Vegans and vegetarians may be at greater risk for bone fracturesthan meat eaters, according to a large,longitudinal study published [November 22] in the journal BMC Medicine.

Nearly55,000 relatively healthy adultsfrom the UK answered a questionnaire on diet, socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle and medical history between 1993 and 2001. Researchers categorized them by diet then and at follow-up in 2010: meat eaters, fish eaters (pescatarians), vegetarians (no meat or fish but dairy and/or eggs) and vegans (nothing from animals).

The authors found 3,941 total fractures by 2016. In comparison to meat eaters, vegans with lower calcium and protein intakes on average had a 43% higher risk of fractures anywhere and in the hips, legs and vertebrae. Vegetarians and pescatarians had a higher risk of hip fractures than meat eaters, but the risk was partly reduced when the researchers considered body mass index and sufficient consumption of calcium and protein.

Related article: Predicting the risk of heart disease using CRISPR and stem cells

The study findings support a growing body of research on bone health with protein and calcium intake as well as BMI (body mass index), said Lauri Wright, a registered dietitian nutritionist and chair of the department of nutrition and dietetics at the University of North Florida, who wasnt involved in the study. Protein and calcium are the two major components of bone.

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Going vegan? Switching to a plant-based diet to improve your health? You are almost 50% more likely to suffer bone fractures - Genetic Literacy...

Price: $$$

If youre in the mood for a quality piece of chocolate, Hu is one of the best options, as the company offers a variety of chocolate bars all of which are vegan.

Offering original flavor combinations like Vanilla Crunch Dark Chocolate and Cashew Butter with Orange and Vanilla, all of Hu Kitchens chocolate bars are vegan, gluten-free, certified USDA organic, paleo, and non-GMO verified.

Theyre also free of refined sugar, sugar alcohols, artificial additives, and palm oil.

While palm oil is vegan, there are concerns about its impact on the environment and wildlife. The harvesting of palm oil has been found to cause deforestation in parts of Asia, Africa, and South America, removing the natural habitat of animals in these areas (11, 12).

Various organizations are helping support more sustainable methods of palm oil harvesting, including the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). However, if youre concerned about the use of palm oil, Hu is a good option, as the company avoids the ingredient completely.

Instead, their bars contain just a small number of quality ingredients.

For example, ingredients for the Crunchy Mint Dark Chocolate Bar include organic cacao, unrefined organic coconut sugar, organic fair-trade cocoa butter, organic fair-trade cacao nibs, and organic peppermint oil.

Whats more, while a serving size is half of a bar (about 1 ounce or 28 grams), these vegan-friendly chocolate bars have such rich, complex flavors that youll likely only need one or two squares to satisfy your chocolate craving.

One serving (1 ounce or 28 grams) of the Crunchy Mint Dark Chocolate Bar provides 180 calories, 13 grams of fat, 8 grams of saturated fat, 14 grams of carbs, 3 grams of fiber, 8 grams of sugar (including 8 grams of added sugar), and 3 grams of protein (13).

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12 Vegan Candy Options to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth - Healthline

Ready, set, recipes! Here are our just published, fresh-out-the-mill recipes in one convenient place! These are the top vegan recipes of the day, and are now a part of the thousands of recipes on our Food Monster App! Our newest recipes include Lemon Bars to Penne allarrabbiata , so if youre looking for something new and delicious, these recipes are it!

We also highly recommend downloading theFood Monster App with over 15,000 delicious recipes it is the largest meatless, vegan, plant-based and allergy-friendly recipe resource to help you get healthy! And, dont forget to check out ourPopular Trends Archives!

Source: Lemon Bars

These Lemon Bars by Brittany Berlin are a wonderful dessert and the tiny addition of turmeric is for color; you cant even taste it!

Source: Sweet Potato Miso Soup

Each miso will produce subtly different results but brown and white miso paste would make fine substitutes. At a Japanese restaurant in Brixton a few years ago theres a fantastic sweet potato, simply baked and split open before being filled with the most wonderful miso butter. This Sweet Potato Miso Soup by Rachel Phipps is that potato in a vegan soup form, making it perfect for a filling, nourishing autumn meal.

Source: Penne allarrabbiata

Penne allarrabbiata has its origin in the Rieti province, in Lazio, not far from Rome. Together with spaghetti aglio e olio and pasta cacio e pepe, penne allarrabbiata is one of the most popular pasta dishes of Italy. This Penne allarrabbiata by ThePlantbasedSchool simple, yet delicious, and naturally vegan, made only with a few healthy ingredients.

Source: Chai Spice Iced Coffee

Chai spice coffee is the perfect way to soak in the fall season. Like pumpkin spice, Chai Spice is full of cinnamon, nutmeg, and other cozy spices. This Chai Spice Iced Coffee by Alexandra/Eian Kelly can be brewed cold or hot, depending on your coffee preference. And the chai spice recipe is super versatile, add it to any baked goods for a touch of fall.

Source: Thai-Inspired Basil Tofu

The most flavorful tofu dish with Thai-inspired flavors. This Thai-Inspired Basil Tofu by Taavi Moore is packed with fresh basil, the perfect dose of heat and mending of flavors.

Source: Homemade Vitamin C Powder

This Homemade Vitamin C Powder by Larice Feuerstein is a great way to add a burst of citrus to your morning smoothies! The best method in using this powder is to mix a teaspoon into your smoothie, but you could also stir it into water, keeping in mind, of course, that it isnt going to dissolve. It could also be used for a subtle orange flavor in tea, or sprinkled onto oatmeal.

Source: Cherry Cheese Danish Crescent Rolls

Imagine, flaky, buttery crescent roll dough stuffed with sweet cream cheese and gooey fruit pie filling and then covered with a sugary glaze. What could be better for dessert or breakfast with a cup of hot coffee? These Cherry Cheese Danish Crescent Rolls by Melanie Sorrentino look like they came right out of a bakery, but theyre actually super-easy to make.

Source: Bakery Style Cheese Danish

These Bakery Style Cheese Danish by Gretchen Price are authentic yeast buns filled with sweet vegan cream cheese and for a variation you make them just fruit filled or do a combination of both!

For those of you interested in eating more plant-based, we highly recommend downloading theFood Monster App with over 15,000 delicious recipes. It is the largest plant-based recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy! And, while you are at it, we encourage you to also learn about theenvironmentalandhealth benefitsof aplant-based diet.

Here are some great resources to get you started:

For more Animal, Earth, Life, Vegan Food, Health, and Recipe content published daily, subscribe to theOne Green Planet Newsletter!Lastly, being publicly-funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high quality content. Please considersupporting us by donating!

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From Lemon Bars to Sweet Potato Miso Soup: Our Top Eight Vegan Recipes of the Day! - One Green Planet

Just when you thought charcuterie boards couldnt get any more interesting, the hot cocoa charcuterie board makes an entrance. Its quite genius and simple: Take all the hot cocoa accompaniments that you can imagineand may not have imaginedand arrange them on a board.

Let your family (and pod friends) dive in for DIY hot cocoa magic. These days, you can find vegan-friendly consumables not only at Whole Foods and the like, but also places like CVS (which is increasingly adding veg-friendly and health-conscious items and brands to its food isles). Here are some common delectables that you should consider adding to your hot chocolate-board masterpiece. Then, continue on for some visual hot cocoa charcuterie inspiration from some super creative gals spreading a little holiday cheer.

Cocoa powder: You dont need the fancy processed stuff. Often you can buy good old plain cocoa powder and mix it with a little sugar and plant-based milkviola, you have a perfect hot cocoa base.

Carob powder: Meet cocoas younger, hipper, more earthy sister: carob. Carob is made from dry, roasted carob-tree pods and is a great cocoa alternative. High in fiber, low in fat with a rich, pleasantly bitter, chocolatey-ish taste. You can usually find carob powder at health food stores and online.

Plant-based milk: You can mix your cocoa or carb powder into really any plant-based / vegan milk your heart desires for a rich and creamy hot cocoa drink. There is an endless selection from soy, to almond, to oat, and more.

Marshmallows: Not all marshmallows are vegan since many contain gelatin. So make sure to read the ingredients, or stick with trusted brands like Dandies, or Trader Joes brand marshmallows (which are vegan).

Gourmet vegan cookies: If you really want to spice up your cocoa board with something special, add some of Mayas Cookies (all vegan, with gluten-free options as well). Cut in half or in fourths, perfect for little dipping bites. These cookies will make your board look ultra-fancy. This season Maya has holiday cookies (like gingerbread) and their standard options available as well.

Oreos: Yes, these are one of those accidental vegan items. Crush up Oreos, and add to your board. They make for a perfect hot chocolate topping...perhaps best sprinkled on top of the whipped cream. Trader Joes make an Oreo-like cookie (which is vegan, although not labeled as such) called Joe Joes which would be a great option as well.

Chocolate bars: To add some fancy chocolate bar flare to your board, you'll have many options. There are now more non-dairy, vegan chocolates than ever. You can chop up in little bits for the board, or break into squares or chunks for snacking or dipping. With oat milk chocolate from brands like Raaka; to health-conscious low-sugar bars from The Good Chocolate; to the popular Hu Kitchen; and the ultra-fancy Lagustas Luscious white chocolate your chocolate-bar game will officially be stepped up.

Whipped cream: Thankfully, more non-dairy, vegan whipped creams are gracing the grocery store shelves these days. You can find whips from brands like SoDelicious (always vegan) and Tru (which makes a vegan option), or look for mainstream non-dairy whipped cream which is typically vegan; but if not labeled, read to make sure there are no dairy derivatives.

Baileys Almande Almondmilk Liqueur: Its been quite a year, so your cocoa deserves a little spiking with Baileys vegan almond milk liqueur...we know, it sounds too good to be true. (This one is adults-only of course.)

Thesedelectable hot cocoa paraphernalia suggestionsare just a start. You can continue to get creative and add candy canes, cinnamon sticks, dark chocolate chips, carob chips, and more!

Check out this Chanukah-inspired board from @rosa_lilyrose. Hot cocoa boards have been super popular on Pinterest this season and I was so inspired by the talented @rebekahlowin and her stunning Chanukah candy board that I had to put these two trends together! she writes on Instagram.

Food allergy-aware mom and lawyer @foodallergydiva is helping make it a December to remember with this spunky vegan and allergy-friendly hot cocoa and goodie board. A clean cocoa cheers to that!

This Insta-cute Physician Assistant (PA) turned stay-at-home mom, @thepeddlingpa, puts this fun cocoa board together for her Stay Home Saturdays series. Ill be coming up with fun ideas for family fun nights and date nights to help us get through this COVID winter! she says in a post. Thats the spirit.

From blogging to decorating, @gatheredliving gives us a fierce hot coca board that she calls a perfect cozy weekend treat for all your fall or holiday festivities.

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Hot Cocoa Charcuterie Boards Are Trending: How to Veganize Them - The Beet

Photo by Lina Kivaka from Pexels

For many years Ive been curious if vegans are satisfied during the holidays, but Im slowing understanding how to eliminate all that meat I was accustomed to eating. I asked some vegans for suggestions and they suggested hearty veggiesoups, casseroles, roasted vegetables, mashed potatoes and gravy, rolls, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, stuffing, and even vegan versions of pies. I like the idea that vegetarian diets promote weight loss because and focused on nutrient-dense, low-calorie foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds and soy. Vegan diets go even further and cut out calorie-rich foods like cheese. But that would be an issue for me, because I LOVE cheese.

Vegan cheese is healthier than dairy cheese because its free from growth hormones, carcinogenic animal proteins and cholesterol-boosting saturated animal fat makes vegan cheese that are better for us than its dairy counterparts.If youre like me, heres some cheese options: Treeline herb-garlic French-style soft cheese Follow Your Heart cheddar shreds Follow Your Heart feta crumbles Kite Hill ricotta Kite Hill chive cream cheese Daiya mozzarella Trader Joes vegan mozzarella shreds

First African American, one-woman syndicated radio host in the Southeast region for major broadcast networks. Over the past 23 years my passion and perseverance has lead me to reach and relate to demographics spanning, Sports stations, Country, Hip-hop, R & B, Gospel, Adult Contemporary & Top 40 radio stations. I have a unique way of setting the tone, and people feel comfortable telling their story,

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Eating Vegan During The Holidays - kiss951.com

Tyson just made its Raised & Rooted range vegan.

The company, one of the worlds largest poultry, beef, and pork producers, just revealed it removed egg whites from its plant-based nuggets.

One recent and noble change we are making is to the formula for the Raised & Rooted Nugget to eliminate egg whites, David Ervin, the companys VP of alternative protein, told FoodNavigator-USA.

We expect our new product to begin shipping to retailers in December, he continued. Moving forward, Raised & Rooted products will not contain any animal products.

Tyson launched the plant-based brand last year. The range includes pea protein-based nuggets in original and spicy flavors, whole-grain tenders, and meat patties blended with Angus Beef and plant protein.

However, since Tyson plans on developing only plant-based products under the Raised & Rooted range, Ervin says the blended patties will be discontinued.

This isnt the first time Tyson has delved into the vegan market.

The company has eyed the plant-based market for years, even investing in California-based food tech brand Beyond Meat in 2016. The company divested from the vegan meat producer right before it went public earlier this year in order to focus on developing its own plant-based products.

The meat giant also sees potential in cultured meatprotein grown from animal cells. It is an investor in Berkeley-based startup, Memphis Meats. The startups high-profile investors include Bill Gates, Kimball Musk, and animal protein giant Cargill. In May 2018, Tyson invested $2.2 million into the Israeli cultured meat startup Future Meat Technologies.

Additionally, Tyson holds investments in MycoTechnology, a mushroom-based protein company.

In October, fast-food chain Jack in the Box debuted its very first plant-based chicken sandwich. Called the Unchicken Sandwich, the new menu item features a plant-based filet by Raised & Rooted.

In a press release, Ervin said the sandwiches were the best tasting plant-based product in the market today.

The sandwiches were launched for a limited time in select locations in Reno, Nevada, and Monterey and Salinas, California. They featured pea protein-based patties in two varieties: original and spicy.

Ervin says the company plans on expanding its plant-based range. Consumers can expect to see additional new plant-based offerings from Raised & Rooted and other established Tyson brands coming to store shelves and quick-service locations in 2021, he explained.

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Tyson's Raised & Rooted Range Is Now Vegan - LIVEKINDLY

Cosmopolitan

If you're vegan and celebrating the holidays with other people this year (be safe, folks!) the BIG meal can be somewhat of a gamble. Group meals = large dishes that everybody's gonna have to love, or else you risk being the one who brought the humiliating barely touched tray at the end of the table (shudder.) For all the vegans out there, the aversion some stubborn friends and family have to anything labeled "vegan" is an all too familiar extra hurdle around the holidays.

But never fret! Long gone are the days when plant-based eaters were limited to veggie side dishes or tofu-based meat imitations (yikes). All over the internet, chefs are putting out vegan creative and delicious crowd-pleasers. So when people will ask Who made this??? it wont make your palms sweat.

Here, yummy ideas for the vegan entrees, sides, and desserts that can grace your holiday feasts or feasts for one this year.

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1 Caramelized Onion Mashed Potatoes

Is it really the holidays if everyone's favorite starch isn't involved? This recipe takes classic mashed potatoes to the next level.

Recipe from Short Girl Tall Order

2 Apple Pie

What's more American than a dairy-free apple pie? Ok, probably a few things, but this vegan rendition of the classic dish will inspire you to leave extra room for dessert.

Recipe from Vegan Hippie Sol

3 Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Sugar cookies are amazing all year round, but there's just something about baking them in wintertime that's extra precious. This vegan chocolate sugar cookie recipe is the perfect addition to the holiday cookie roster.

Recipe from Short Girl Tall Order

4 Cauliflower Steak

How does one turn cauliflower into a flavorful holiday entree that rivals its beefy counterpart? Just ask chef Dominique Williamson of Vegan Hippie Sol, whose cauliflower steak recipe is anything but dull.

Recipe from Vegan Hippie Sol

5 Eggnog

Is it even winter without eggnog? This dairy-free version tastes exactly the same, without the dairy farts.

Recipe from ChoosingChia

6 Creamy Mushroom Stroganoff

Randomly enough, mushrooms absorb most flavors, making them the perfect meat substitute. Your non-plant based guests might enjoy this dish a little extra.

Recipe from Lavender and Macarons

7 Apple Cider Donuts

Shoutout to all the gluten-free peeps, here's a treat for you too. A seasonal donut to indulge in, no wheat required!

Recipe from Minimalist Baker

8 Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

What's better than a sweet potato? An aesthetically pleasing stuffed sweet potato that'll make all of cute pics you take of your table spread pop.

Recipe from Nikki Vegan

9 Mint Chocolate Cupcakes

10

Opting for sweet potatoes instead of cheddar might not seem like a plausible swap, but this right here is a creamy mac and cheese dish that would make Cardi B proud. This recipe is also nut-free!

Recipe from A Virtual Vegan

11 Gingerbread cookies

An obvious necessity. This gingerbread dough recipe is super simple, so you can spend more time focusing. No deformed casualties in the high-intensity cookie shaping process this year!

Recipe from Rainbow Nourishments

12 Stuffing

Stuffing is the perfect side, and I'm more than happy to expand on this. It incorporates basically every good thing about a holiday meal into one deliciously baked culmination of flavorsand the vegan version is no different.

Recipe from Short Girl Tall Order

13 Sweet Potato Casserole

The best part about this dish is that no one is able to decide whether it's a dessert or a side dish. That makes it a 2-in-1 special!

Recipe from Loving it Vegan

14

If you've been bingeing The Crown and feel inspired by our friends across the pond, these mince pies are the perfect way to pay tribute the vegan way.

Recipe from A Virtual Vegan

15 Cranberry Sauce

Why use the canned stuff, when this homemade cranberry sauce is so easy you could whip it up with your eyes closed (but like, please don't try that.)

Recipe from The Green Creator

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15 Vegan Holiday Recipes 2020 15 Vegan Holiday Recipes No One Will Even Suspect Are Healthy - Cosmopolitan

A new study b British researchers shows a direct link between cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength and a persons mental health.

The study, which included more than 150,000 participants, found those who had a low combined cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength were 98% more likely to experience depression and 60% more likely to experience anxiety.

Researchers also noted that individuals can improve their physical fitness in just three week, which can reduce their risk of developing a mental health condition by up to 32.5%.

Source: BMC Medicine journal

Vegans may need to bone up

Although there are several health benefits associated with being a vegan, researchers with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics say those who do not eat any meat or dairy products may need to pay closer attention to their bone health.

A study found factors such as low calcium and protein intake, as well as a low body mass index, may make bones more fracture-prone.

The academy says those who eat a vegan or vegetarian diet should focus on getting the nutrients they are missing from meat sources in consultation with a dietitian.

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Assessing eye problems, walking and life expectancy, heart and mind, vegan bone issues, eat early - nwitimes.com

Ive been vegan for about nine months now. Since going vegan, I receive the same comments over and over again. People always ask me, If you dont eat animal products, do you just eat vegetables all day? and How do you get any protein in? In reality, vegan diets can still be balanced and provide enough protein, despite relying on only plants. Over the past few months, Ive learned how to be creative with my vegan meals and find alternatives for my favorite animal product-based foods.

Stephanie Gerson / Daily Nexus

Breakfast

Breakfast is definitely my favorite meal of the day. I used to love the Birch Benders Paleo mix, but since going vegan, Ive been loving their Plant Protein mix. Luckily, this pancake mix is always in stock at the IV Food Co-op! Additionally, I use chia seeds in my batter to act as an egg replacement. Since the chia seeds absorb liquid, it really helps with the fluff factor! Heres how I whip up protein-packed vegan pancakes in the morning.

Ingredients:

Directions:

Stephanie Gerson / Daily Nexus

Lunch

After a few hours of studying, its time for lunch. I usually opt for a veggie wrap of some sorts or a tofu scramble. I used to be a big scrambled egg person, but now eggs kind of gross me out. Trust me, you wont miss eggs with this vegan scramble.

Ingredients:

Directions:

Tofu is packed with protein and pairing your scramble with whole wheat toast and avocado will keep you satisfied instead of feeling snack-y all afternoon long.

Stephanie Gerson / Daily Nexus

Snack

After my afternoon workout, I look forward to a protein smoothie to help my muscles recover. Especially since I usually do strength training, fueling after I work out is so important.

Heres a protein smoothie that I create, usually using Sun Warrior protein.

Ingredients:

Directions:

Stephanie Gerson / Daily Nexus

Dinner

Ive been loving hearty grain bowls for dinner because they only take a few minutes to make. Since there is no strict recipe for grain bowls, they are a highly customizable dinner option. To ensure that my bowls are balanced, I use this formula when I make them: A third of the bowl is composed of a hearty grain, another third of the bowl is a plant-based protein source and the other third can be any veggie of your choosing! Heres my go-to combination:

Ingredients:

Directions:

Stephanie Gerson / Daily Nexus

Dessert

Since I have a sweet tooth, I always need some sort of chocolate at night. I usually opt for some crunchy green grapes and Theo dark chocolate which can also be found at the Isla Vista Food Co-op.

See, being vegan can still be super fun and tasty I hope you try out some of these delicious, healthy recipes.

Stephanie Gerson

Stephanie Gerson is a first-year student studying Art History at UCSB. She is from Palo Alto, California and she is passionate about sustainability, fashion, photography and vegan cooking. In her spare time, Stephanie loves going on bike rides on campus, catching up with friends, or spending hours on her latest embroidery piece!

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A Full Day of Vegan, Homecooked Meals That Don't Break The Bank - Daily Nexus

U.S. courts seem to recognize plant-based companies constitutional right to use meat and dairy advertising terms.

Is it constitutional to label a vegan product as butter? You butter believe itor, at least, that is how several U.S. courts have responded in ongoing cases.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) places federal requirements on food product labels, but FDA does not pre-approve labels before they enter the market. Although states often rely on FDA to clarify labeling standards, some states institute standards stricter than FDAs federal ones.

For example, Californias false-advertising law, which may be the strictest in the country, imposes a burden on companies to show that a label is not likely to deceive members of the public. As a result, companies must comply proactively with both federal and state laws, and vegan food companies and advocates, in particular, have often found themselves in court arguing that state law restricts their labeling options beyond the extent allowed by federal constitutional law.

In the most recent case as of this writing, a federal trial court has grappled with a vegan food companys claim that the First Amendment protects its use of the term butter against interference by California regulators. Vegan food companies have viewed an early ruling in the case as a victory with significant industry-wide implications.

The case originated in a warning letter that the California Department of Food and Agriculture sent to Miyokos Kitchen in 2019, advising the vegan food company that its butter labels were misbranded under FDA requirements and the California Food and Agriculture Code. This state code restricts the use of dairy-based language and imagery on imitation dairy product labels. In turn, Miyokos Kitchen sued the state, arguing that the Department sought to chill its free speech and had bowed to pressure from dairy industry lobbyists. In September, the court barred the Department from taking any enforcement action against the companys use of the terms butter, lactose free, or cruelty free on its labels.

Although the ruling was only preliminary and the case will not proceed to a full trial until 2021, the courts decision to protect Miyokos Kitchens use of butter terminology sparked both excitement and frustration. The Animal Legal Defense Fundcelebrated the decision for its implications for smaller vegan companies, which rely on terms such as butter and milk to market their products uses to consumers.

But other commentators, including the National Milk Producers Federation, complain that the butter sold by plant-based companies is simply margarine with better marketing. They claim that FDA has a responsibility to stop this rampant margarine mislabeling. After all, most vegan butter products fit neatly into FDAs definition of margarine.

The Miyokos Kitchen lawsuit is only the latest battle in U.S. butter wars, which have raged for over a century between the dairy industry and producers of dairy alternatives such as margarine. Historically, six dairy-dominated states banned margarine outright, multiple states imposed extra taxes on butter alternatives, and 32 states regulated the color of margarine, forcing producers to dye it an unappetizing pink, red, brown, or black color rather than butter yellow.

The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the pink laws in 1898, and the last state to maintain a ban on yellow margarine repealed that law in 1967. Still, the dairy and meat industriesand the states that host themare eager to regulate against vegan companies use of terms such as butter and burger. In 2019, for example, Mississippi passed a law prohibiting the use of meat product terms to describe plant-based foods.

But plant-based companies have started fighting back against such restrictions. The Plant Based Foods Association and the Institute for Justice immediately challenged the Mississippi law in court. The groups weaponized the First Amendment to argue that companies have a protected right to use the terms veggie burger and vegan hot dog on their labels, as these phrases do not mislead consumers. The groups also suggested that if companies were forced to change their labels, consumer confusion would increasebecause alternative terms, such as veggie discs or vegetable protein tubes, are not very clear.

The lawsuit prompted Mississippi to replace the law less than four months after it became effective. A new proposed Mississippi state regulation specifies that plant-based meat products will not be considered mislabeled as long as their labels include an adjective such as meatless, plant-based, or vegan.

In a similar example, a federal trial court blocked the state of Arkansas from enforcing a law that prohibits plant-based meat producers from using the word meat and related terms. In 2019, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Good Food Institute sued the state, claiming that the law violated a vegan companys rights under the First Amendment and the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The court rejected the states argument that plant-based meat product labels are misleading even if they include ample terminology indicating their vegan or vegetarian nature. The court also blocked the law from taking effect while the case proceeded to trial.

The outcomes of the Miyokos Kitchen and ACLU lawsuits may impact the growth of the plant-based foods industry, which is expanding quickly. The Good Food Institute values the U.S. plant-based butter industry at $198 million, a figure that presently far outpaces the growth of the dairy butter industry. Between 2018 and 2020, U.S. sales of plant-based foods surged by 29 percent, and a study projects that the worldwide plant-based food sector will be worth $74.2 billion by 2027. But as the court noted in the Miyokos Kitchen case, each vegan company dealing with labeling disputes may have to spend millions of dollars if regulations or court decisions require label changes.

Lawsuits concerning plant-based products may also be relevant to the coronavirus crisis. Due to COVID-19s disruption of supply chains, some milk intended for butter production is being dumped. The Good Food Institute claims that the supply chains for vegan alternatives are better poised to respond to pandemic conditions, as they are less vulnerable to disruptions typical to animal agriculture. Although FDAs relaxation of some labeling rules during COVID-19 has increased plant-based products access to the market, court decisions requiring label changes could reverse this trend.

By creating clearer regulations as to the labeling of vegan products, FDA could melt away many of the conflicts between plant-based food companies, state regulators, and lobbying groups. But given FDAs recent budget cuts and chronic underfunding, as well as the demands of the COVID-19 crisis, FDA priorities seem to lie elsewhere. In the agencys absence, the U.S. judicial system seems poised to continue cutting through these regulatory issues like a hot knife through butteror vegan butter, as it may be called.

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Are Vegan "Butter" and "Meat" Labels Protected as Free Speech? - The Regulatory Review