Veganism Around The Net: Impossible Responds to Bloomberg+ Veganuary Turns 10!

In what can only be described as an attack on the two biggest names in plant-based, Bloomberg Business Week published a story titled “Fake Meat Was Supposed to Save the World. It Became Just Another Fad”. The article starts by setting the scene with the funding history of both companies, and their rise to plant-based food stardom. The article continues on quoting past interviews of both founders but takes a turn when highlighting the funding history and valuations of both companies. 

The article which continues on as a one-sided opinion piece uses 

Meatless meat, it turns out, seems less a world-changing innovation than another food trend whose novelty is wearing thin. 

Impossible Foods responded by taking out a full page ad in The New York Times and a blog post  titled “BLOOMBERG WAS SUPPOSED TO REPORT THE FACTS. IT BECAME JUST ANOTHER OPINION PIECE”. In the post, Impossible Foods highlights the bias in Bloomberg’s reporting mentioning the brand’s increased sales figures in the frozen category, and states that despite what the article mentions (“the all-important meat eaters do partake, but at a much lower frequency. “They’re just not that into it”) – “More than 90 percent of individuals purchasing Impossible say they also eat meat.”

You can read the initial Bloomberg article here, and Impossible Foods’ response here. 

Meatless Farm puts plant-based on the menu at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin which welcomes over 1.3 million visitors each year.

In the UK Meatless Farm also caught my attention by creating a pop-up vending machine (or APM short for Automated Plant Machine) in Shoreditch last week. 

Although a little more than a week old, I came across this video from The Wall Street Journal last week that simply explains what might be some of the reasons behind Beyond Meat’s declining stock price. 

The video suggests that there is more to the decline than consumers simply not choosing plant-based.

Watch the full video here. 

Each year, Veganuary returns bigger and better, and breaking more records. 2023 hasn’t been any different as the charity announced that one person takes up the challenge every 2.4 seconds. 

A few cool stats: 

• 9% of adults in GB has taken up the challenge 
• Mojority of past participants cited animal welfare as a motiving factor to taking part
• 23% of non vegans participants became vegan and 43% reduced their animal consumption to less than half 

Visit this LinkedIn post from Veganuary which has more information and stats from directly from the charity. 

A petition launched to keep AlDI’s plant menu past Veganuary surpassed 13,500 signups. 

In the Vegan UK Facebook Group, opinions vary as to why its not possible for Aldi to keep their vegan range year-round., but for the most part vegan consumers are not happy with the retailer. 

THIS! Launched their bacon ‘Isn’t Bacon Streaky Rashes’ with a creative’RIP to pork bacon’ video. Meanwhile French brand La Vie have opted for a more traditional form of advertising which can be seen all over London bus stops, billboards, and underground stations. Consumers have however taken to the brand’s IG post to express discomfort in the advert shown above. 

Click here to visit the post and read reactions.