This week: Wendy's hints at launching vegan burgers. The world's largest vegan
restaurant is opening in Dubai. Ethiopia planted 350 million trees in one day to
fight climate change, and find out which country might tax meat to save the planet.
All that and more on LIVEKINDLY's weekly vegan news.
Fast food giant Wendy's might launch vegan burgers soon. During the company's 2019 second quarter
earnings call this week, CEO Todd Penegor revealed that the chain intends on
entering the plant-based food scene. "Clearly there is growth out there in
plant-based proteins, and we believe that it is a trend that will be here to stay."
He added that Wendy's "is taking a hard look and what the options would be for
us at the restaurant." Unlike other fast-food chains like
Burger King, White Castle, and Carl's Jr., Wendy's vegan burger might not offer the
popular burgers from brands Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat, according to Penegor.
Any plant-based options would be unique to Wendy's. The culinary team
is currently exploring recipes.
Travel giant British Airways is the latest
airline to cut ties with SeaWorld. The UK's second largest airline will no
longer sell tickets to any attractions that keeps wild animals captive,
including dolphin tours. The move was applauded by international animal rights
group PETA. British Airways previously partnered with the David Sheldrick Trust,
which operates the most successful orphaned elephant rescue and
rehabilitation program in the world. In 2005, the company committed to halting
the transportation of animals bound for scientific experimentation.
British Airways joins a growing list of Airlines and travel companies including United Airlines,
Virgin Holidays, WestJet, and Air Canada, breaking away
from SeaWorld due to animal welfare concerns.
Adidas has just launched another vegan shoe made from recycled ocean plastic.
The largest sportswear brand in the world's newest sneaker is made from
plastic collected from beaches and coastal towns.
"The fish eat the trash, then we eat the fish."
We're feeding ourselves our own garbage and it's now in our blood streams.
We've got to avoid plastic, we've got to get out of the ocean and reuse it.
Called the Terrex Two Parley, it is a collaboration with Parley for the Oceans,
an organization that "seeks to synchronize the economic system of humankind
with the ecosystem of nature and make environmental protection
fiscally lucrative for paysetting major companies."
Parley works with partner organizations in coastal areas of the Maldives to
collect the plastic. It then sends the plastic to Taiwan where a processing
facility makes it into yarn. It's not the first time Adidas has partnered with Parley.
The sportswear giant partnered with a group in 2018 to launch 7,000 pairs
of vegan sneakers. Each pair contained 12 plastic bottles worth of waste,
with some coming from discarded fishing nets.
"More than 8 million tons of plastic waste is washed out into the oceans every year
Our actions put it there.
It's killing the wildlife, and it's killing you and me."
Eric Liedtke, executive board member for Global Brands Adidas Group said it's "spinning the
problem into a solution." In 2018, Adidas announced intentions to make all of its
products with recycled plastics pulled from the ocean before 2024. The change
would see around 450 million pairs of shoes being made with recycled plastic
every year. The company has also worked with sustainable English designer
Stella McCartney on several collaborations.
Coming up - Royal Caribbean cruises launches a three-course vegan menu
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Germany is considering a meat axe to cut carbon emissions.
Meat is currently relatively cheap across Germany, with
just a 7% tax. But lawmakers say a 19% tax on meat could help slash
carbon emissions. Meat is notorious for its impact on the planet and even the UN
recently advised that people should eat less of it in order to mitigate climate change.
"And it's one of the primary culprits behind every major
environmental concern, whether you're talking about climate change, water
pollution, air pollution, or deforestation."
Germany isn't alone in suggesting a tax.
Earlier this year, British MP Caroline Lucas urged the UK government
to seriously consider taxing meat for environmental reasons. Meat features in
a number of traditional German dishes The national dish, sauerbraten, is a meaty pot roast,
and the country is also known for its love of food like the bratwurst (grilled sausage),
and schnitzel (breaded pork or chicken). the nation is slowly
The nation is slowly embracing vegan food. In 2017, Mintel data revealed that Germany launched more new
vegan products than any other nation. The 2017 documentary "The End of Meat" by
director Marc Pierschel, explored the rise of the German vegan food movement in detail.
"...the future that doesn't include the exploitation of animals."
In Germany, home of bratwurst and schnitzel, meat is
an integral part of the diet. That is, until a few years ago, when perception
somewhat evolved. Health concerns and meat scandals led to a public debate
about the ethical implications of meat consumption, and the rise
of plant-based diets," says the website.
Cruise Line Royal Caribbean added a three-course vegan dinner to its main dining rooms.
The company's Windjammer Buffet has offered plant-based food for some time,
but this marks the cruise line's first vegan dining room option.
The new menu features edamame stuffed portobello mushrooms,
vegan spaghetti Bolognese, and orzo pasta stew with green vegetables.
For dessert, there's dairy-free toffee cheesecake with dark chocolate and a peanut butter crust.
Royal Caribbean joints other luxury ships in offering plant-based options:
including Richard Branson's Virgin Voyages and Oceania.
Coming Up - Nearly half the people who buy vegan food do it for the animals.
Ethiopia just set a new world record for planting trees.
The African nation planted more than 350 million trees in one day.
Previously, India held the record for the most trees planted in one day, planting
50 million trees within 24 hours in 2016. Ethiopia's tree planting is the product
of a national effort against climate change.
"Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed spearheaded the project which aims to counter
the effects of deforestation and climate change in the drought prone country."
The green legacy initiative, a government campaign for a greener, cleaner more
environmentally-friendly Ethiopia, aims to see 4 billion trees planted across
the country by the end of the summer.
"To help with the current environment and
so that we build a resilient economy, a resilient city so that the residents of
the city will have more fresh environment."
The government is encouraging every citizen to plan at least 40 seedlings. It even shut down
public offices on July 29th so that civil servants could partake in the
campaign. Last month, a study revealed the mind-blowing potential of trees in
fighting climate change. Scientists revealed that planting billions of trees
around the world is the quickest and cheapest way of buying humans more time
to save the planet. "Trees not only help mitigate climate change by absorbing the
carbon dioxide in the air, but they also have huge benefits in combating
desertification and land degradation particularly in arid countries," Dr. Dan Ridly Ellis,
the head of the Center for Wood Science and Technology
at Edinburgh Napier University, told the Guardian.
According to NASA, there are now more
trees on the planet than there were 20 years ago. Dubai is
Dubai is now home to the world's largest vegan restaurant. The biggest city in the
United Arab Emirates, already home to the world's tallest building and the world's
biggest shopping mall, just open the new record-setting vegan restaurant called Veganity.
The restaurant boasts more than 200 international vegan dishes,
offering entrees from gnocchi to fried chicken, and plenty of dessert.
Veganity made a name for itself in Dubai in 2017 when its founder chef Sky Sommers,
began catering to the growing demand for vegan food in the
Middle East with a meal delivery service. Taking it a step further, owner and head
chef Sky Sommers wanted to create something that's never been done before,
by opening the Veganity restaurant in the heart of Dubai, on the Main Street of City Walk,
"creating a haven for vegans and non-vegans to be able to enjoy healthy,
yet soulful gourmet food that's just as enjoyable," a spokesman for the restaurant told the National.
According to the company Veganity is expected to expand to Abu Dhabi next
with other cities to follow.
New research revealed that nearly
half the people who buy vegan food are doing it for the animals. According to
Health Research International, 47% of consumers who purchase plant-based
food and drink feel it's a very important or extremely important for the
animals. Health and environmental reasons were also motivators, with 53% of study
participants strongly agreeing with the statement that "eating vegan food helps
to prevent disease." 44% of participants said they ate plant-based foods for
environmental and sustainability reasons. More consumers are growing aware of the
treatment of animals within the meat, dairy, and egg industries.
75% of people surveyed by the nonprofit organization World Animal Protection
found the conditions pigs are kept in "upsetting." Many said they would consider
changing their shopping habits after seeing images of pigs on factory farms,
cramped into small pens. Roughly 99% of animals raised for food come from
factory farms. This figure was explored in the 2017 documentary "Eating Animals,"
produced by Natalie Portman. "What the movie goes into
a lot is factory farming which is 99% of how all animals, and dairy, eggs included,
are raised is in really awful conditions, but also it's like the number-one source
of pollution. More than cars, anything else."
That's it for today. Do you buy vegan food for the animals? Let us know in the comments
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We'll see you again next week for LIVEKINDLY's weekly vegan news.