TOKYO -- Vegan cuisine is winning new fans in Japan, and not just the typical tofu burgers. Traditional Japanese dishes are being re-imagined using only plant-based ingredients, and Japanese chefs have won international prizes with visually elaborate vegan dishes. Now the country's major food processors are joining in, developing new vegan products.

In Tokyo's upscale Ginza district, an eatery called nu dish Deli & Cafeserved vegetarian ramen and curry for a limited time in the fall. Ramen flavored with salt and yuzu, a citrus fruit, sold for about 1,000 yen ($9).

"I come here because I've been eating too much meat recently," said a company employee near the restaurant, which was full of people from all walks of life. The management bet that many customers would crave good vegan food at reasonable prices, and the bet paid off.

The recipes were provided by T's Restaurant, a Tokyo-based eatery that opened 10 years ago and serves vegan dishes. "We want to create a restaurant where vegans and nonvegans can enjoy dining together," said Masako Shimokawa, a spokesperson.

T's Restaurant has expanded to four other locations, and sales of a high-end instant ramen it helped develop have risen 50% over the past four years.

There are several reasons why vegan cuisine is catching on in Japan. Restaurants are preparing for an influx of overseas tourists who will come for the Tokyo Olympics next year. About 30% of the population in India and more than 10% each of the population in the U.K. and Taiwan are vegetarian, according to an estimate by Frembassy, a food information website. Of the tourists who came to Japan last year, about 1.5 million, or 4.8%, are believed to be vegetarian.

And the reasons why people are forgoing meat are diverse: Some want to help combat climate change, which livestock contribute to,others do so for health reasons. A multipartygroup of Japanese lawmakers was formed in November to discuss ways to better accommodatevegans ahead of the Olympics.

"Japanese companies don't have the option to do nothing," said Toshiya Takahashi, chairman of the Made in Japan Halal Support Committee, which provides the tourism industry with business advice.

Restaurants of all types are starting to adapt. In Tokyo's Hiroo district, where there are many embassies, the Hawaiian-themed vegan cafe Swell Bowls has put a vegan spin on famous Hawaiian dishes. Its Tofu Benedict features a toasted English muffin served with tofu and vegetables, but no eggs, and the Vegan PokiRice Bowl is prepared without fish.

"Vegan meals are creative and interesting," said Yuko Ino, the cafe's owner.

And it is not only restaurants that are taking advantage of the trend. Oisix ra daichi, a food delivery service, started selling boxes of vegan sushi last summer. Radishes, deep-fried eggplant and mushrooms soaked in seaweed broth replace fish atop vinegared rice.

The company also started delivering vegan meal kits last fall. "We've been receiving more orders than we expected," said a company official. One of the popular recipes is bibimbap -- Korean-style mixedrice, but cooked without meat.

In the international world of high cuisine,Japanese chefs are making their mark. In making new vegetarian dishes, they employ the same techniques that have given traditional Japanese cuisine its reputation for visual aesthetics.

The Vegetarian Chance, an annual vegetarian cooking competition, takes place in Italy. In 2017, Japanese chef Hitoshi Sugiura made the top 8with his dish titled "Bouquet," a dish made of thinly sliced vegetables made to look like colorful petals, served on a plate made to look like a cupped pair of hands.

After working as a chef for parties for dignitaries held overseas by the Japanese government, Sugiura became the executive chef at food services operatorOnodera Group. He has since been developing various menu items, including vegan recipes for company cafeterias, as part of an effort to promote vegan dishes.

In 2018, Yoshiko Hondo took second place in the Vegetarian Chance. She first came across vegan dishes while training in the U.S. After returning to Japan, she developed what she calls "Wa-vegan," a combination of Japanese and vegan cuisines.

"A good point for vegan cuisine is that anyone can dine together, regardless of religion," she said. She added that vegan chefs across the world are taking note of Japanese cooking techniques and ingredients like soy sauce, seaweed broth and miso, a paste of fermented soybeans.

The growing number of overseas tourists is also powering the rise of vegan cuisine. In November, local tourism-relatedcompanies and vegan food makers held a networking event in Yamanashi Prefecture, near Mount Fuji. They were meeting because many tourists who come to see the stately mountain do not stay overnight, in part because there are few dining options for vegans.

Demand for vegan ingredients is rising sharply, according to companies that took part in the event. "Until last year, we were actively passing out samples at trade shows, but this year customers have come to us and asked for them," said onecompany official.

Largecompanies are also taking note. A unitof trading houseMitsubishi Corp. has rolled out vegan ramen soup, and rivalMitsui & Co.has invested in a U. S-based meat substitute venture.

Big Japanese retailers are taking orders for vegan Christmas cakes and sechi-ryori, food traditionally eaten during the New Year holidays.

At the networking event, the vegan suppliers managed to win at least one new convert, a local worker who had sampled some soy meat and vegetarian curry. "This is the first time I've tried it, but you could serve something like this in a restaurant."

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Vegan sushi is the new frontier for plant-based cuisine in Japan - Nikkei Asian Review

Hollywood is officially making a switch! On Sunday, January 5, all of Hollywoods biggest and brightest stars will be dining on a completely vegan menu the first time in the 77 years of the Golden Globe history! Everyone from Jennifer Lopez to Sofia Carson to Jennifer Aniston will be dining world-class dishes prepared with the finest ingredients by the master chefs at the Beverly Hilton in California.

Earlier tonight the full menu was shared via social media by Variety showcasing the full three-course menu that the stars will be dining on. So whats on the lineup for the night? Celebs will be served a delicious Chilled Golden Beet Soup topped with candied striped beets and pistachios as their first course, followed by King Oyster Mushroom Scallops paired with a mushroom risotto. The night will be capped off with a decadent Vegan Opera Dome with chocolate, pralines and hazelnuts. #yum

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The Globes go vegan! See what your favorite celebs will be dining during the show - HOLA! USA

When on Friday a court ruled that ethical veganism was akin to a religion and should be protected by law, many vegans celebrated. Yet we should be cautious about doing so.

Jordi Casamitjanas case against his employer was that he was discriminated against on the basis of his veganism he did not want his pension invested in companies linked to animal experiments.

Its been years since I ate, wore, or used animal products, so I guess that makes me an ethical vegan, too though who came up with the definition isnt clear. To me, being a dietary vegan is pretty ethical already.

But resorting to the law to enforce ones rights is hardly the best way to promote support for ones views.

The perception of vegans as shouty turns many people off veganism; nobody likes to think something is being foisted on them, or that theyre being judged. Indeed, many people react badly to it.

The pop singer is a passionate animal rights advocate, telling Vanity Fair in 2019 that her diet also reflects her fashion choices: "Im challenging the system more than ever. Choosing to live as a sustainable vegan activist means wearing more vintage (less waste; loving pieces for longer), playing with the newest eco-materials and technology, and making custom vegan pieces with some of my favorite designers."

Getty

The Clueless star went vegan shortly after wrapping the hit 1990s film and has been a passionate campaigner for animal rights since. Speaking in a video for Compassionate Meals in 2017, she said: "Knowing the truth about where our food comes from is just so disturbing to me. Once you see it, theres no way to go back from that for me."

Getty

The music mogul revealed in a recent interview with The Sun that he decided to give up animal products earlier this year "on a whim", adding that he feels much better as a result.

Getty

"I started for health reasons," Williams told Health in 2019. "I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, and I wanted to maintain my performance on the court. Once I started I fell in love with the concept of fueling your body in the best way possible. Not only does it help me on the court, but I feel like Im doing the right thing for me."

Getty

The American-Israeli actor decided to go vegan eight years ago after learning more about the environmental consequences of eating animal products. Speaking at an Environmental Media Awards benefit, 2017, she said: "Factory farming is responsible for most of the air, water, and land pollution - that disproportionately affects our poor communities as well. So we get to make decisions three times a day, what we do with our planet, and you can make a difference by even once a day or once a week choosing not to eat animals or animal products."

AFP/Getty

While she chooses to refer to herself as plant-based as opposed to vegan, the 'Halo' singer underwent a 22-day vegan challenge with husband Jay-Z in 2013 and is believed to have maintained the diet ever since. Writing in the foreword of The Greenprint: Plant-Based Diet, Best Body, Better World by Marco Borges, the couple say: "We used to think of health as a diet some worked for us, some didnt. Once we looked at health as the truth, instead of a diet, it became a mission for us to share that truth and lifestyle with as many people as possible."

Getty/Coachella

The British boxer extolled the virtues of veganism in an interview with The Daily Telegraph in 2016: "A lot of the meat that people eat has been genetically modified, or if it hasnt then the food the animals been fed has been. Thats tough for a human being to process, so cutting it out made me feel immediately better and stronger than ever."

Getty

The 'Dangerous Woman' singer announced she was going vegan in November 2018. Speaking to The Daily Mirror in a recent interview, she explained: "A lot of the meat that people eat has been genetically modified, or if it hasnt then the food the animals been fed has been. Thats tough for a human being to process, so cutting it out made me feel immediately better and stronger than ever."

AFP/Getty

The British singer has been toying with veganism for a while, having been a vegetarian for seven years. Speaking to The Cut in 2018, she revealed that she will "never eat fish or meat again" and eats a predominantly vegan diet.

Getty

The former heavyweight boxing champion revealed he had become vegan in 2010. "I wish I was born this way," he told Fox News in 2011. "When you find out about the processed stuff you have been eating. I wonder why I was crazy all those years."

Getty

The Zero Dark Thirty star decided to go vegan roughly 13 years ago because of low energy. Speaking to W Magazine in 2017, she clarified: "being vegan was not anything I ever wanted to be. I just really was listening to what my body was telling me."

Getty

Mara has been vegan for eight years, telling Harper's Bazaar in 2018 "its better for your health and the environment.

Getty

Reality star Kim Kardashian West revealed that she has started eating a plant-based diet on Instagram in April 2019. Sharing two photographs of vegan dishes on her Instagram story, the 38-year-old wrote: I am eating all plant-based when I am at home.

Getty

The pop singer is a passionate animal rights advocate, telling Vanity Fair in 2019 that her diet also reflects her fashion choices: "Im challenging the system more than ever. Choosing to live as a sustainable vegan activist means wearing more vintage (less waste; loving pieces for longer), playing with the newest eco-materials and technology, and making custom vegan pieces with some of my favorite designers."

Getty

The Clueless star went vegan shortly after wrapping the hit 1990s film and has been a passionate campaigner for animal rights since. Speaking in a video for Compassionate Meals in 2017, she said: "Knowing the truth about where our food comes from is just so disturbing to me. Once you see it, theres no way to go back from that for me."

Getty

The music mogul revealed in a recent interview with The Sun that he decided to give up animal products earlier this year "on a whim", adding that he feels much better as a result.

Getty

"I started for health reasons," Williams told Health in 2019. "I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, and I wanted to maintain my performance on the court. Once I started I fell in love with the concept of fueling your body in the best way possible. Not only does it help me on the court, but I feel like Im doing the right thing for me."

Getty

The American-Israeli actor decided to go vegan eight years ago after learning more about the environmental consequences of eating animal products. Speaking at an Environmental Media Awards benefit, 2017, she said: "Factory farming is responsible for most of the air, water, and land pollution - that disproportionately affects our poor communities as well. So we get to make decisions three times a day, what we do with our planet, and you can make a difference by even once a day or once a week choosing not to eat animals or animal products."

AFP/Getty

While she chooses to refer to herself as plant-based as opposed to vegan, the 'Halo' singer underwent a 22-day vegan challenge with husband Jay-Z in 2013 and is believed to have maintained the diet ever since. Writing in the foreword of The Greenprint: Plant-Based Diet, Best Body, Better World by Marco Borges, the couple say: "We used to think of health as a diet some worked for us, some didnt. Once we looked at health as the truth, instead of a diet, it became a mission for us to share that truth and lifestyle with as many people as possible."

Getty/Coachella

The British boxer extolled the virtues of veganism in an interview with The Daily Telegraph in 2016: "A lot of the meat that people eat has been genetically modified, or if it hasnt then the food the animals been fed has been. Thats tough for a human being to process, so cutting it out made me feel immediately better and stronger than ever."

Getty

The 'Dangerous Woman' singer announced she was going vegan in November 2018. Speaking to The Daily Mirror in a recent interview, she explained: "A lot of the meat that people eat has been genetically modified, or if it hasnt then the food the animals been fed has been. Thats tough for a human being to process, so cutting it out made me feel immediately better and stronger than ever."

AFP/Getty

The British singer has been toying with veganism for a while, having been a vegetarian for seven years. Speaking to The Cut in 2018, she revealed that she will "never eat fish or meat again" and eats a predominantly vegan diet.

Getty

The former heavyweight boxing champion revealed he had become vegan in 2010. "I wish I was born this way," he told Fox News in 2011. "When you find out about the processed stuff you have been eating. I wonder why I was crazy all those years."

Getty

The Zero Dark Thirty star decided to go vegan roughly 13 years ago because of low energy. Speaking to W Magazine in 2017, she clarified: "being vegan was not anything I ever wanted to be. I just really was listening to what my body was telling me."

Getty

Mara has been vegan for eight years, telling Harper's Bazaar in 2018 "its better for your health and the environment.

Getty

Reality star Kim Kardashian West revealed that she has started eating a plant-based diet on Instagram in April 2019. Sharing two photographs of vegan dishes on her Instagram story, the 38-year-old wrote: I am eating all plant-based when I am at home.

Getty

You dont get people to empathise with you or like you by force, and you dont get people to tolerate your views or win them over by insisting on your rights. Who ever started liking someone because they had a gun held to their head?

Indeed, insisting punctiliously on your rights is a surefire way of getting people to dislike you. Whether in the workplace or on an international level, it causes friction. You may get your way superficially, but it sets up the type of opposition that leads to psychological, cultural and geopolitical tensions.

Even the -ism after the word vegan is a suffix some of us baulk at using suggesting, as is it does, a certain religiosity.

Mr Casamitjanas case also risks encouraging the creep of a wearisome culture of insisting on rights. Sure, human rights and religious faiths must be respected; but the idea has started to filter down through society to petty levels, such as restaurant customers demanding discounts because the menu doesnt exactly match that displayed on the website, or pool-goers complaining because of a closure on one day of the school holidays. First-world problems where a sense of perspective is required.

Using the law to enforce vegans rights is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut a kind of needless passive aggression.

Far better for vegans to demonstrate that we are just like everyone else; that we dont get up at 5am to knit our own hemp, pray to Buddha, perfect our yoga or devise other new ways to single ourselves out.

More effective is to get on with being vegan, showing by quiet long-term example that we are normal, too.

A lot of people who avoid consuming meat, dairy and eggs instinctively know this, which is why the tribunal result received a mixed reaction.

Showing that you dont have to undergo any kind of spiritual conversion, be indoctrinated into anything, sign any documents, have any special qualities or turn your lifestyle upside down to stop being cruel to animals is more likely to be a far more constructive and effective influence in the long run than insisting on our rights.

This tribunal victory has done little to encourage people to give up meat and animal-derived and -tested products. Its a pity the case was ever brought.

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Vegans have won this court case but they're losing hearts and minds - The Independent

It feels like we were ringing in the new year just a few months ago but 2019 is already over. And what a year its been.

From global climate strikes to major wins for animal rights, weve taken major strides toward creating a better world. Lets close out the decade with the biggest wins for veganism. Here are the top 14 vegan news stories you loved from 2019.

2019 kicked off with a bang, thanks to Beyonce and Jay-Z offering fans free concert tickets for life for going vegan. The giveaway was a partnership with the Marco Borges-led 22-Days Nutrition Greenprint program. Fans who pledge to eat vegan could enter to win a lifetimes worth of Jay and Bey concert tickets.

The pair have worked with Borges for several years, first on his 22 Days system to help people shift their mindset, improve health, lose weight, and impact the planet for the better through a vegan diet. They backed the 22 Days vegan meal delivery program and subsequent product launches.

They got to a point where they realized that the overwhelming information about the benefits of a plant-based diet were too hard to ignore, said Borges. He added, so they decided they wanted to challenge themselves and others to move towards a plant-based diet.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) petitioned the FDA to place breast cancer warning labels on cheese.

According to PCRM, the organization combines the clout and expertise of more than 12,000 physicians with the dedicated actions of more than 175,00 members.

At the start of breast cancer awareness month, the organization pushed for cheese products to have warning labels similar to those on cigarette packs. It sent a petition on the subject to the FDA, signed by its president Neal Barnard, MD.

PCRM gives an example of a warning in the petition. It suggests, dairy cheese contains reproductive hormones that may increase breast cancer mortality risk. Breast cancer is among the most common causes of death in women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Instead of cheese manufacturers like Kraft slapping a pink ribbon on products like Philadelphia Cream Cheese and Macaroni & Cheese, as they have done during previous Breast Cancer Awareness Months, they should be adding warning labels, said Barnard in a statement. We want women to be aware that dairy cheese could put them at risk of dying from breast cancer.

Animal rights organization Last Chance for Animals released a two-minute-long film set in fictional fancy restaurant Casa De Carne. Eric innocently goes out to eat with friends, he orders the ribs, and all is well until the twist is revealed. He is shut in a room with a pig and handed a knife. If he wants to eat the pig, he has to kill it.

Unsurprisingly, he cant bring himself to do it, instead opting to pet the animal. But the chefs at Casa De Carne dont mess about and Eric is forced to watch while a butcher slits the throat of his dinner for him. The uncomfortable reality is that meat ends up in restaurants and grocery stores only because somebody was hired to do what every fiber in Erics body was telling him not to do.

LCAs thought-provoking film was awarded the first place Tarshis Short Film Award at the Animal Film Festival.

In the wake of the devastating Amazon rainforest fires, Academy Award-winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio continued to be a powerful advocate for the environment.

Earth Alliance, a nonprofit organization launched by DiCaprio in July, started the emergency Amazon Forest Fund, which supports local partners and Indigenous communities in their efforts to protect and restore the forest.

When news of the Amazon fires hit major news outlets, DiCaprio shared a post from the Rainforest Alliance calling for people to stop eating beef.

Be a conscious consumer, taking care to support companies committed to responsible supply chains, the post said. Eliminate or reduce consumption of beef; cattle ranching is one of the primary drivers of Amazon deforestation.

DiCaprio also teamed up with actor Will Smith to launch a limited-edition shoe for charity. All proceeds went to DiCaprios Amazon Forest Fund. The shoes were a collaboration between Just, a boxed water brand that Smith co-founded with his son Jaden, and environmentally-friendly footwear brand Allbirds, of which DiCaprio is an investor.

There is only one Mother Earth and its on us to protect her, Smith said in a statement about the collaboration. The Brazillian Amazon, our largest carbon sink, has now been burning for a month.

Sixteen-year-old activist Greta Thunberg had a busy year. The 16-year-old traveled to the United States on a zero-emissions yacht over the summer for a series of high-profile speaking events. Not only that, she was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize, had her speeches published in a book (No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference), was the subject of several art installations, and she became the youngest person ever to be named TIMEs Person of the Year. Thunberg, who is also vegan, has shown no signs of being intimidated when chastising world leaders for the lack of real action against climate change.

Thunberg sparked the Fridays for Future movement by cutting school to protest climate change. In September, she led the largest-ever climate strike, with protests happening in major cities across the globe. UK-based sustainable beauty brand Lush shut down all operations in solidarity with Thunberg. All 250 Lush stores in the U.S. and Canada closed down, including headquarters, manufacturing facilities, and e-commerce operations.

As a business with deep roots in environmental activism, giving our thousands of staff the time to get out there and demand bold action is a no brainer, Mark Wolverton, president and CEO of Lush North America, said in a statement. We all share this planet, so we need to band together to sound the alarm and show our politicians that business as usual is no longer an option. The climate crisis wont wait, and neither will we.

In addition to performing a concert at the climate strike in New York City, Jaden Smith lent a helping hand to those who cant afford healthy food. The entrepreneur launched I Love You Restaurant, a free vegan food truck, in Skid Row, one of the poorest neighborhoods in Los Angeles. He even brought the food truck to New York City while he was in town for the climate strike. Along with rapper A$AP Rocky, Smiths food truck handed out more than 500 vegan meals in Harlems Drew Hamilton Houses.

Beyond Meat made history as the first vegan meat company to IPO in May. The California-based brand made an impact on its first day: initially priced at $25 per share, Beyond Meat closed out the day at $65 a 240 percent jump in value. The brand plans to use funds raised by the IPO to invest in existing facilities, expansions, and on R&D.

Filmmaker James Camerons documentary The Game Changers made its worldwide premiere in September. The film follows retired English mixed martial artist James Wilks as he explores the myth that athletes need meat in order to be strong. He meets with experts and athletes alike, including six-time Formula 1 racing champion Lewis Hamilton and former award-winning bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger. Both also served as producers. The Game Changers became available to stream in October, quickly topping iTunes top documentary download spot.

Meat producers are getting on board with vegan protein. This years most high-profile example is Smithfield Foods, the worlds largest pork producer that has faced a lawsuit for polluting nearby towns. Smithfield announced its vegan range, Pure Farmland, earlier this year.

A recent report shows that eight of the top ten meat producers in the U.S. have launched or are investing in vegan ranges, including Hormel, JBS, Cargill, Tyson (the former Beyond Meat investor launched plant protein blended with real meat), Sysco, Perdue Farms, and ConAgra. The ABP Group, one of Europes top meat processors, announced its own range last March. Nestl, the worlds largest food and drink company, is pivoting its focus to non-meat brands. This year, it launched new vegan burgers in Europe under the Garden Gourmet brand. In the U.S., it launched similar products under the Sweet Earth label.

It was an amazing year for vegan fast food.

Burger King launched the Impossible Whopper nationwide. The launch followed a successful trial run in St. Louis. While Burger King initially intended to add the meat-free Whopper to all menus at the end of the year, it was such a hit that the company launched it months ahead of time.

According to Burger King, the Impossible Whopper saw a 28 percent increase in sales following the launch.

Restaurants arent just serving vegan meat for lunch. Dunkin introduced a meatless breakfast sandwich featuring a breakfast sausage made by Beyond Meat. The coffee and donut chain trialed the plant-based breakfast sausage, which comes served on an English muffin with egg and cheese, in all locations across Manhattan over the summer. Like Burger King, Dunkin moved up the nationwide launch because of strong sales.

It was the second best-selling sandwich in Manhattan. Sales were more than double the original forecast. The new option may only be the beginning. I think this is going to be a partnership for years to come, Dunkin CEO David Hoffman said in an interview with CNBC. Dunkin and Beyond Meat got a little help from Snoop Dogg on the launch date. It wasnt the first time the rapper worked with Beyond Meat. Last May, he drove a food truck around El Segundo, California where Beyond Meat is headquartered to promote the brands IPO.

Other big launches include Beyond Meat at Carls Jr., Hardees, and Del Taco and the Impossible Burger at Red Robin. KFC conducted vegan chicken trials in both the U.S. and Canada.

This year, vegan actor Joaquin Phoenix starred as the titular character in director Todd Phillips Joker. Phoenix was more than happy to use his platform to promote a vegan message in the months leading up to the films release. In a video for Brut, the actor recalled what made him vegan.

Me and my siblings witnessed fish being killed in a really violent and aggressive way. It was just absolutely obvious that it was something that we didnt want to participate in and we didnt want to support. To me, it just seems obvious. I dont want to cause pain to another living empathetic creature, he said.

Phoenix criticized the factory farming industry as well, explaining how the dairy industry impregnates mother cows, only to take their babies away so humans can use their milk. Referring to chickens fattened up for slaughter at alarmingly fast rates, Phoenix said: I dont want to force it to be indoors and fattened up just to be slaughtered. It is absurd and barbaric.

The actor also led a public protest against animal cruelty in Toronto. At the Joker premiere, Phoenix wore a hoodie representing the Animal Liberation Front, a faceless direct action group funded through donations and the sale of merchandise such as Phoenixs sweatshirt.

Fur is falling out of style, fast. On October 12, California became the first state to ban the sale of fur.

Assemblywoman Laura Friedman presented AB 44 last December. The bill also prohibits the sale, manufacturing, distribution, trade, or donation of new fur products in any way.

Those who breach the ruling could face civil penalties. Several California cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, and West Hollywood had already banned fur prior to the bills passage. It goes into effect in 2023 and similar legislation is pending in New York.

Major retailers are also turning away from fur.

Two weeks after Californias landmark ban, Macys, Inc. announced that it will stop selling fur by the end of 2020. With more than 680 stores and more than 190 outlets in the U.S., its the biggest American retail chain to announce a fur ban.

The company, which also owns luxury department store Bloomingdales, said it will shut down its Fur Vaults and salons that offer fur storage and repairs.

The decision followed years of protests from animal rights groups including PETA and the Humane Society of the United States. Macys announced that the ban was in a partnership with HSUS.

Even the Queen went fur-free. Queen Elizabeths personal advisor and senior dresser Angela Kelly, who has worked for the Royal Household for 25 years, revealed the wardrobe update in her new memoir, The Other Side of the Coin: The Queen, the Dresser and the Wardrobe.

According to the book, the Queen will wear faux fur for all future engagements. Kelly noted that the Queens use of fur has come under fire from activists.

Fur fashion has long been a status symbol of the Royal Family. The Queen wore a purple velvet robe trimmed with ermine to her coronation ceremony in 1953. She has had a floor-length coat on rotation for more than 60 years. But, the Queens wardrobe is changing with the times.

Canada banned dolphin, whale, and porpoise captivity in venues including aquariums and theme parks. Bill S-203, the Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act, received Royal Assent on August 21. A coalition of more than 20 marine scientists and organizations including Humane Society International, World Animal Protection, the Whale Sanctuary Project, and Ontario Captive Animal Watch endorsed the bill.

Whales and dolphins dont belong in tanks, and the inherent suffering these highly social and intelligent animals endure in intensive confinement can no longer be tolerated. We congratulate the sponsors of this bill and the Canadian government for showing strong leadership in responding to public will and sound science on this critical issue, Rebecca Aldworth, Executive Director of Humane Society International Canada, said in a statement.

Exceptions for research will be provided under permit.

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Your Most-Loved Vegan Stories of 2019

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From California banning the sale of new fur products to Canada prohibiting dolphin and whale captivity, here are the top vegan news stories of 2019.

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Kat Smith

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Your Most-Loved Vegan Stories of 2019 - LIVEKINDLY

When Manuel Mart stopped consuming animal products in 1974, everyone around the then-18-year-old thought he was crazy. In meat-obsessed Argentina, veganism was practically a foreign concept.

Meat, mainly steaks, and the Sunday asados (charcoal barbecues) are an intrinsic part of the countrys culinary culture. Most dishes that make up the typical Argentines diet contain some form of animal products. In 2016, the South American country was the worlds second-largest beef consumer per capita, after Uruguay.

But last July, the word vegan made its way onto most newspaper front pages when a group of young protesters disrupted the livestock show of the Argentine Rural Society, holding large yellow banners demanding animal freedom, as local gauchos on horses tried to disperse them. For vegan activists to hold such protests isnt uncommon, even in meat-loving nations where they draw little response. Yet in Argentina, the attention that the protestors got captured a quiet but dramatic shift thats underway.

Six out of every 10 Argentines are considering giving up beef and going vegan, according to a recent study by the countrys Institute for the Promotion of Beef. Mart, now 63 and head of the Argentine Vegetarian Union, remembers that, in 2000, he knew only one other vegan. A poll his organization commissioned found that 9 percent of Argentinas population is either vegetarian or vegan at the moment.

Prices have gone up so much. We eat meat way less often.

Marina Otamendi, mother of a 5-year-old

Finding a vegetarian or vegan restaurant is no longer a challenge, at least in the countrys main cities. Buenos Aires alone has at least 70 exclusively vegan restaurants. The capitals colorful walls are plastered with messages and banners demanding the protection of animals and the yearly VeganFest is becoming increasingly popular. Many local celebrities are turning their backs on animal products (soccer megastar Lionel Messi has said he switches to a vegan diet during tournament season).

Health concerns and worries about climate change drivers of veganism globally are playing out in Argentina too. But theres an additional factor pushing people away from meat and animal products: the countrys economic crisis and nearly 50 percent annual inflation. The latest report from Argentinas Chamber of Commerce for Beef and Its Derivatives found that consumption of meat products has decreased to its lowest point in the last 50 years.

Prices have gone up so much. Sunday barbecues are not a thing like they used to be. Its just too expensive, says Marina Otamendi, who lives in Buenos Aires and has a 5-year-old son. We eat meat way less often and have replaced it with other things, including more beans.

The prices of meat, milk products and eggs have risen the highest over the past year among all food items, on an average across Argentina, according to the countrys National Statistics and Censuses Institute, making them prohibitively costly for many families.

Adrian Bifaretti, head of marketing at the Institute for the Promotion of Beef, acknowledges that the economic crisis is one of the reasons for the drop in the consumption of animal products. But there are other reasons too, he says.

Changes in lifestyle are becoming factors when choosing what to eat, particularly for young people, Bifaretti says. Young people are now more interested in what they are eating, how it is produced, its quality, how it affects the environment. He insists vegetable-based diets dont provide the same nutrients as meat-based ones.

At the other end of the spectrum, vegan activists are appealing to the consciences of those who will listen. We want people to question what is behind the beef burger they are considering eating: the ill treatment of animals, of workers, all those injustices. We are all animals, says ErikaDe Simoni,an activist from Voicot, the organization behind the posters plastering cities like Buenos Aires.

Despite their newfound visibility, and the number of people joining their cause, being vegan in Argentina is still very hard, Mart says. Many vegan kids are bullied in school, even abused by teachers. In a particularly infamous case, a young boy in the province of San Luis was bullied for years at school for being vegetarian. His parents have now taken the school authorities to court. Meanwhile, its still hard for vegans to find adequate food options in hospitals and canteens, Mart says.

Its also unclear whether some of the recent converts will switch back to meat when prices stabilize.

De Simoni, who lives in a small town an hours drive from Buenos Aires and became vegan eight years ago, is more positive. We are seeing a lot of people organizing to produce and sell vegan products, food, clothes, all kinds of things, she says. We need to get over this idea that Argentina is just about meat and beef.

Mart says fighting discrimination is their big next battle. His organization is working with the National Institute Against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism to pass a new law to protect vegans, particularly children. There are more vegans in Argentina than members of many political parties, he says. If we realized that, we could change many things that are still needed.

Original post:

Could the Economic Disaster Turn Meat-Loving Argentines Vegan? - OZY

A vegan diet could help cut the risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease, a new study has shown.

Medichecks, which supplies at-home medical test kits, said analysis of its data on more than 21,000 UK residents had identified several benefits for those who had become vegans.

Among the Nottingham-based company's findings were lower average blood glucose levels, increased levels of HDL cholesterol, known as "good cholesterol", and lower levels of unhealthy cholesterol.

Meat

These factors, taken together, could help lessen the risk of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease, according to researchers.

After comparing bio-markers from 943 vegans with 20,607 non-vegans, from data collected over the past 12 months, the company's medical experts said vegans could "legitimately claim to be healthier".

The study comes during Veganuary, with more than 300,000 people pledging to eliminate animal products from their diet this month.

Overnight, there were 20-minute queues outside Greggs, in Newcastle, as the bakery's branch hosted the launch of the eatery's new vegan steak bake.

KFC and Subway are also among firms releasing snacks free from meat and animal products.

Lifestyle

Responding to the study, GP and head of clinical excellence at Medichecks Dr Natasha Fernando, said the evidence showed the risk of developing diabetes was lower in vegans, adding that she had seen firsthand how it could benefit those already diagnosed with the disease.

Dr Fernando said: "I met a patient in November 2018 at my GP clinic when she described feeling unusually tired and low in energy.

"Blood tests revealed a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes which was incredibly disheartening for her.

"She feared she would end up like her diabetic uncle, who was on over 10 different medications and also unfortunate enough to develop further complications from this condition such a heart attack in his early fifties and nerve damage to his limbs.

"Being keen to avoid medication, I pointed her in the direction of a few studies which showed successful treatment of diabetes from diet and lifestyle changes.

Fad

"This led her to implement a wholefood, plant-based vegan diet.

"Within two months she lost over 5kg and progressed from having an overweight BMI to a normal BMI, and after three months of this wholefood plant-based diet, she was even more ecstatic to find her follow-up blood test was normal.

"Her diabetes had been reversed."

Dr Fernando said the popularity of veganism could no longer be passed off as a fad.

"Vegans have almost 14 percentlower non-HDL cholesterol," she said.

Nuts

"This is a measure of all the unhealthy forms of cholesterol within the blood such as LDL and VLDL cholesterol which are associated with an increased risk of developing heart disease.

"Vegans were also found to have five percenthigher levels of HDL cholesterol, which is a good cholesterol that removes other forms of cholesterol from the blood stream."

She added that by cutting back on certain food groups, vegans did need to watch their vitamin B12 levels and particularly make sure they were getting enough iron.

Dr Fernando said: "While there's no need to start taking iron supplements unless there is a proven deficiency, vegans should ensure that they have very good iron intake.

"This includes eating lots of dark green vegetables, lentils and beans, tofu, nuts and seeds."

This Author

Richard Vernalls is a reporter withPA.

Original post:

Vegans 'reduce diabetes and heart risks' - The Ecologist

Back in July, KFC announced that it was trying out a vegan chicken burger. The Imposter Burger came, it saw, it conquered, and now the fast food restaurant has announced it will be a permanent addition to the menu.

The tasty burger consists of a Quorn patty coated in KFCs signature blend of herbs and spices, with lettuce and vegan mayo in a soft glazed bun. Delicious.

You can get your hands on it in exchange for 3.99 of your hard-earned cash.

KFC has decided to make the vegan burger a permanent fixture after demand for it in July was 500% higher than predicted. In fact, KFC Gloucester Road in London sold roughly one burger a minute in the first few days following its launch.

Ira Dubinsky, from KFC UK and Ireland, said: The Colonel was all about welcoming everyone to his table now vegans, flexitarians and our fried chicken fans can all enjoy the taste of our Original Recipe together. Weve worked hard to perfect the flavour and make a Vegan Burger the Colonel would be proud of. Its the flavour of KFC, just with zero chicken.

Tony Davison, Head of Global Foodservice & QSR at Quorn added: The chance to co-create exceptional food with an iconic brand like KFC is a pleasure, to see the results launched with such enthusiasm is fantastic. The result does the Colonels recipe justice, truly transformational vegan food that KFC fans are going to love - a finger lickin vegan favourite.

As well as hungry fans being excited, animal rights group, PETA, are chuffed about the vegan burger too.

Dawn Carr, Director of Vegan Corporate Projects at PETA said: We are delighted to have played a part in KFCs journey to bring quick, affordable, vegan options to a new audience. There is no doubt this vegan burger will be a huge hit with the skyrocketing numbers of vegans, vegetarians, and flexitarians around the UK. Clucking marvellous!

Pizza Hut Launches A Vegan Pepperoni Pizza

Greggs Vegan Menu Does Feature A Vegan Steak Bake

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KFCs Vegan Burger Is Now A Permanent Addition To The Menu - Delish.com

Vegan wellness products harnessing hot trends such as CBD, blue light blockers, and adaptogens are popping up everywhere. With these 20 wellness products, youll be on-trend and ready to have the most balanced 2020 possible.

1. The Purple Pillow Sweaty memory foam, stabby feathers, and mystery foam chunks no thanks! This ultra-supportive, highly engineered pillow is made with cruelty-free materials and is going to ensure 2020 is your most well-rested year yet.

2. Warby Parkers Blue Light Glasses These lenses filter out blue light, which comes from digital screens and artificial light and has been shown to increase eyestrain and interfere with our natural sleep patterns. Protect your eyes while looking super chic and stylish in a pair of these on-trend eyeglasses.

3. Chill Pill Stress Relief Candle Made using domestically grown akosoy plant-based renewable wax, cotton wicks, fine fragrance oils and apothecary inspired packaging, these sustainable vegan candles encourage relaxation with a soothing blend of eucalyptus, peppermint, cedarwood, and patchouli essential oils.

4. Superfood Skincare What you put on your body is almost as important as what you put in it. Ensure your skincare routine features cruelty-free and vegan natural products such as Youth to the Peoples superfood-infused cleansers, face masks, and hyaluronic acid.

5. Cocofloss Did you know most floss isnt vegan? Well, Cocofloss is 100% vegan and comes in fun flavors such as Dark Chocolate, Hibiscus, and Vanilla Bean. Get your dental health in check and up your flossing routine with this cruelty-free alternative.

6. #MoodPills Were all stressed and overworked, and sometimes a mood-balancing supplement is just what we need to feel balanced again. These vegan-certified supplements contain Vitamin B6, GABA, organic St. Johns Wort, and organic Chasteberry, and help you deal with occasional stress, frustration, and irritability.

7. Organic Bamboo Bed SheetsThese eco-friendly sheets are as smooth as silk, as sustainable as hemp, and as breathable as linen and dont contain any materials that have harmful chemicals and synthetics. Plus the bamboo lyocell, cruelty-free sheets are hypoallergenic and regulate temperature to keep you cool as you sleep.

8. Beauty Chocolates Clinically proven to improve skin moisture, texture, and elasticity in two weeks with a plant-based collagen boost, eating dairy-free chocolate is about to be your ultimate beauty secret. Get your glow on in 2020 with these vegan chocolates!

9. CBG Oil Youve heard of CBD oil (its in practically everything!), but have you heard of CBG oil? This lesser-known cannabinoid is non-psychotropic and has been shown to have a promising wide range of potential applications for a host of health conditions.

10. Sleep Gummies This delicious, vegan gummy is made with melatonin, chamomile, passionflower, and lemon balm, which have all been shown to help ease sleep. If you struggle to fall asleep and stay asleep at night, popping a gelatin-free gummy could be your newest sleep secret.

11. GuruNanda Humidifier & Diffuser This is the worlds first open-top humidifier and essential oil aromatherapy diffuser and were obsessed. It has an automatic shut-off when the water level gets low, so you can drift off to sleep while the device fills your entire space with moist aromas from your choice of essential oils.

12. Sleep Linen Mist 2020 is all about getting your best nights sleep (it affects your overall health, after all). Restore your mental clarity and spritz away stress with this all natural calming room and linen mist. Mist it over sheets and pillow before bed for your best nights sleep yet.

13. Essential Oil for Cramps This heavenly blend of essential oils is made to lift your spirits and ease the pain when your body is feeling like a total PMS mess. If youre about to lose it, grab this roll-on essential oil stick and give yourself a moment of calm.

14. Sustainable Food Flask Bringing your own breakfast or lunch to work is the easiest way to ensure youll have a nourishing, sustaining meal to get you through your day. This cute, eco-friendly food flask has a vegan leather strap to hold its own utensils so you can skip the single-use plastic and maintain both your health and the planets.

15. Wellness Patches These hemp and plant-infused transdermal patches are made to help with a variety of ailments from insomnia and hangovers to PMS and muscle pain. Simply place one on a veinous area of your body and allow its nutrients to absorb into your bloodstream.

16. Quip Toothbrushes This electric toothbrush created by dentists and designers features a two-minute timer with 30-second pulses to let you know when youre done brushing for a suggested amount of time, is waterproof and shower-proof, and comes with a subscription plan so you can switch out the brush heads in order to keep them hygienic. Get that sparkling smile on in 2020!

17. Care/Of Vegan Vitamin Packs Wellness in 2020 is all about personalization, right down to your daily vitamins. These packs are geared towards your specific dietary and activity needs, and include the ability to make sure all the supplements included in your daily packs are vegan-friendly.

18. Mahina Menstrual Cup Feminene hygiene is finally getting the attention and energy it deserves, with eco-friendly, natural, organic alternatives to standard pads and tampons. Menstrual cups are a sustainable answer to single-use period care products and are here to make that time of the month just a little bit easier.

19. Wave Meditation Pillow This device is beat-based, so you lay down on the comfy body pillow, select a meditation track, and it vibrates to the meditation to enhance your experience. When you come home from a hard day, rest your head on this pillow and immerse yourself in the calming sounds and feelings of this pillow.

20. Turmeric Tonics Boost your skin and gut health from within with these superfood-charged powdered drink blends in original turmeric, turmeric matcha, and turmeric cacao varieties. Switch up your morning cup of coffee for one of these tonics to get the energy boost without the caffeine crash.

Sarah McLaughlin is the New Products Editor at VegNews who is hoping to make 2020 as stress-free and balanced as possible.

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Wellness 20 Must-Have Vegan Wellness Products for 2020 by Sarah McLaughlin - VegNews

Veganuary is here - and with it a slew of new vegan products in stores and restaurants.

But nothing we've seen is quite as intriguing as Iceland 's new vegan steaks, which despite being made from mostly mushroom, look very similar to normal meaty steaks.

Costing 2 for two and already in Iceland stores and available to buy on the supermarket's website, according to the online description, Iceland's No Bull Mushroom Steaks are made using 75% ground up mushroom, plus tomato paste and flavourings. There's no word on whether they actually taste nice, but they certainly look the part...

But the mushroom steaks are just one of many new vegan items hitting Iceland stores, with the retailer - who is already famed for its ground breaking vegan range - some of which are the first of their king to hit UK supermarkets.

Some of the new vegan items at Iceland include two new types of vegan burger (both two for 2), as well as an array of traditional British dishes - but re-imagined with plant-based ingredients.

This includes vegan mac and cheese (2) made with creamy vegan cheese sauce, vegan cottage pie (2) and vegan cheese and onion pasties (two for 2) with flaky pastry and melting cheese.

Less traditional but just as popular amongst Brits, fans of Chinese food can now get their hands on a vegan friendly Chinese takeaway that doesn't solely consist of vegetable spring rolls, as Iceland has brought in a new and exclusive No Chick Sweet & Sour (2), which sees soya protein, red peppers and pineapple coated in a tangy sweet & sour sauce for a stunning meal inspired by the flavours of the Orient.

Another classic quick dinner, there's also a No Porkies bacon pasta (2), a meat feast of a pasta dish with one catch... it contains absolutely no meat.

If you're doing a shop online and you're a new customer, you can save 3 off a shop over 50 using the code 3 ICELAND3 but if you work for the Police, Fire Service, NHS, Ambulance Service, HM Coastguard, Mountain Rescue or RNLI and also Armed Forces, you may want to pop into a store where you can show your card at the checkout and get 10% off shops over 60.i

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Iceland is selling vegan steaks made from mushroom that look exactly like real steaks - Mirror Online

This is your body on plants.

With the new year and decade here, many resolve to make changes to their lifestyle. Maybe its a new exercise regimen, dry January, or the currently trending Veganuary which is exactly what it sounds like.

If youve considered giving up meat, or animal products altogether, in 2020 youre not alone more than 500,000 people have already pledged to go vegan on the official Veganuary site. And while maintaining a climate-conscious diet is certainly on many peoples minds, nearly half of those whove pledged to eat vegan for the first month of the year did so for health reasons.

According to experts, it is true that cutting out meat can result in health benefits but only if you do it safely. That means keeping in mind all the nutrients you are (and arent) getting from plant-based eating. Its important not to transition blindly or to assume that by dropping meat alone, your health will improve.

Assuming youre not loading up on high-carb, processed foods like pasta and sweets, one benefit of going vegetarian or vegan might be a reduction in inflammation, says Chris DAdamo, an assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Thats a benefit of eating minimally processed foods in general, DAdamo tells Inverse.

DAdamo explains that plants have an abundance of nutrients, especially in their non-processed form. Plant-based diets also typically mean that one is consuming more fiber, which can help with satiety making you feel less hungry and curbing overeating.

In addition to decreased inflammation, positives can include a healthier weight, better energy metabolism, suggests at 2019 study published in Nature. The researchers reviewed hundreds of studies on how vegetarian diets influence health and determined that plant-based diets, compared to conventional diets, can benefit weight, metabolism, and systemic inflammation.

The researchers write that one of the reasons those benefits arise is because of changes to the gut. Studies suggest that eating plants can cause the microbiome to foster a favorable diversity of bacteria species.

In October, Stephanie Papadakis, a certified holistic nutrition consultant at Gut of Integrity, told Bustle that the antibiotics used to raise meat are also part of the reason why the gut experiences a change when one goes meat-less.

If you cut all meat out of your diet, you would likely see a positive shift in the number of beneficial bacteria in your gut, Papadakis explained. Many conventionally raised animals are given hormones and antibiotics, which can shift our own beneficial bacteria in the same way taking antibiotics can.

Other studies have shown a potential reduction in the risk of heart disease, commonly linked to red meat consumption. But theres a bit of a grey area there another review 2019 paper, this one published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, suggested that red meat does not actually carry the health risks weve previously thought it to have. But many doctors and nutritionists still say that cutting out red meat is still a good idea.

When looking at health benefits of vegetarianism, one factor influencing results can be the health of vegetarian population overall, says Drew Frug, an assistant professor at Auburn University.

On a population level, we see that any derivative of a vegetarian diet is associated with improved health compared to the average omnivore, Frug tells Inverse, but we often neglect the fact that vegetarians are typically pursuing multiple healthy lifestyle behaviors such as exercising regularly and not smoking.

And while in humans, its nearly impossible to prove that meat is not beneficial to the diet, its also widely accepted that humans can be perfectly healthy without consuming meat, Frug says.

Like many areas of nutrition, red meat is open for debate. But if youre thinking of going veg, there are some more immediate health concerns to keep in mind.

While plant-based foods can benefit your body in various ways, there are some health aspects to consider if youre cutting out meat. DAdamo notes that vegetarian and vegan diets can sometimes lack important nutrients, like iron, zinc, vitamin B12 and the lesser-discussed creatine, choline, and omega-3 fats.

Just cutting out animal products in favor of plant foods is not necessarily going to be healthy, DAdamo says. Really this comes down to eating minimally processed food, eating whole foods, regardless of whether there are animal foods in it or not.

To get at those potential deficiencies, vitamin supplements can be key. DAdamo says that taking a B12 supplement is something that every vegan should be doing alongside monitoring the levels of other nutrients.

Essentially, its important to consider going vegetarian as part of a bigger health push. Cutting out meat, in and of itself, is not going to improve health, notes DAdamo. But it can lead be healthy if done in the context of a minimally processed, whole-food-based diet.

On the Veganuary website, a list of foods that are vegan by accident includes treats like Oreos, Doritos, and several types of beer. Perhaps this part misses the point but the list includes some real food, too, like oatmeal and hummus.

The same goes for trendy meat alternatives, like the [Impossible Burger], Frug says. Since the burger is highly processed and high in saturated fat and sodium, some pro-vegetarian nutritionists and researchers argue that its not a healthy alternative to a beef burger.

This is a good representation of extremes in the vegetarian diet, Frug says. If all I do to call my diet vegetarian is exchange one fast food meal for another, I would expect zero health benefits, metabolic, or physical changes.

On the other hand, replacing fast-food meals with minimally processed vegetarian dishes would mean consuming less saturated fat, sodium, and likely total calories. Therefore, diet change would lead to improved blood pressure, blood glucose, and body composition.

To ensure youre truly keeping it healthy, Frug says: Learn to cook.

There are plenty of healthy vegetarian options in restaurants and grocery store freezers, but foods will almost always be healthier coming out of your kitchen, he says.

Frug adds that legumes in particular are among the least expensive nutrient-dense foods you can find at the grocery store, so following a vegetarian diet does not have to be an expensive endeavor.

For DAdamos part, he says that going vegetarian or vegan might be a totally legit way to improve your health. But he also says there are other options. For example, low-carb, paleo, and Mediterranean diets all work for some people too.

The reality is that there are many ways to be healthy, DAdamo says. Theres no one right way.

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Veganuary: What hopeful vegans need to know before giving up meat in 2020 - Inverse