad burger when ordered without cheese and mayo.
Hells Pizza has a huge range of vegan pizzas including the Vegan Burger, Pride, Damned, Sinister, Mischief, Wrath, Saviour, Mayhem and Brimstone. They also sell vegan nuggets, gluten and dairy-free garlic bread and plant-based ice cream sandwiches.
Burger Fuel has lots of great vegan options too. The Alternative Muscle burger and the V8 Vegan burger are both vegan by default and the V-Twin Vege and Combustion Tofu burgers can both be made vegan on request. They also sell soy thickshakes, kumara fries, potatoes fried, motobites and smash browns, which are all vegan (just ask for vegan aioli with the sides).
Pizza Hut also has a delicious roast veggie and caramelized onion pizza with vegan cheese.
Do you have a favorite vegan fast food option? Feel free to leave a comment below and let us know!
By Sam Tucker, Australia and New Zealand Outreach Coordinator
Eating vegan at fast food chains in Australia has never been easier! From Dominos to Hungry Jacks to Pizza Hut, Zambrero, Pie Face and more, there are countless vegan fast food options to choose from.
If you’re craving a burger, Hungry Jacks and Grill’d both have some great vegan options.
At Hungry Jacks, try the Rebel Whopper (ask for vegan cheese and mayo or order without cheese and mayo) for a delicious mock meat burger, or the Vegan Whopper for a healthier option with a vegetable patty. The onion rings, hashbrowns and fries are also vegan.
Grill’d currently have 3 delicious vegan burgers, the Vegan Cheeseburger, the Beyond Simply Grill’d Vegan and the Beyond Garden Goodness vegan.
At Subway you can get either the Veggie Patty,Veggie Delight or Smashed Falafel (order without tzatziki) with your choice of salads and any of the following sauces: BBQ, Sweet Onion, Sweet Chili and Tomato. They also make avocado toasties for only $2 each.
If pizza’s what you’re after, Dominos and Pizza Hut both have plenty of great vegan options. Dominos vegan pizza menu includes the vegan avocado veg, spicy trio and margherita. They also make a vegan cheesy garlic bread and their regular garlic bread is vegan too.
Pizza Hut also has some great vegan pizzas, including the vegan deluxe, mediterranean, margherita and cheese lovers. They also offer vegan cheesy garlic bread, vegan chicken wings and vegan cornettos.
If you’re in the mood for Mexican food, Zambrero, Mad Mex and Guzman Y Gomez all have some pretty good vegan options. Zambreros make delicious burritos, nachos, quesadillas and bowls with vegan cheese, vegan sour cream, pinto beans and guacamole. You can also get the vegetarian burritos, tacos or nachos without the cheese and sour cream at Mad mex and Guzman Y Gomez.
Pie Face have three flavours of vegan pies, the Vegan Mexi Pie, the Vegan Spag Bol Pie and the Vegan Cheeseburger pie.
Almost all kebab shops, including Ali Baba, The Kebab Co and UTK, make falafel wraps which are traditionally vegan.
Most sushi shops have a variety of vegan options, including avocado and cucumber rolls and Inari, which is made from a deep fried sweetened tofu bag filled with sushi rice.
Indian, Thai and Chinese chains also offer vegan options such as tofu and vegetable curries and stir-fries.
And finally for you sweet tooths out there, Pancake Parlour do a range of plant-based pancakes called Plantcakes. Toppings include lemon and sugar, chocolate, strawberries and more.
Do you have a favorite vegan fast food option? Feel free to leave a comment below and let us know!
By Sam Tucker, Australia and New Zealand Outreach Coordinator
I have a confession to make. I like the taste of meat.
I didn’t go vegan because I suddenly didn’t like the taste, I went vegan to stop the massive amount of cruelty involved in animal agriculture. So it should come as no surprise that when it comes to meat substitutes, I’m a bit of a self-taught expert.
Whilst many of these products can be found at organic supermarkets and specialty stores, few can be found in your standard supermarket. Luckily, here in Australia, we have our own range of tasty vegan foods at all supermarkets.
To kick things off, let’s talk about some meat substitutes, all of which can be found at your local Coles or Woolworths.
Two brands you want to keep an eye out for (available at both Coles and Woolworths) are Fry’s and Vegie Delights. Both of their entire product ranges are vegan.
Vegie Delights “Chik’n Style Tenders” sandwich with avocado and BBQ sauce.
Vegie Delights make delicious “chicken” style tenders and burgers which can be found in the frozen section of your supermarket, as well as mince, sausages and a Sunday roast in the chilled section. In addition to being really tasty, these products are also packed with iron, protein, B12 and zinc.
Coles also stocks their own brand of vegan products called Nature’s Kitchen. Products include burgers, chicken style tenders and sausages.
Nature’s Kitchen
Coles also stocks The Alternative Meat Co., who makes delicious vegan burgers, sausages and mince.
The Alternative Meat Co
You can also find vegan mince from MorningStar Farms (not all of their products are vegan, but the mince definitely is).
Vegan Mince
Another great mock meat option available at Coles is the Sunfed “Chicken Free Chicken”.
Sunfed “Chicken Free Chicken”
Woolworths also has a great range of vegan meat alternatives. One great brand to try is Tofurky, who make sausages, deli slices, chicken pieces and more.
Tofurky
They also stock Unreal Co. who make delicious sausages, burgers, schnitzels and fried chicken-style pieces.
Italian Beefy Burger
Made With Plants makes vegan bacon, mince and meat loaf that can also be found at Woolies.
Made With Plants Bacon
The Vegan Factor makes tenders, chicken strips, nuggets, burgers, meatballs and more.
The Vegan Factor
V2 also sell vegan burgers and mince at Woolies.
V2 Vegan Burgers & Mince
Another great brand of vegan meat at Woolworths is the Linda McCartney Foods range. They make delicious vegan sausage rolls, pies, mince and burgers.
Linda McCartney “Vegetarian Sausage Rolls”
And finally, Woolworths also stocks Naturli plant-based “Minced”.
Naturli plant-based “Minced”
If you’re willing to venture away from Coles and Woolworths, Asian grocers generally stock an even larger range of vegan meats, including vegan duck, fish, prawns, ribs, chicken and more. If you’re looking for the kind of vegan meats that would fool even a die-hard carnivore, look no further than your local Asian grocer. Lamyong’s “vegetarian prawns” are particularly convincing, resembling not only the taste and texture, but also the appearance of the real thing.
Lamyong “Vegetarian Prawns”
Do you have a favorite Australian vegan meat? Share your opinion in the comments below!
By Sam Tucker, Australia and New Zealand Project Consultant
Today, many Australians are saying no to the cruelty of the dairy and egg industries and are choosing a more compassionate way to eat. Fortunately, ditching dairy and eggs doesn’t have to mean missing out, thanks to an ever-growing list of tasty vegan alternatives.
All supermarkets in Australia stock a large range of non-dairy milks, including soy, oat, rice, almond, and coconut milk. Bonsoy is my personal favorite, especially in coffee, and for a non-soy option Sanitarium’s Almond and Coconut Milk are also good choices.
Bonsoy
Orgran No Egg is a powdered egg replacement that is perfect for baking and, in addition to sparing chickens from the suffering of a battery cage, it also works out much cheaper than buying eggs–each packet costs around $4 and makes the equivalent of 33 eggs!
Orgran Vegan Easy Egg
Orgran No Egg works well to replace eggs used to bind a recipe, but it doesn’t have the texture of eggs and it can’t be scrambled. For a cruelty-free alternative to scrambled eggs, try Orgran Easy Egg or try scrambled tofu instead.
Tofu scramble with spinach and avocado on toast
Coles stocks dairy-free BioCheese which can be eaten on its own or added to pizzas, toasties, or any of your favorite foods. It melts and stretches, which makes it perfect to use in any dish that calls for mozzarella, or you can just cut off a slice and use it like cheddar. In addition to their regular cheese, they also make feta, cheese slices and butter.
BioCheese
Sheese and Made With Plants both make delicious plant-based cream cheeses.
Sheese
Nuttelex is a dairy-free margarine with a buttery taste that works well both as a spread and for cooking.
Nuttelex
For a delicious dairy-free ice cream, try Sanitarium So Good (available in chocolate and vanilla) a fruit flavoured Weis Sorbet, vegan Magnums, or Cornettos.
So Good Vanilla Bliss and So Good Chocolate BlissWeis Pineapple Coconut and Lime Sorbet
Kingland Soy Yogurt and Soy Life Yogurt are both great either on muesli or on their own as a snack.
Brands of soy yogurt available in Australia
Ditching dairy doesn’t mean giving up chocolate–in fact, most dark chocolate is dairy-free, including Whittakers Dark and Lindt 70%. Sweet Williams also makes white and ‘milk’ chocolate, which can be found in the health food section of the supermarket.
Just a few of the many brands of vegan chocolate available in Australia
Even more dairy-free options can be found at organic grocers, specialty stores, and independent grocers, including Damona Baked Almond Feta and Botanical Cuisine Cashew Cheese.
Botanical Cuisine Walnut Cashew Cheese
I hope these resources prove both delectable and helpful! Do you have a favorite vegan version of a dairy product that you didn’t see here? Feel free to leave a comment and let us know!
BITS Pilani, Goa, one of India’s most prestigious institutes, became the latest signatory of the Green Tuesday Pledge to address the rising global climate change crisis. Once fully rolled out, they are to slash-down the use of animal products like eggs and meat by 15%.
“At BITS Pilani, Goa, we are always taking new steps towards environmental sustainability, and the Green Tuesday Initiative takes us one step closer to achieving our sustainability goals,” said Yash Jain, Student Mess Convenor. “Globally and in India, institutions are reducing their use of animal products and choosing plant-based foods to fight climate change,” added Richa Mehta, Director of Programs, Vegan Outreach.
India is the 5th most vulnerable country to climate change according to the latest global climate risk index. Animal agriculture is one of the largest contributors of human-made greenhouse gas emissions, and multiple reports have identified it as one of the leading causes of climate change. One such example is the recent report from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2019), which emphasized a shift towards plant-based diets as a significant opportunity to limit greenhouse gas emissions.
We also wrote to the decision-makers of three other BITS Pilani campuses — Dubai, Hyderabad and Pilani — to take the lead and implement sustainable food policies. Educational institutes play an essential role in building the best future for the next generations, and steps such as the Green Tuesday Initiative will be the way to go.
About the Green Tuesday campaign Green Tuesday Initiative is a campaign by Vegan Outreach to help institutions reduce their environmental footprint by making small changes in the food they serve. So far, we’ve collaborated with twenty-two institutions in India.
Most of our work is remote these days, and our team is making the best out of these challenging times. I’m writing to share some of the positive changes and highlights that are giving me hope
Remote College Outreach
We’ve kept our outreach going during the lockdown in creative ways by collaborating with colleges and engaging with students through phone calls, webinars, and emails. Over 3,000 students from 21 colleges signed up for 10 Weeks to Vegan during the lockdown!
Campaign Successes
Here are some of our latest victories:
Hetero, a leading pharmaceutical company in India, will now serve meat-free meals to their employees every day to reduce their environmental footprint! Once fully rolled out to all locations, over 2 million meals will be meat-free every year.
After working with us, Veggie Champ, a leading manufacturer, and supplier of mock meat in India, has veganised their mock meat range by removing milk solids from their products.
This month, I’m moving into a new position at Vegan Outreach, and I’m excited to share that my colleague, Richa Mehta, is taking over as Director of Programs, India.
Richa has many years of experience with animal and environmental protection nonprofits. She has been instrumental in the success of our Green Tuesday Initiative and has done extensive in-person outreach in India.
Hetero, one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in India, will now serve meat-free meals to their employees every day to reduce their environmental footprint. Once fully rolled out to all locations, over 2 million meals will be made meat-free every year. Vegan Outreach worked with the company to implement this sustainable food policy as part of its Green Tuesday Initiative campaign and will also organize employee awareness sessions on animal agriculture and its environmental impact.
This change will make a big impact by reducing the suffering of animals in India. This sustainable food policy will also contribute to the wellness of employees and helps the environment.
Animal agriculture is one of the largest contributors of human-made greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, water pollution, and air pollution. Worldwide, meat and dairy production uses 83% of farmland and produces 60% of agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve had to put our public outreach on hold. Still, we’re keeping our focus on the end game–a future where animals are no longer killed for food—and we aim to meet our goal of 80,000 signups for our 10 Weeks to Vegan program for the first half of 2020.
Before college campuses shut down, the outreach coordinators below inspired us with how many signups they received!
Saurabh Sonkar
10 Weeks to Vegan signups: 5,514
Booklets handed out: 5,563
VR views: 962
Irving Martinez
10 Weeks to Vegan signups: 3,340
Booklets handed out: 5,485
VR views: 301
Richa Mehta
10 Weeks to Vegan signups: 3,194
Booklets handed out: 4,576
VR views: 2,055
Brent Ratkovich
“We’re all doing this work to inspire and empower people to go vegan. We all take on the important responsibility of being the educators and bringing the inspiration to the students and the public in general. That inspiration can go both ways—a few moments can light a fire and make you feel like you can make a big difference in someone’s life.”
10 Weeks to Vegan signups: 2,941
Booklets handed out: 1,433
Perla Anerol
“I’ve had several interactions with people who immediately rejected 10 Weeks to Vegan because they weren’t vegan and because they like meat. However, it’s so nice when they finally sign up after I explain that the goal is precisely for people like them to discover delicious and nutritious dishes that do not involve hurting animals.”
10 Weeks to Vegan signups: 2,394
Booklets handed out: 4,710
Ben Gardner
10 Weeks to vegan signups: 2,374
Booklets handed out: 7,193
VR views: 205
Ethan Blake
10 Weeks to Vegan signups: 2,086
Booklets handed out: 5,528
VR views: 85
Astha Gupta
10 Weeks to Vegan signups: 1,877
Booklets handed out: 2,574
VR views: 448
Brian Chavez
10 Weeks to Vegan signups: 1,805
Booklets handed out: 3,946
Abhishek Dubey
10 Weeks to Vegan signups: 1,731
Booklets handed out: 1,115
Thank you to all the above community outreach coordinators as well as the many we didn’t list who also contributed substantially to signing up over 60,000 people for 10 Weeks to Vegan so far in 2020!
A new study investigating diets and the factors that influence whether people keep to them has been released (1). In a study published in the journal Nutrients, the authors compare a variety of diets in an effort to determine whether people tend to stick to certain types of diets over others and which factors, if any, help or hinder them in doing so. In particular, they examine the potential impact of personality, mental health, and motivations for dietary choices.
The authors included five types of diets in their study—vegan, vegetarian, paleo, gluten-free, and weight loss. They selected a group of 292 participants already following one of these diets and asked them about what helps them maintain a diet and occasions when they struggled to do so. The participants were then also given questionnaires about their demographics, personalities, mental health, dietary motivations, and adherence to their diets.
Ultimately, vegans and vegetarians, respectively, were found to be the most likely to stick to their diets, with those following paleo, gluten-free, and weight loss diets more likely to stray. Veg*ns also reported having less trouble in keeping to their dietary choices and were more likely to view their diets as self-expression rather than a task requiring restriction or willpower.
Perhaps surprisingly, from a number of factors that included depression and disordered eating, self-control, age, gender, ethnicity and many more, only four were found to have a significant impact in the final analysis. Self-efficacy and social identification with one’s dietary group (which were positive predictors of adherence), and mood and weight control (which were negative predictors). In other words, people who saw their diet as an important and positive part of their identity and were confident in their ability to stick with it were more likely to remain on that diet, while those motivated by a desire to lose weight (notably, as contrasted with a desire to become healthier) and those who eat for emotional reasons were less likely to remain on their diets.
While some considerations, such as the number and diversity of its participants, limit the potential inferences and applications of this exploratory study, it does have a number of interesting implications. For example, the authors suggest that the importance of motivations of dietary choices for the adherence to diets is currently under-appreciated, and that thinking of diets in individualistic terms, rather than conceptualizing them as part of a broader context, contribute to straying from them. Above all, though, it points to the potential of people “find[ing] positive ways to self-define in terms of their dietary patterns” to make a change for good.
