INTRODUCTION

Letter From The Director

2022 was another breakthrough year for the ProVeg South Africa team - we fought the government's Veggie Burger Ban, were involved in organising a side event at COP27 in Egypt, published the first South African Plant-Based Fast Food Ranking, hosted our first environmental film festival, pulled off the world’s largest plant-based braai, and were even featured on Carte Blanche. Despite some significant team changes, our small team once again, with the help of some fantastic partners, punched well above our weight.

The team’s first-ever major foray into policy work came with the Veggie Burger Ban when the Department of Agriculture announced seizures of any plant-based products labelled with words they claimed to be reserved for animal meat products - including ‘burger’, ‘nugget' and ‘sausage’. Despite the chaos this caused, there were a couple of silver linings. This move united the plantbased food sector and propelled the plant-based message into the mainstream news.

In addition to work on the Veggie Burger Ban, we also submitted comments on other policy issues, including changes to the Game Meat Policy, the Climate Change Bill, and the Biodiversity Policy, and contributed to an industry-led consultation regarding changes to the labelling of dairy alternatives.

Our Diet Change Not Climate Change campaign was taken to another level thanks to the involvement of our Programmes Manager, Dr Nanine Wyma, in the #Food4Climate Pavilion at COP27 in Egypt, and our inaugural eco-themed Film Festival was a huge success and a stepping stone for bigger things in 2023. Our annual Plant-Based Heritage Day Braai returned after two years of Covid cancellations, and it was bigger than ever, and even led to what we believe is a world record for the most plant-based burgers eaten at a braai or barbeque!

Other highlights included being the local partner for Veganuary, running the speaker stage at The Plant-Powered Show, and handing out thousands of Fry’s Meat-Free Chicken-Style Nuggets and OKJA plant-based milks at the Two Oceans Marathon expo.

We owe a huge thanks to all our partners, who are too many to mention here - food manufacturers, brands, retailers, lawyers, other NGOs, restaurants, volunteers, and influencers. Our work would not be possible without these amazing partners who work with us in creating a world where everyone chooses delicious and healthy food that is good for all humans, animals, and our planet.

Donovan Will Director of ProVeg South Africa