The Spread of Veganism and Ease of Getting Vegan Products
In the last three or four years veganism has increased in a staggering way. The food industry has realized that we are an important niche market and is doing everything possible to take advantage of this reef. The rise of processed vegan stands out. For some time now, the shelves of stores, supermarkets and department stores have been filled with an interesting variety of products with the “vegan� seal. We have gone from having to look for the vegetable drink or tofu in specific stores, to having a lot of brands and varieties available, in practically any store. But there is still much more. In the refrigerated area we find a lot of soy yogurt of different flavors; in the frozen part, we have pizzas, croquettes, meatballs or prepared dishes, such as lasagna, curries, pasta, all 100% vegetable. If we go to the precooked section, it will be difficult for us to choose between a wide variety of types of hummus, and we also have different kinds of tofu, hamburgers, sausages, dumplings, falafel, cheeses and vegan sausages. We can buy mayonnaise, pastries, Vegan Cashew Cheesecake in Joshua Tree and ultimately, a vegan version of almost any traditional product. Even large fast food chains are jumping on the bandwagon and many already include one or more 100% vegetable alternatives on their menu. Is this good news? Well yes and no. On the one hand, this incredible increase in supply means that there is a greater demand for this class of products. The fact that in the same commercial area, the consumer can choose between some soy dumplings and traditional ones, broadens the possibilities that the balance leans towards the vegetable option, to the detriment of the meat one. This veggie revolution has also contributed to facilitating the social life of the vegan population. Something as simple as having a coffee with milk was complicated about five years ago, since there were not many places where they had soy drink.