Sep 01

Study: Eating More Plant-Based Foods May Lower Risk of Heart Attack, Stroke and Other Cardiovascular Diseases

A diet consisting of mostly plant-based foods and fewer animal-based foods may be linked to better heart health and a lower risk of dying from a heart attack, stroke or other cardiovascular disease according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

“[O]ur study does suggest that eating a larger proportion of plant-based foods and a smaller proportion of animal-based foods may help reduce your risk of having a heart attack, stroke or other type of cardiovascular disease,” says lead researcher Casey M. Rebholz, Ph.D., assistant professor of epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Maryland.

For the study researchers reviewed a database of food intake information from more than 10,000 middle-aged U.S. adults who were monitored from 1987 through 2016 and did not have cardiovascular disease at the start of the study. They then categorized the participants’ eating patterns by the proportion of plant-based foods they ate versus animal-based foods.

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Aug 10

U.S. Subways to Launch Sub With Vegan Beyond Meat Meatballs

Subway has announced that it will soon have vegan Beyond Meat meatballs at over 600 of its North American locations.

Subway has over 24,000 stores throughout the U.S., and soon 685 of them will have a sub made with Beyond Meat meatballs. This sub can easily be made vegan by omitting cheese and using Italian or 9-gran bread.

“We’re excited to partner with Subway and are grateful that the menu team through to senior management has entrusted us as their innovation partner to deliver delicious plant-based proteins to their guests,” says Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown. “We look forward to a long-term partnership with Subway as we together serve and delight existing and new fans of this iconic chain.”

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Jul 24

Old Spaghetti Factory Launches Vegan Beyond Meatballs and Meat Sauce at All Locations in Canada

The Old Spaghetti Factory has launched vegan Beyond meatballs as well as spaghetti with Beyond meat sauce at all of its Canadian locations.

The Old Spaghetti Factory just gave vegans and those wanting to eat more plant-based meals a big reason to visit one of their restaurants; vegan meatballs and meat sauce! These have been added to all 14 locations in Canada. Although these items won’t be available at the chain’s U.S. locations, many are holding out hope that a successful run in Canada will change that.

The Beyond meatballs are made by hand-rolling Beyond meat with the restaurant’s blend of signature spices.

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Jul 17

Blaze Pizza Adds Vegan Pizza – With Vegan Cheese and Chorizo – to Over 300 Locations Nationwide

Just a few weeks ago Blaze Pizza (a build your own pizza joint) introduced vegan chorizo as a pizza topping, and now they’ve taken it a step further by introducing a vegan pizza with vegan cheese.

As of yesterday, the over 300 nationwide Blaze Pizza locations have they new Life Mode Pizzas, which includes a pizza specifically crafted for vegans. The pizza is crafted by the chain’s Executive Chef Bradford Kent. It’s made with the chain’s standard dough and red sauce, along with vegan cheese, spicy vegan (soy) chorizo, mushrooms, red onions, green bell peppers, basil, and a drizzle of olive oil.

“Blaze has always had plant-based options on its menu and has relied on our guests to build their entirely plant-based pizzas to their specific liking. As the demand for plant-based foods continues to gain popularity, we have decided to give [it] its due and build our own vegan pizza,” Kent told VegNews. “Pizza is delicious because it is a complete sensory experience of textures and tastes that sensory scientists sometimes call ‘sensory meltdown.’ The ingredients chosen for the Vegan Pizza combine elements of sweet, tart, salt, savory, and spicy that really come to life when baked on our classic light-as-air crust as the base.”

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Jul 07

Study Finds Mycoprotein (Used in Quorn Products) is Better for Building Muscle than Milk Protein

According to a new study mycoprotein (which is entirely vegan) is considerably more effective at building muscle than milk protein.

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Exeter found that although ‘those who ingested milk protein increased their muscle building rates by up to 60%”, those who had mycoprotein “increased their muscle growth rates by more than double this”. Mycoprotein is the primary protein source found in Quorn-brand alternative meat products.

For the study researchers studied 20 young men who underwent a strenuous resistance exercise. After the exercise the men were given either milk or mycoprotein. Their rate of muscle building were then measured in the hours following protein consumption.

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Jul 04

Report: If Everyone Went Vegan, Greenhouse Gas Emissions Would be Cut by 70%, Heart and Circulatory Disease by 85%

According to a new report emissions of carbon dioxide across the globe would be reduced by 70% if everyone became vegan, and heart and circular disease would become drastically less common.

According to the Veganism Impact Report, a vegan world would produce 9.6 billion tons less greenhouse gas emissions than is currently the case. The report “uses statistics on the UK’s, EU’s and world’s annual animal product consumption, employment, trade, health, environment and economy to visualise how society would change if the current vegan population consumed animal products, or if the meat-eating population went vegan”.

Stats gathered from associated sources including NHS, Macmillan, Office for National Statistics, Europa and the RSPCA.

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Jun 21

KFC’s Vegan Chicken Sandwich Sells Out in Four Days, Outperforms Other Product Launches by 500%

On June 17 KFC launched its vegan “Imposter” sandwich at 20 select locations, and just four days later it’s already completely sold out.

“The Imposter”, which is a Quorn-based vegan chicken sandwich, launched at select locations in England including Bristol and London. The product is now sold out at all locations, and they won’t be returning until July 2. According to KFC, they’ve sold 500% more of The Imposter than they traditionally do with new product launches, thought his is the company’s first foray into vegan meat products.

“We knew there were plenty of people who would want to get a taste of the Imposter, but we didn’t anticipate this phenomenal response,” said Victoria Robertson, Senior Innovation Leader at KFC. “We can’t wait to get the Imposter back out in restaurants so vegans can get their finger lickin’ fix.”

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Jun 19

Study: 45% of Vegans Experience Discrimination in the Workplace

According to a new study nearly half of all vegans experience workplace discrimination.  

For the study, Crossland Employment Solicitors polled 1,000 people who self-identify as vegan. In addition to 45% saying they experienced discrimination at work, 31% stated that they felt harassed at work and/or unfairly treated based solely on the fact that they’re vegan.

The study also included 1,000 separate participants, all employers. It was found that 48% do not accommodate for vegans, and 3% would not hire someone if they knew they were vegan (despite that being against the law).

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Jun 18

Beyond Meat Launching “Meatier” Version of its Burger With Marbling

Beyond Burger has become a hit across the U.S. and other countries, but with competition like the Impossible Burger they continue to iterate and improve, and will be releasing a new version over the next few weeks.

According to Beyond, the new version of their burger will include marbling that “melts and tenderizes like beef” and has a more “neutral flavor and aroma” (potentially removing the “Beyond aftertaste” that some have complained about). Overall the change is meant to make the Beyond Burger “closer to beef than ever before.”

According to Beyond’s website, they “believe in a better Beyond. A Beyond that’s always striving for more. That’s, why we created the new, MEATIER Beyond Burger.”

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Jun 15

Study: Vegan Meat Sold in Restaurants Increased by 268% in 2019

The sales of vegan meat in restaurants increased drastically from 2018 to 2019, according to a new report.

The report, conducted by Dining Alliance, found that vegan meat sales in restaurants increased 268% in 2019 compared to the year prior. By comparison, the market increased by just 22% from 2017 to 2018.

“Burger King may be the first national chain to embrace meat alternatives by introducing the Impossible Whopper, but the category is hotter than a kitchen grill across all restaurant categories”, states the report. “Sales of meat substitute products to restaurants have soared 268% so far in 2019 compared to the same time last year. That’s according to data released today by Dining Alliance, the nation’s largest group purchasing organization for restaurants.”

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Jun 12

Study: Vegan Diet May be Helpful for Women in Menopausal Transition

 Eating a vegan, plant-based diet “may be helpful for women in menopausal transition”, according to a study published in the journal Maturitas and published online by the U.S. National Institute of Health

“Lifestyle modifications that may reduce menopausal symptoms have generated much interest”, begins the study’s abstract. “The vegetarian diet has been associated with a lower risk of chronic disease as well as a more healthy hormonal milieu. Our objective in this cross-sectional study was to survey peri- and postmenopausal women to investigate menopausal symptoms and dietary pattern.”

For the study, researchers “investigated vasomotor and physical symptoms as measured by the Menopause-specific Quality of Life Questionnaire (MENQOL) and dietary pattern classified by animal protein intakes reported in response to food frequency questions.” Survey distribution “was aimed at female vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores between the ages of 45 and 80 years, who were active on senior and vegetarian social networking websites and at vegan restaurants and events.”

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Jun 12

Canada Parliament Votes to End Captivity of Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises

Canada’s full parliament has voted in favor of prohibiting the captivity of whales, dolphins and porpoises.

The Canada Parliament has passed Bill S-203, the Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act. The measure places an explicit ban on anyone capturing and placing into captivity (and breeding) dolphins (including porpoises) and whales.

As noted by VegNews, the laws passage means that the only two facilities in Canada that currently house cetaceans (the Vancouver Aquarium and Marineland) will no longer be able to breed or import cetaceans, use them in a show or performance, and protects those currently in captivity from being used for profit.

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