May 23

Nigeria Welcomes International Support for Plant-Based Push

ProVeg International has opened a new office in Nigeria with the intent to spread plant-based food to the country’s “markets, streets, schools, and hospitals.”

Image courtesy of ProVeg International

Situated in Lagos, ProVeg Nigeria marks the tenth country to which the nonprofit has expanded since its inception in 2017 – another step in a goal of “reducing the global consumption of animals by 50% by 2040.” The office will begin its efforts by bringing vegan versions of Nigerian food to the people, with stands set to open in markets and schools.

Hakeem Jimo, vegan restaurateur and director of ProVeg Nigeria, is acutely aware of the prediction that Nigeria’s consumption of animal products will rise significantly alongside a spike in population; he aims to counteract this with a wave of plant-based food and awareness for the sake of animals, people, and the environment.
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May 23

New York City Mayor Eric Adams Launches “Eat Plants!” Campaign

This month, the NYC Health Department launched a new campaign to promote the consumption of plant-based products.

Image courtesy of NYC Health

These efforts, carried by public personalities such as Mayor Eric Adams, Anne Williams-Isom (Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services) and Dr. Ashwin Vasan (Health Commissioner), aim to educate more than eight million New Yorkers about the benefits of a plant-based diet.

“Plants and plant-forward diets are key to our future, as a city, as a nation, and as a planet,” stated Dr. Vasan.

The NYC Health Department also published a “Nutrition Tips” section on their website, with many resources such as nutrition guides, local initiatives to access complete plant-based meals on a budget, and various recipes. In 2022, the city also announced offering plant-based meals as a default option for hospitalized patients.
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May 22

Study: Plant-Based Diet Associated with Improved Prostate Cancer Recovery

According to new research published by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, a plant-based diet may help men with prostate cancer improve their condition and prevent cancer recurrence.

Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

The forthcoming study, presented to a cancer-research symposium in February 2023, focuses on the diets of over 2,000 men with prostate cancer, also known as PC. Vivian Liu, a leading research coordinator at the University of California – San Francisco, and several other researchers report that a plant-based diet may be among the recommendations that doctors make to patients with PC.

The men involved with the study responded to questionnaires about their diets and received no prompting from the researchers as to what they should or should not consume; they “ate what they wanted to,” says Liu in an interview with The Washington Post (Cimons, 2023). Though this study does not focus on preventing PC, it presents compelling observational evidence that a plant-based diet can both slow the progression of PC and stop it from recurring in the bodies of survivors.
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May 22

Odd Burger Aims to Open 150 Restaurants Across India, Singapore

Vegan fast-food chain Odd Burger has announced its intention to expand out of Canada into the Asian market with 145 new locations in India and five in Singapore opening over the next 10 years.

Image courtesy of Odd Burger

Cofounder and CEO James McInnes expressed his optimism about entering the Indian market, citing the nation’s high population of vegetarians and vegans as reason for excitement. According to one of the chain’s board members, India “is craving an industry-leading brand … to provide a vision for a sustainable future and to make plant-based eating more accessible.” Odd Burger will finalize the decade-spanning deal by the end of this month, and McInnes plans to open a flagship restaurant in Mumbai by the end of 2023.
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Apr 12

Report Finds Global Dairy Alternative Market to Grow From $26 Billion in 2022 to $69 Billion in 2030

The global dairy alternatives market was valued at $26.01 billion at the end of 2022 and is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years.

Dairy Alternative The Dairy Alternatives Market Report, conducted by Grand View Research, found that the market will grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.6% from 2023 to 2030. By the end of 2030 the market is anticipated to be worth $69.9 billion.

“The market is gaining momentum and witnessing a high demand owing to the shift in consumer eating patterns and changes in diet trends”, states the report. “The increasing occurrences in the cases of milk allergies and lactose intolerances are expected to drive the demand further in the forecast period. Numerous food and beverage products are thus making the use of product to appeal to the growing consumer base that is opting for plant-based and other dairy alternatives.”
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Apr 10

Study: Vegan Protein Supports Muscle Building as Effectively as Animal Protein

Fungi-derived mycoprotein supports muscle building as effectively as animal protein, states a new study published in the Journal of Nutrition.

Vegan Protein

Quorn Chik’n Nuggets are made with mycoprotein, a vegan protein made from fungi.

The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Exeter and the University of Texas Medical Branch, is the first to explore if a vegan diet rich in mycoprotein can support muscle growth during resistance training to the same extent as an omnivorous diet. Mycoprotein is the naturally high-fibre fungi that is the main ingredient of the Quorn brand of products.

The objective of the study was to “investigate whether a high-protein, mycoprotein-rich, non-animal-derived diet can support resistance training-induced skeletal muscle remodeling to the same extent as an isonitrogenous omnivorous diet.
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Apr 10

Report: German Meat Consumption Declined in 2022, At Lowest Point Since Data Collection Began in 1989

According to a new report released by the Germany’s Federal Information Centre for Agriculture, meat consumption in Germany saw a noticeable decrease from 2021 to 2022, with 2022 seeing the lowest meat consumption since the group began collecting data on the issue back in 1989.

According to the report in 2022 per capita meat consumption dropped from 56.2 kilograms per person to 52, a 7.5% decrease. No year between 1989 and 2022 has seen a lower kilogram per person rate for meat consumption.

In terms of specific meat products, in 2022 Germans ate roughly 10% less pork (2.8 kg per person), 2.9% less poultry (400 grams per person) and 8.2% less beef/veal (900 grams per person).
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Apr 10

Study: Meditation Program Combined With Vegan Diet “Increased Beneficial Bacteria” Even Months After Completion

According to a new study published in the journal BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies an advanced meditation program combined with a vegan diet resulted in an “increase in beneficial bacteria even three months after the completion”.

“Growing evidence suggests a role for gut bacteria and their metabolites in host-signaling responses along the gut-brain axis which may impact mental health”, states the study’s abstract. “Meditation is increasingly utilized to combat stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms. However, its impact on the microbiome remains unclear.”

With that in mind, for this study researchers “observed the effects of preparation and participation in an advanced meditation program (Samyama) implemented with a vegan diet including 50% raw foods, on gut microbiome and metabolites profiles.”
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