As 2022 involves an in depth, we’re interested by all the massive vegan headlines of the yr—and there have been lots. General, we are able to confidently say that this yr was one full of plant-based innovation.
From lupini beans as a base for dairy-free ice cream to watermelon seeds as a key ingredient for vegan cottage cheese to precision fermentation-made mozzarella, it’s clear that the way forward for dairy doesn’t lie in milking cows.
If years previous have been dominated by vegan burgers, 2022 was all about new plant-based hen, each in shops and at locations like KFC, Panda Categorical, and different fast-food chains.
Burger King
Talking of quick meals, Burger King spent the yr exploring the way forward for meals with vegan pop-ups throughout the globe. In 2022, the worldwide chain toyed with flipping the script by making plant-based meat the brand new regular, with animal meat accessible by request.
And market analysis specialists at Analysis and Markets are predicting that developments within the vegan meals world will proceed to develop within the coming years. In keeping with its November report, the worldwide vegan meals market is slated to develop by almost $1 billion in 2022—up from $13.55 billion in 2021. By 2026, the analysis agency locations the market at $18.73 billion.
High 22 vegan information headlines of 2022
However earlier than we set our sights on what the vegan future might maintain, we’re taking a second have a look at the milestones that outlined vegan information in 2022.
1 Vegan hen arrives at KFC
Again in January, Past Meat’s vegan hen hit KFC’s 4,000 shops for a restricted time and we have been consuming it up.
KFC
Right here’s to hoping KFC revives Past Fried Rooster as a everlasting choice—possibly with a couple of new vegan dipping sauces?—in 2023.
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2 Animal-free mozzarella cheese targets pizza outlets
2023 can’t come quick sufficient for pizza lovers. That’s as a result of subsequent yr is when New Tradition guarantees to place its vegan mozzarella cheese—made dairy-identical with the ability of precision fermentation—on pizzeria menus nationwide.
New Tradition
And it’s not all speak at New Tradition as the corporate is backed by agri-business big ADM and $23 billion Korean conglomerate CJ CheilJedang, a serious participant within the US pizza trade.
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3 Starbucks’ first vegan fall drink
Okay, it is probably not a PSL—which in 2022 nonetheless contained dairy elements within the US—however Starbucks obtained cozy this fall with the launch of its first vegan-as is drink, the Apple Crisp Oatmilk Macchiato.
Starbucks
Perhaps subsequent yr, Starbucks will heed the decision of many a PETA protests and drop its vegan milk upcharge?
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4 Past Orange Rooster lands at Panda Categorical
For not less than 5 nights straight in September, dinner meant one other journey to Panda Categorical for a combo meal of chow mein, Tremendous Greens, and Past the Authentic Orange Rooster—and we all know we weren’t the one ones making the nightly voyage.
Panda Categorical
Spicy, sticky, and candy. This vegan orange hen wants to remain on the menu endlessly. Panda, are you able to hear us?
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5 Chicago will get a Entire Meals-sized vegan grocery retailer
Large vegan grocery store PlantX opened its doorways in Chicago this summer season and grocery buying has by no means been the identical.
PlantX
Studying labels for hidden animal merchandise? Not right here. The shop has the entire produce, grab-and-go objects, meats, cheeses, and desserts of a Entire Meals however with none animal merchandise.
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6 Research hyperlinks milk consumption with spike in prostate most cancers danger in males
We’ve been off the teet for fairly a while however new analysis continues to point out that consuming animal milk isn’t for people.
Getty
Working example? A significant research revealed in The American Journal of Medical Diet in June discovered that males who eat probably the most dairy are at a 60-percent elevated danger of growing prostate most cancers in comparison with those that abstain from it.
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7 Burger King leads the way in which for vegan way forward for quick meals
Once you check out the worldwide image, Burger King is doing probably the most in relation to vegan meals. Which led us to ask the query in August if the chain could be the primary of its type to drop meat for good.
Burger King UK
Whereas meat remains to be on the menu at Burger King, the chain continues to pioneer a plant-based future for fast-food and has launched plant-based burgers to its menu in additional than 70 nations to this point.
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8 Keto is the least nutritious diet of the yr
Ever surprise what consuming principally bacon, cheese, and butter will do to your well being? These are the constructing blocks of a keto eating regimen and this manner of consuming was ranked because the least wholesome, in accordance with diet specialists at US Information and World Report.
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Not surprisingly, specialists ranked plant-centric diets on the prime for his or her filling fiber-rich meals and environmental advantages.
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9 Meals Community faucets Tabitha Brown to host first vegan present
Whereas consuming plant-based is sort of straightforward these days, Meals Community lastly got here round with its first vegan cooking present It’s CompliPlated, a contest that pits cooks towards one another to cook dinner for choosy eaters.
Tabitha Brown/Feed the Soul
And who higher than to host the community’s first vegan present? None apart from easy-to-watch persona Tabitha Brown.
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10 Taco Bell will get into vegan beef
Taco Bell has been a longtime favourite for a lot of stranded late-night partiers on the lookout for a fast chew of one thing tasty. This fall, midnight snackers in and round Birmingham, AL have been pleasantly stunned with a vegan beef choice at roughly 50 Taco Bell areas.
Taco Bell
What would we order? 10 vegan beef mushy tacos, al fresco with a handful of fireplace sauce packets, please.
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11 Taco Bell and Past Meat launch vegan steak
Mas Taco Bell information? Coming proper up … this time with a vegan steak twist.
Taco Bell
Past Meat and Taco Bell have been teasing their partnership for a couple of years and in October, that was an announcement of epic proportions. Past Carne Asada, a marinated vegan steak, arrived at roughly 50 take a look at areas within the Dayton, OH space.
The perfect half? It didn’t price additional to improve from animal meat to Past’s vegan steak.
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12 Large avocado research finds ldl cholesterol advantages
Avocados are so temperamental in relation to ripening however science says consuming them has a bunch of advantages. A research revealed within the Journal of the American Coronary heart Affiliation this summer season discovered that consuming these green-hued berries (that’s proper) day by day can assist decrease ldl cholesterol.
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And our massive batch of guac has been slowly browning within the fridge ever since.
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13 Miyoko’s Creamery makes vegan cottage cheese with watermelon seeds
Pushed by our need to finish animal exploitation, vegans are a inventive bunch in relation to growing cheese options.
VegNews
And the queen of vegan cheese, Miyoko Schinner, actually outdid herself this yr when she showcased the world’s first dairy-free cottage cheese at commerce present Pure Merchandise Expo West in March.
What’s on this magical vegan cheese? Schinner used a mix of plant bases, together with watermelon seeds.
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14 Crispy vegan hen sandwich is a North American sell-out success
Early in 2022, a sandwich sensation took over vegan fast-food chain Copper Department’s 40 areas in North America turning into a sell-out success. The crispy plant-based fried hen—a star ingredient of the Nashville Vegan Fried Rooster Sandwich—is made by Atlas Monroe, a Black woman-owned vegan meat model.
Atlas Monroe
Founder Deborah Torres famously rejected a $1 million deal on Shark Tank, selecting not to surrender one hundred pc of the corporate to the sharks as a result of she is aware of her value.
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15 Burger King nixes animal merchandise from kitchen
From London to Berlin to Costa Rica, Burger King’s vegan pop-ups are so widespread these days that we stopped counting them. Nevertheless, for its latest plant-based location in Lisbon, Portugal, the fast-food chain piqued our curiosity once more when it eliminated all animal merchandise from its kitchen to keep away from cross contamination considerations.
Burger King
Because of this all through November, the Whopper, Lengthy Rooster, Rooster Nuggets, and different plant-based choices at this Burger King by no means got here out of a shared fryer with animal merchandise. Bravo!
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16 Depraved Kitchen’s vegan ice cream is comprised of lupini
Lupini beans are literally legumes and are completely scrumptious as marinated snacks typical to Mediterranean delicacies. Till this yr, we had no concept that they’ll double as a creamy ice cream base, too.
VegNews
And it’s all due to Depraved Kitchen, a model that launched a wide range of novelty vegan ice cream bars made with, you guessed it, lupini beans as a key ingredient.
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17 Netflix hosts Unhealthy Vegan pop-up
One Netflix documentary that had us glued to our screens was Unhealthy Vegan, which detailed the weird true story of Sarma Melngailis and beloved New York Metropolis vegan restaurant Pure Meals and Wine.
Netflix
To present followers of the movie a style of the menu on the shuttered restaurant, Netflix hosted a delivery-only occasion with Postmates that made its well-known dishes like Caesar salad, Signature Uncooked Lasagna, and Mallomars accessible to the general public one final time.
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18 Crossroads Kitchen: first vegan fine-dining restaurant on the Las Vegas strip
If its die-hard celeb followers are any indication, Crossroads Kitchen is the place to be for pleasant plant-based fare. And this yr, the legendary eatery—helmed by acclaimed chef Tal Ronnen—expanded to its second location in a grand manner.
Tal Ronnen
That’s as a result of when it opened its doorways on Might 28 on the Resorts World Las Vegas, Crossroads Kitchen formally turned the primary vegan fine-dining restaurant on the strip.
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19 Panda Categorical assessments new Past Meat dishes
Whereas Past Orange Rooster could be onerous to beat, we’ll by no means say no to extra vegan choices at Panda Categorical. The chain explored simply that in January with the take a look at launch of beefy Past Meat dishes at its Innovation Kitchen location in Pasadena, CA.
Panda Categorical
What was on the menu? A spicy Mapo Tofu with Past Beef and a veggie-forward String Beans with Past Beef.
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20 IHOP assessments vegan breakfast sandwiches
Simply after we stopped interested by how IHOP has not but stepped into the trendy period with plant-based choices (give us pancakes, already), a Flip’d by IHOP location within the Flatiron neighborhood of New York Metropolis got here by way of with some information.
Flip’d
In February, we linked with Bryan McKenzie, the franchise proprietor of the situation, who as a vegan himself, was excited to place the Plant Based mostly Cali sandwich (the first-ever vegan breakfast providing at IHOP) on the menu for a restricted time.
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21 Vegan hen that’s made to rival Popeyes is right here
Hear, we love a hen sandwich as a lot because the Popeyes set … we identical to ours with out cruelty, please.
Skinny Butcher
Earlier this yr, new firm Skinny Butcher launched simply that: vegan hen merchandise created to rival Popeye’s and Chick-fil-A however with a skinnier carbon footprint and 0 animal slaughter.
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22 Burger King will get into vegan hen with Inconceivable Meals
Did we point out Burger King dominated our headlines in 2022? This final one is particular as a result of it takes us full circle again to Burger King’s first plant-based second: its launch of the Inconceivable Whopper again in 2019.
Burger King
Years later, Burger King remains to be going robust with its longtime associate Inconceivable Meals, which helped craft its first plant-based hen choices in america that the fast-food chain examined again in August at taking part areas in Cincinnati, OH. All hail the King.
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Anna Starostinetskaya is the Senior Information Editor at VegNews and is at all times maintaining a tally of all issues vegan in her house metropolis of San Francisco, CA and all over the place else.
