Plant-based menus: trend to movement
Vegan Lifestyle Articles From All-Creatures.org

Vegan lifestyle articles that discuss ways of living in peace with humans, animals, and the environment.


FROM

Johanna McCloy, VeggieHappy.com
December 2016

veggie happy

This is the time when top ten 2017 food trends are forecasted by respected researchers, marketing organizations and food industry representatives. Retailers, foodservice establishments, concessionaires and the media all pay close attention to these reports and consider these “trends” as they plan new menus for the upcoming year.

One common item in the trend reports for 2017 is the focus on plant-based foods and menus, and an important secondary aspect of that trend is the highlighted consumer group being targeted: flexitarians. That is to say, this trend relates to mainstream consumers who are reducing their meat or dairy consumption, It’s not really focused on self-identified vegetarians or vegans.

Here are some interesting examples highlighting how this “trend” is actually a fast-growing movement:

  • A new trade group, the Plant Based Foods Association, was established earlier this year to represent makers of proteins derived from plant-based sources. An industry lobby is now in place.
  • Tyson Foods just launched a $150 million VC fund called Tyson New Ventures to invest in meatless foods and technology.
  • Hampton Creek‘s eggless Just Mayo continues to disrupt the food industry and now Hellman’s is creating an eggless mayo of their own. Meanwhile, Hampton Creek’s eggless-egg has been replacing eggs in all kinds of packaged products.
  • Bill Gates is one of the big VC investors in plant based protein technology, including the meatless Impossible Burger which is now highlighted on the menu at Jardiniere, a high-end French restaurant in San Francisco. (It’s meatlessness isn’t even mentioned.)
  • Food establishments, schools and hospitality groups are all looking at ways to expand their plant-based menus with delicious options. This is true globally. The word’s most prestigious cooking competition, the Bocuse d’Or, will focus on a plant-based dish for chefs from 24 countries in the 2017 grand finale. That means no dairy, no eggs, no meat.

Visit Veggie Happy’s Facebook page (the page is titled “We’re Veggie Happy”) for more informative and fun posts related to the increasing popularity of plant-based menu options on mainstream menus. 


Return to Articles Reflecting a Vegan Lifestyle