A health enthusiast, a dedicated vegan, a fierce activist, and an entrepreneur at heart, Sonal is the founder and CEO of WhiteCub – an upcoming brand in the F&B industry dedicated to serving vegan alternatives for dairy products. She holds an MSc in Anthropology and has been working in the vegan industry for more than 10 years. She enjoys cooking, practicing yoga, and reading classics in her free time. She also enjoys gardening and interacting with people. She is an expert cook and possesses wizard-like marketing skills, that have contributed to the growth of her brainchild – WhiteCub.
It is famously said that “you are what you eat”. It goes without saying that veganism is truly one of the healthiest lifestyles. With veganism grabbing attention across the globe, there is upward trend in consumption of plant-based food. The market for vegan products is expanding aggressively and is projected to reach a whopping USD 26.1 billion by 2026. The foundation of veganism is built on the idea of excluding any product that is derived out of animals, including food, dairy and even clothing. From an ethical point of view, commoditizing animals is absolutely abstained by people practicing veganism.
World Vegan Day, which is celebrated every year on 1st November, has found massive support all round the world with vegans promoting the imperatives of veganism and espousing other members of the society to join the movement. It is inevitable that the campaigns and celebration will be bigger and better in 2022, as advocacy for a compassionate world by avoiding products made from animals is on a rise.
There are tons of information available on the internet, which has made it easier for potential vegans to make a transition. Insights related to how to create a vegan grocery list, how to subside craving for non-vegan food, how to draw a nutritional vegan diet chart, etc. are being promoted by influencers. These influencers are doing a perfect job by presenting information in a condensed and interactive manner. This is one of the biggest driving forces behind the success of the vegan industry. Keep reading to learn how the vegan industry has managed to rise to fame and what’s in store for the industry in 2022.
- Promotion of healthy eating habit
The onset of pandemic has created a sense of awareness amongst the denizens of the world to shift their focus towards wellbeing of their health and the environment. The health benefits of incorporating a vegan diet are enormous due to the fact that it has very low to zero levels of fat, low cholesterol, aids the secretion of insulin, etc. The advancements brought about in food technology is another major factor contributing to the more and more individuals opting for dining on cruelty free, delicious and sustainable meals. Technology driven solutions has made it possible to extract and replicate the taste and smell of meat out of plants. For instance, by incorporating tech driven solutions, now protein from chickpeas can be extracted, isolated and then processed to form an egg liquid. The resultant egg has zero cholesterol and is far more nutritional. Peas in particular are very popular in the food tech world for engineering because they have high nutritional value and are allergy friendly. These engineered vegan meat grown in laboratory are not only free from anti-biotic that the animals are fed, but also hold higher nutritional value.
- Tackle environmental and social concerns
Non vegetarian diets can result in about 59 per cent higher greenhouse gas emissions than vegetarian diets. The whole of process of feeding, farming, killing, processing, transporting and storing animal flesh necessitates use of enormous amount of energy. Further, dairy products contribute for about 14 per cent of food related carbon footprint.
Several social campaigns are being undertaken by activists and social organizations which focus on fostering the use and consumption of cruelty free products. These agents of change have bolstered their efforts and campaigns through social media by conducting webinars, appearing on talk shows, engaging in policy making, undertaking awareness drives, educating the young people, etc.
The global hunger crisis is another concern that veganism could possibly put a stop to. The problem of scarcity of food and ultimate starvation of many innocents can be solved by striking an equilibrium i.e., adopting a vegan lifestyle. Naturally, as more people will avoid consuming meat, the requirement to feed plants to animal intermediaries will reduce. This will definitely lead to plant-based meals being directed towards consumers. Also, abstinence for consumer animal-based meals or products, will spare more space for additional crops to be grown. This could eventually solve the global hunger crisis.
- Prevent future outbreaks
Amidst pandemic, social organizations took the opportunity to make their word reach millions by engaging in challenges with high profile celebrities in exchange of charity donation. In this way many celebrities were able to connect millions of followers with the crucial world issues and make them aware of the need to adopt a vegan lifestyle. A slew of activists and social organizations also took into their hands the duty to educate public about the Zoonotic diseases. In order to prevent the emergence of any new infection, there is a need to make people wary of the link between consumption of animals and transmission of diseases.
- Increase in diversified vegan options
The gradual increase in the demand for vegan products has led to the emergence of many startups and corporate entities which are focusing on bringing to the shelves innovative and diversified range of vegan meals and products. Some entrepreneurs have gone a step further and busted the myth about vegan products being expensive. Furthermore, the surge in consumption of content on social media has enlightened many people about the ways in which easy to access and regular home ingredients can be used to cook a vegan delicacy.
- Rise of e-commerce and food delivery aggregators
Covid 19 certainly provided an incredible impetus to the e-commerce players who already were on their path of success. The emergence of many vegan options listed in the e-commerce websites has made it easier for the consumers to order and get it delivered at their doorsteps. In world that is driven by data, software supporting the e-commerce website can also apprise the consumer of other vegan options available making their experience easier and personalized.
Furthermore, as the number of people practicing veganism is climbing so are the restaurant services. There is a plethora of restaurants that have now created a vegan menu or have exclusively opened up for vegan meals. The food service industry did have to brave the brunt of pandemic when it surfaced in 2019. However, the emergence of food delivery aggregators has been a boon for the food service industry, as more and more people are becoming inclined towards ordering food. And we can say that the restaurants serving vegan food have struck the right chord with consumers, as the market for vegan food is estimated to grow at the rate of 9 per cent during the period of 2022-2027. Food businesses that take into consideration the health and wellbeing of their consumers are certain to thrive in future.
Conclusion
The vegan industry will continue to permeate people’s lifestyles in 2022 as food technology is becoming robust each day. With a variety of easy to make vegan dishes and animal cruelty related content doing the rounds on social media platforms like Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, etc. people are not only becoming conscious about their own wellbeing but perceptive towards other sentient beings. The biggest step that individuals are taking towards committing to veganism is becoming dairy-free and then learning vegan cooking skills. Having an all-vegan kitchen space is the biggest leap one can take in 2022 to go vegan.