- [Presenter] This week,
Snoop Dogg reveals how he got his family
to eat vegan food.
The Very Good Butchers IPO on the Canadian Stock Exchange.
The LIVEKINDLY company acquires
Swedish plant-based meat brand Oumph!
And Scotland bans the fishing industry from shooting seals.
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Beyond Meat is bringing a $1.60 vegan burgers
to retailers nationwide just in time for cookout season.
The plant-based meat company launched the Cookout Classic,
a value pack of 10 meatless patties
at a number of supermarket and retail chains,
including Walmart and Target.
The limited edition vegan burgers
hit U.S. store shelves earlier this week.
According to Beyond Meat the Cookout Classic value pack
was made to inspire a shift to plant-based meat
at barbecues at summer gatherings.
Ethan Brown, CEO and founder of Beyond Meat,
said in a statement that the new lower pricing represent
an important milestone in the company's goal
of making Beyond Meat more accessible to all consumers.
Canadian plant-based butcher brand and retail shop,
The Very Good Butchers has gone public.
- All sorts of things you might find
at a traditional butcher shop,
you can find here at this cruelty-free butcher shop.
- [Presenter] It's the second vegan meat brand to IPO
after Beyond Meat in May 2019.
Founded by trained chefs James Davison and Tania Frieson,
The Very Good Butchers is a food technology company
that designs, develops, produces and distributes
a variety of plant-based meat products.
The first shop opened three years ago in Victoria, BC.
It was the first vegan butcher shop
on the West Coast of Canada.
- Love it when someone comes in,
they don't really realize they've had a vegan meal,
they just walk off oblivious,
thinking they've come into a butcher shop or restaurant
and had a, you know, an animal product.
And no, it's been completely plant-based.
It's a great feeling.
- [Presenter] The company has since opened a larger shop
and launched a manufacturing facility in Victoria.
The company's products which include,
The Very Good Steak, Pepperoni and Ribs are available
in over 150 Canadian retailers and restaurants.
It also offers butcher boxes for delivery
which can be bought as a one off
or on a monthly subscription basis.
In the Netherlands,
another meatless butcher is gearing up for big things too.
After developing a thriving plant-based meat brand,
founders of The Vegetarian Butcher are now working
on a new business venture.
- I was dreaming about a machine that can replace animals
to produce meat from what we feed the animals,
either the beans, the wheat and the peas
that we put into the machine,
and we can produce very tasty plant-based meat.
- [Presenter] Jaap Korteweg, a ninth generation meat farmer
and Niko Koffeman have formed a new brand called
Those Vegan Cowboys.
They're creating vegetable based dairy,
including milk, butter and cheese.
Korteweg and Koffeman founded The Vegetarian Butcher
in the Netehrlands in 2007.
Korteweg started the brand to satisfy his own craving
for meatless meat.
- I was hooked on the taste of meat
and my idea was how we can produce meat without animals,
but with the same taste,
the same texture and the same experience.
- [Presenter] More than 4000 outlets in 17 countries
now sell The Vegetarian Butcher's products.
In 2018, the duo sold the company to Unilever.
The multinational consumer goods company
and The Vegetarian Butcher first started working together
in 2016.
The acquisition allowed Unilever to expand
it's plant-based products portfolio
and further The Vegetarian Butcher's goal
of becoming the largest butcher in the world.
Korteweg and Koffeman predict it will take seven years
to get Those Vegan Cowboys products
to market on a large-scale.
Korteweg told flanders.bio,
the upscaling and traditional processing
of high-quality dairy copies takes time
but if it succeeds,
this project will make a very positive contribution
to animal welfare, fair world food distribution,
nature, the climate and biodiversity.
Coming up, H&M Group, Gap Inc. and Esprit
cut ties with a major alpaca wool producer.
Scotland has banned the fishing industry
from shooting seals.
According to the Humane Society International,
seals are killed in Scotland in a bid to protect
commercial fish farms and fisheries.
Since 2011, the Scottish government estimates
nearly 2000 seals have been shot.
HSI states that the actual figure could be higher
due to under-reporting.
The Scottish parliament approved a new bill called
The Animals and Wildlife (Penalties, Protections and Powers)
(Scotland) Bill to put an end to the cull.
The Bill amends the Marine Scotland Act of 2010
and repeals the provision to grant licenses
to shoot seals to protect fisheries and fish farms.
While the ban will have a positive impact on animal welfare,
HSI notes that it is linked to the U.S.
Marine Mammal Protection Act's regulatory requirements
which come into effect from the beginning of 2022.
According to the requirements,
Scotland would not be able to export salmon to the U.S.
in two years time if seal shooting continued.
A number of major fashion brands,
including H&M Group, Gap Inc. and Esprit
have cut ties with a major alpaca wool producer.
- [Woman] We will keep changing how we design,
how we choose materials and how we make our products.
- [Presenter] High street retailer
Marks & Spencer has also announced
that it will phase out alpaca wool.
This follows the release of an animal cruelty expose.
Animal rights organization, PETA,
released the first of its kind undercover investigation,
which revealed instances of abuse documented in Mallkini.
The Peruvian farm is the largest privately owned
alpaca wool producer in the world.
The workers roughly shear the animals
with electric clippers.
In the video some alpacas vomit.
Workers can also be seen slamming alpacas onto tables.
Some of the animals are pregnant and after being shorn,
the alpacas appear visibly cut up.
According to PETA,
workers sow the wounds up without using pain relievers.
PETA's executive vice president,
Tracy Reiman said in a statement,
"PETA's investigation pulled back the curtain
on violent shearing that leaves alpacas
bleeding and crying out.
We urge all retailers to protect these vulnerable animals
by banning alpaca wool.
And are calling on consumers
to leave these cruelly produced items on the rack."
Coming up, the American Cancer Society
recommends avoiding meat to reduce cancer risk.
Norseland, the dairy giant behind the Applewood cheese brand
is set to launch a vegan holiday cheeseboard,
featuring four flavors.
The new cheeseboard will feature the company's
award-winning dairy-free cheese.
Applewood was awarded the best milk product alternative
at this year's FreeFrom Food Awards.
The IIchester Vegan Festive Selection
will include three new cheese varieties,
including Melting Mature Cheddar Vegan,
Blue Vegan Cheese Alternative
and Mexicana Vegan Spicy Cheese.
The company has not announced a launch date
for the new cheeseboard,
but it did confirm the board will be out
in time for the holidays.
In a new ad for Beyond Meat,
Snoop Dogg explained how he first got his family
to try the company's vegan burgers.
- How did I introduce plant-based meat to my family,
plant-based products to my family?
I just laid it on them.
I snuck it in.
You know, you gotta sneak it in, man
because so many people are accustomed to,
you know, a certain taste
or a certain way of doing it.
So you gotta slide it in.
- [Presenter] Snoop Dogg has worked with
the plant-based meat company on a number of campaigns.
In April, the songwriter helped Beyond Meat
donate vegan burgers amid the coronavirus pandemic
to hospital workers on the front lines.
He also starred in a Dunkin' commercial
featuring the vegan Beyond Meat breakfast sausage.
- [Man] We brought in the biggest Beyond Meat fan we know
as our newest employee
(upbeat music)
to help introduce our new Beyond Sausage Sandwich.
- [Presenter] Last February he served Beyond Burgers
at the Pre-Grammy's party.
And in 2019, he drove a Beyond Meat food truck
around El Segundo to promote the company's IPO.
The American Cancer Society unveiled new guidelines
for reducing the risk of cancer.
The organization advises people
to eat less red and processed meat
and more whole plant-based foods.
The new guidelines published in the journal CA,
a cancer journal for clinicians,
state that regular exercise and healthy eating pattern
can lower the risk for several types of cancer.
Healthy eating, ACS notes,
includes limiting or eliminating beef, pork and lamb,
as well as processed meats, such as bacon, hotdogs
and cold cuts.
It also advises avoiding sugary drinks,
alcohol and refined grains.
The ACS advises eating nutrient-dense, fiber-rich foods,
such as colorful fruits and vegetables,
whole grains, beans and peas.
The LIVEKINDLY company has acquired
Swedish plant-based meat company Oumph!
The award-winning brand produces a wide range of products,
including soy-based burgers, strips, filets and pulled meat.
Oumph! joins the LIVEKINDLY company's
collective of heritage and startup brands,
including South Africa's The Fry Family Food Company,
Germany's Like Meat and digital media publisher LIVEKINDLY.
Kees Kruythoff, CEO and Chairman of the LIVEKINDLY company
said in a statement,
"the LIVEKINDLY company is leading a movement
to build a more sustainable future
through a portfolio of brands.
We're all creating delicious, healthy plant-based food
and our ecosystem of mission-aligned partners.
Bringing Oumph! into the LIVEKINDLY company family
was a natural next step for us.
Their commitment to plant-based food quality
and protecting the planet mirrors our own,
as we accelerate our mission to make plant-based eating
the new normal."
And finally this week,
the animal rights community
is mourning the loss of a beloved activist.
65 year old Regan Russell was killed
while attending a pig slaughterhouse protest
outside of Fearmans slaughterhouse.
Russell was run over by a transport truck
delivering pigs to the facility.
The Animal Safe Movement regularly hosts the vigils
outside of the Burlington slaughterhouse
to witness and document the suffering of pigs.
Activists also provide pigs water
which Russell was doing moments before she was killed.
The community is mourning her loss.
Anita Kranjc, founder of the Animal Save Movement,
wrote in a post on the torontopigsave Instagram.
"Regan was a kind, elegant, strong and courageous person.
She was a mentor to others and she always did activism
with kindness in her heart."
That's it for today.
What do you think about The Very Good Butcher's IPO?
Let us know in the comments below.
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