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The recent growth in demand for plant-based products, including vegan beef, chicken, pork, seafood, milk, eggs, and honey has been nothing short of astounding. According to the multinational investment bank Barclays, the global sales of alternative meats could reach US$140 billion by 2029. The founder and CEO of Beyond Meat, Mr. Ethan Brown, left his lucrative career and started the Beyond Meat Company in 2009, with a very loud and clear mission: “We believe there is a better way to feed our future... by shifting from animal to plant-based meat, we can positively impact four growing global issues: human health, climate change, constraints on natural resources, and animal welfare.” Every time we replace animals with plants, we have a win for the Earth, the animals and humans. Ethan Brown explains that because Beyond products use 93% less land to grow, it’s also a gain for the farmers. A major swing towards plant-based foods occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. In early 2020, many US slaughterhouse workers became infected with COVID-19, and a number of abattoirs were temporarily or permanently shut down. According to Nielsen research published in the Wall Street Journal, sales of plant-based meats in the USA soared by 264% during the COVID-19 lockdown. More and more grocery stores began offering these products on their shelves and online. And it’s not just in the United States where huge growth has been seen. Canadian plant-based companies also saw rapid growth in sales. Although vegan beef is the most popular, the demand for plant-based chicken is also on the rise. Many companies including Canada’s Gardein, South Africa’s Fry Family Foods, and The Netherland’s Vivera, as well as many others, produce a wide variety of vegan chicken options. In addition to the growing number of plant-based companies, many restaurants and fast-food outlets are also joining the vegan trend by offering more plant-based options on their menus.
