- [Narrator] This week, Oprah invests
in vegan milk comply Oatly.
Hugh Laurie says how we treat animals
will be condemned in a hundred years.
And Uniqlo bans alpaca wool.
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KFC is testing out plant-based fried chicken
in Southern California.
- [Customer] How do they do it?
- [Narrator] It launched a trial on July 20th
in more than 50 locations in Los Angeles,
San Diego, Orange County, and the surrounding areas.
The offer includes a six or 12-piece nuggets combo
with a dipping sauce.
The fast-food chain first launched a one-day trial
of Beyond Fried Chicken
at an Atlanta restaurant last summer.
The store sold out in less than five hours.
KFC and Beyond Meat sought to improve the texture
of Beyond Fried Chicken, and reformulated the recipe.
They trialed the new and improved recipe
in more than 70 locations in Charlotte,
Nashville, and the surrounding areas,
earlier this year.
- [Man] They're not trying to be anybody but themselves
and go beyond what we know.
Because this is a tasty little nugget.
- [Narrator] Vegan activists Colin Kaepernick
and Impossible Foods, just teamed up
to provide one million plant-based burgers
to those in need amid the pandemic.
Since the start of the pandemic,
Impossible Foods has helped more than 750,000 people
experiencing food insecurity.
The plant-based startup is now on track
to donate more than one million meals this year.
Kaepernick's organization, the Know Your Rights Camp,
partnered with the plant-based meat company
to distribute its burgers to those in need.
The collaboration between Know Your Rights Camp
and Impossible Foods kicked off on July 9th.
The organizations distributed Impossible Burgers
at he Cornerstone Missionary Baptist Church
in San Francisco.
Impossible Foods will donate to subsequent
Know Your Rights Camp events in additional cities.
These include Los Angeles and New York.
Coming up, this vegan documentary exposes racism
in the food system.
Actor Hugh Laurie says how we treat animal
will be condemned a hundred years from now.
He made the statement in a tweet last month.
He wrote, "For every hour we spend agonizing
"over societal crimes of the past,
"we should probably allow a minute or two
"to wonder what we're doing now
"that will be similarly condemned a hundred years hence.
"Climate, obviously; animal rights, likewise.
"What else?"
Many of Laurie's fans echoed his thoughts
and also highlighted climate change
and animal cruelty as pressing social justice issues.
Activist and academic, Deepti Gurdasni
responded to Laurie's tweet highlighting
the ever present nature of systemic racism.
Laurie said, "I completely agree.
"That's why I was suggesting that we look at the present
"as critically as we look at the past.
"Sometimes it's good to imagine
"that we're our own grandchildren."
A new vegan documentary, "They're Trying to Kill Us,"
examines food insecurity in black communities
as told through the lens of hip-hop and urban culture.
- Big pharma and pharmaceutical companies
are making billions of dollars
off of all of us.
- As long as they can make that dollar
they don't care if you live or die.
- It's something about being here
that's making Black people sick.
- [Narrator] It also shines a light
on the connection between systemic racism,
poverty, and diet.
- If you can control a populations access to food,
you can control the person.
- [Narrator] Vegan entrepreneur, John Lewis,
a.k.a. Bad Ass Vegan,
is producing and directing the film
alongside "What the Health" filmmaker, Keegan Kuhn.
The film, which is currently in production,
will explore how Black Americans are disproportionately
impacted by diet-related illnesses.
It will also shine a light on other factors
impacting Black communities,
including food deserts and environmental racism.
Kuhn and Lewis are currently crowd-funding
for the film via an Indiegogo campaign.
Popular vegan oat milk brand, Oatly,
just sold a 200 million dollar stake
to a group of investors
including Oprah Winfrey, Natalie Portman,
former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, and Roc Nation,
the entertainment company founded by Jay-Z.
The investment was led
by global private equity firm, Blackstone.
The sale of the approximately 10% stake
values Oatly at around two billion dollars,
as reported in the "Wall Street Journal."
Winfrey promotes plant-based eating,
and has shown particular interest
in the health and wellness sector.
She is a director of True Food Kitchen,
and recently backed Apeel Sciences'
food waste prevention technology.
Portman is vegan, and frequently shares vegan cooking videos
on her Instagram feed.
- One of the best ways we can contribute as individuals
to help climate change
is to eat a more plant-based diet.
I hope this recipe helps you celebrate Earth Day
in a delicious and healthy way.
- [Narrator] Jay-Z has previously invested
in plant-based meat producer Impossible Foods,
and cookie brand Partake Foods.
Schultz has personally invested in Oatly,
and his former employer Starbucks
serves the dairy-free milk
at more than 1,300 locations across the US.
Coming up, Uniqlo bans alpaca wool.
The Cambodian tourist town of Siem Reap,
known as the gateway to the largest religious monument
in the world, Angkor Wat,
has banned dog meat.
The Siem Reap Department of Agriculture,
Forestries, and Fisheries made the announcement on July 6th.
According to animal welfare organization Four Paws,
approximately three million dogs are slaughtered
for meat in Cambodia every year.
In a statement, authorities said the dog meat trade
has caused the infection of rabies
and other diseases from one region to another,
which affects public health.
They added that the catching, buying,
selling, and slaughtering of dogs
will be punished severely.
The move follows a year-long investigation by Four Paws.
The group released a report detailing
the public health risks associated with the trade.
These include the spread of rabies,
and zoonotic diseases.
Dr. Katherine Polak,
veterinarian and head of Four Paws' stray animal care
in Southeast Asia, praised the decision.
- So yeah, we have been engaging
with the Siem Reap provincial government now
for well over a year on this issue,
but have been working on dog meat trading
in Cambodia since 2018.
So it's been quite the road to get here,
but we're so excited for the great news,
and for all the dogs that will be saved.
- [Narrator] She said she hopes the announcement
will inspire others to follow suit.
And in another win for animals,
Uniqlo has banned alpaca wool from all of its 2,200 stores.
The Japan-based fashion manufacturer and retailer
ditched alpaca wool after viewing an expose.
International animal rights organization, PETA,
released the first of its kind undercover investigation
earlier this year.
It exposed instances of animal abuse
documented at a farm in Mallkini, Peru.
Owned by the Mitchell Group,
it is the largest privately-owned
alpaca wool producer in the world.
The footage is quite graphic,
as the video shows workers slamming alpacas onto tables,
roughly shearing animals with electric clippers,
and after the workers are done,
the alpacas appear visibly cut up.
Tracy Reiman, PETA's Executive Vice President,
said in a statement,
"Kind consumers can do their part
"to reject this cruelty.
"Opt for vegan clothing,
"which no animal had to suffer for."
Uniqlo previously banned mohair,
a fabric made from the hair of angora goats,
after talks with PETA.
And in South Korea,
people are eating less meat.
There are now about 500,000 people
who self-identify as vegan.
Approximately 1.5 million people
pursue similar plant-based diets,
reports the Korea Vegetarian Union.
The union advocates for plant-based living,
and shares tips on how to lead a vegan lifestyle.
Lee Won-bok, who leads the KVU,
told the "Korea Herald" that plant-based diets
were growing in popularity in South Korea.
Won-bok explained more people are interested
in a healthy diet,
and the awareness on animal rights
and for a clean environment is also growing.
Won-bok revealed that in addition to veganism,
there is another fast-growing trend
in South Korea, flexitarianism.
Those that follow it typically try to eat
more plant-based food and fewer animal products.
The KVU estimates that there may be
as many as 10 million flexitarians in the country.
This figure represents nearly 20%
of South Korea's total population.
In order to meet the growing demand for plant-based food,
Korea's vegan market has been expanding.
That's it for today.
What do you think about Uniqlo banning alpaca wool?
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