The segment, which referenced data from documentary What the Health, saw Dr. Robert Lustig, a neuroendocrinologist who advocates for low-carb diets, go head-to-head with Dr. Garth Davis, a bariatric surgeon and physician.

They discuss whether plant-based diets are healthier than animal products, whether meat is really killing us, and if industry-funded studies are just muddying the waters of medical research.

With this exclusive re-upload, watch see these doctors thrash out their arguments.

The post WATCH: Could This Be The Best Nutrition Debate Of All Time? appeared first on Plant Based News.

2021 started with a bang, with a dizzying nearly half a million people signing up for Veganuary. 

Throughout the year, plant-based meat companies forged partnerships with the biggest names in the food industry, like McDonald’s, Subway, and Dominos, to name a few. 

A host of high-profile names spoke out about animal exploitation, including Grammy Award-winner Billie Eilish and Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton, who are both vegan.

Corporations shelled out millions of dollars to place behind alternative protein start-ups, and communities around the globe rallied together to help protect the planet from the climate emergency. 

Klaus Mitchell, director of the PBN annual film series and founder of PBN, said the new short film arrived at just the right time. 

He explained: “More people than ever are paying attention to the vegan movement, and VEGAN 2021 highlights why.

“This short film sheds light on the growing awareness of plant-based living, and why picking up the lifestyle is easier, simpler, and more important than ever before.”

Check out Plant Based News’ YouTube channel for more videos like this.

The post WATCH: PBN’s Annual Short Film ‘Vegan 2021’ appeared first on Plant Based News.

Sound familiar? The 99p vegan burger may be a first for McDonald’s, but plant-based food pioneer Ready Burger has been plating up the same deal for months. 

McDonald’s 99p burger

Those keen to take advantage of McDonald’s latest promo must act quick. Fast-food-lovers can only get their hands on its 99p burger on May 18 and May 20, 2022. 

On May 19, customers can get a discounted Veggie Deluxe instead (those wishing to eat plant-based must request it without the sauce, which contains egg). And on May 23, McDonald’s vegan-friendly Veggie Dippers will be just 99p too. 

All three deals are only available via the free-to-download McDonald’s app.

The titan fast-food chain trialed its first vegan burger at a handful of locations in October 2021. A “remarkable” response from the public motivated McDonald’s to bring the product back – this time, to all of its 1,300 restaurants across the UK/Ireland. 

The McPlant is the result of a collaboration between McDonald’s and Beyond Meat. It features a vegan Beyond beef patty, dairy-free cheese, onion, pickles, lettuce, tomato, ketchup, mustard, and a vegan secret sauce. 

McDonald’s promises that the burger offers the “same iconic taste” as its meat-based options. And, unlike many other eateries which charge more for their vegan meals, the McPlant costs the same as a Big Mac (except for, of course, this week’s 99p offer).

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Affordable vegan fast food

Notably, in January, up-and-coming vegan fast-food chain Ready Burger lowered the price of its eponymous burger from £1.99 to 99p. (Now we’re not saying McDonald’s outright copied the start-up, but we’re not NOT saying it…)

Ready Burger’s promotion was originally to celebrate Veganuary. But after selling more than 2,000 burgers a week during that month, founders Max Miller and Adam Clark decided to make the 99p Ready Burger a permanent fixture on the menu. 

The 99p burger is joined by a wide range of other vegan bites, including chicken nuggets, bacon burgers, fries, ice cream, and the iconic Big Ready.

“We wanted to double down on our core mission of serving delicious, speedy, plant-based fast food at unrivaled prices accessible to anyone in the market,” they told Plant Based News earlier this year.

And it appears the public was hungry for the change. Since Ready Burger opened its doors in London last year, customers have purchased more than 260,000 of its vegan options. Now, the company plans on opening two more locations in the UK this year. After that? Global expansion. 

“We’ll be bringing more world firsts with exciting new menu items in 2022, all at the same prices people have come to know us for, and we have advanced expansion plans with new stores,” Miller said, adding that Ready Burger will “never compromise on flavor, convenience, or price.”

“We won’t be stopping here!”

For more information about Ready Burger, check out the website and follow them on Instagram. 

This is a paid-for advertorial.

The post McDonald’s Takes Leaf Out Of Ready Burger’s Book With 99p McPlant appeared first on Plant Based News.

In calls to the company’s toll-free number, employees said Starbucks would start charging the same for drinks made with plant-based milks. Reps claimed various timelines including “in two weeks” and “an approximate date of May 4.”

Recordings of the calls were submitted to PBN anonymously. To protect the identities of the employees, PBN is not releasing the audio files.

Callers were told to watch for an announcement about the switch on Starbucks’ social media channels.

However, at the time of writing, no such change has been publicized.

Recordings of other reps confirmed the change was being discussed or “on the table,” due, at least in part, to a number of complaints about the added charge. 

“They got quite a bit of pushback for it,” one representative told a caller, saying she was aware the company planned to drop the non-dairy surcharge, but she saw “nothing on paper” about an official date. 

The pressure is on

Starbucks has been under a growing amount of pressure to drop the additional cost, with actor James Cromwell and former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney the latest to call for change.

In December, anti-dairy nonprofit Switch4Good and corporate hoaxers The Yes Men pulled off an elaborate prank claiming Starbucks was dropping the non-dairy upcharge based on the prevalence of lactose intolerance in people of color. The headline-grabbing shenanigan included a realistic-looking but fake website and video. 

Weeks later, Starbucks dropped the plant-based upcharge in the UK, followed by France, Chile, and the Netherlands. It’s not clear whether Switch4Good’s stunt played a role in the decision, but the charity has continued pushing for US locations to follow suit.

Switch4Good published an open letter in the Seattle Times, cosigned by nearly two dozen organizations. It also conducted a hyper-targeted digital media campaign aimed at Starbucks executives, and engaged members of the company’s board of directors by email. 

An opportunity

“Ironically, Starbucks is known for creating smart, planet-friendly policies around so many of its initiatives, like giving 10 cents back to customers who bring in their own reusable cup,” said Switch4Good executive director Dotsie Bausch. “This is another opportunity for the company to show leadership.” 

It has been argued that because plant-based milk production costs more than cow’s milk – particularly in the US where dairy production is heavily subsidized by the government – food businesses (like Starbucks) must pass those costs onto the consumer.

But Bausch notes that Starbucks gives away millions of gallons of free dairy cream every year in its approximately 9,000 US stores.

“If they wanted to save money, they could stop giving away free cow’s milk. As things stand now, people who can’t digest dairy, or don’t for ethical or environmental reasons, are subsidizing lactose lovers.” 

But Starbucks’ recent decision to remove the upcharge from hundreds of its international locations is a good sign, Bausch says.

“If this is what their customer service reps are telling people, it’s clear that public pressure is having an effect,” she added. “So please, please, keep those calls and emails coming, and let Starbucks know that it’s wrong to charge extra for healthier and more sustainable options.”

“It’s wrong for health, for dietary equity, and for the environment.” 

The post Starbucks US Reps Reveal Non-Dairy Surcharge Is On Its Way Out appeared first on Plant Based News.

With 10,000 (and counting) tickets already sold, Vegan Camp Out is set to wow masses of vegans, vegetarians, flexitarians, and those who just love great-tasting food.

“We’re so excited to announce our biggest food line-up for Vegan Camp Out yet. Sixty food vendors confirmed – making it the biggest selection of vegan food on offer in UK history!​” commented Vegan Camp Out founder Jordan Martin.

“Attendees can expect everything from Chinese, Indian, fish and chips, sushi, Filipino, Indonesian, raw, burgers, pizza, vegan chicken, hot dogs, Caribbean, donuts, ice cream, churros, and much much more! So foodies, have your wallet at the ready!”

Vegan Camp Out food options

Indeed, hungry festival-goers won’t be without choices at Vegan Camp Out 2022.

Purezza – voted the UK’s Best Vegan Restaurant by abillion in 2021 – will be serving up slices of its iconic plant-based pizza at the event. And Unity Diner, London’s largest vegan diner and cocktail bar, will make an appearance too. The diner, founded in 2018, is also a non-profit, funneling its earnings into various animal rights causes, including its very own farm animal sanctuary, which it established in 2020.

Burger-lovers at the festival will be in luck, with the likes of Halo Burger, Wholesome Junkies, and Frost Burgers setting up shop. Meanwhile, Chickenish and HUNS will be plating up meat-free chicken; and Eat of Eden, Jam Delish, Eat Some Ting, and Livity Plant Based Cuisine will be offering vegan Carribean cuisine. 

Plant-based sushi, Ethiopian, Indian, Indonesian, Chinese, hot dogs, fish and chips, hog roast, street food, Southern American-style barbeque, and kebabs, to name a few, will also be available. 

Sweet tooths need not be disappointed, with Project D, Booja-Booja, Conscious Candy Co, DÁPPA, and Doughnotts – among many others – serving ice cream, sweets, donuts, pancakes, coffee, and churros. 

For the full list of vendors, see below this article.

What’s on at Vegan Camp Out?

A host of influential names in the plant-based scene will take the stage at Vegan Camp Out, which is now in its sixth year. Like the event’s food range, the speaker line-up is slated to be the festival’s largest yet. 

Speakers include Harry Potter star Evanna Lynch, activist Earthling Ed, comedian Simon Amstell, television personality Lucy Watson, chef Gaz Oakley (Avant-Garde Vegan), Dirty Vegan star Matt Pritchard, musician Macka B, entrepreneur Heather Mills, comedian Preacher Lawson, and fitness coach Bianca Taylor.

Juliet Gellatley, founder and director of animal rights charity Viva!, will also speak at the upcoming event. Viva! is partnering with Vegan Camp Out this year, and is “delighted” to be doing so, according to Gellatley. 

Vegan Camp Out and Viva!’s partnership is rooted in their shared commitment to reducing animal suffering, promoting healthier and more compassionate food options, and working to protect planet Earth. 

In a statement, Gellatley praised the festival’s “impressive array of inspiring speakers, music, entertainment and, of course, loads of delicious food.” And, the friendly atmosphere of the annual event, which sees people from all walks of life brought together to celebrate cruelty-free living.

Vegan Camp Out 2022 will take place at Stanford Hall, Lutterworth, Leicestershire, LE17 6DH on July 15, 2022 to July 18, 2022. To purchase tickets or merchandise, see here. 

To visit Vegan Camp Out’s website, click here. And to learn more about the festival’s partner Viva!, head to the charity’s website right here. 

Complete list of vendors at Vegan Camp Out 2022, hope you are as excited as we are.

The post 60 Food Vendors Announced For World’s Biggest Vegan Festival appeared first on Plant Based News.

Salley owns a vegan restaurant and has been a passionate and longtime advocate of a plant-based diet.

The former athlete, who played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Detroit Pistons, and Chicago Bulls, previously urged the U.S government to ‘remove racial bias from its dietary guidelines’.

He is now advocating for all NBA athletes to go plant-based. He also spoke on the show about different methods of activism and how people can better advocate for veganism.

Basically, he’s our hero!

Watch the full interview below:

The post Basketball Legend John Salley On Why All NBA Athletes Should Go Plant-Based appeared first on Plant Based News.

The Australian activist is well known for his appearances on Good Morning Britain, where he has challenged Piers Morgan’s infamous anti-vegan views.

This time he’s taken on a farmer, who takes exception to Joey’s views on the farming industry.

Watch the debate in full below:

The post Vegan Activist Joey Carbstrong VS Farmer: Live TV Debate Gets Heated appeared first on Plant Based News.

The story appears to reveal the meat industry’s latest ‘meat fraud’, in a new scandal set to rock the food industry.

Then we remembered the date.

Did you get caught out today? THIS one really did the trick.

Watch the findings below:

The post Best April Fools Joke of 2022 Goes To Vegan Meat Company, THIS appeared first on Plant Based News.

Yet alternatives exist. A new generation of pet food companies are offering 100 percent plant-based dog food that offers all the nutrients your dog needs to thrive, minus the guilt, minus the obesity risks, and minus the unknown additives that may be making our pets sick. 

We believe it’s natural for dogs to eat meat: but is it really healthy?

If you look under any social media post about plant-based dog food, you’re likely to see a long list of comments asserting that it’s unnatural to deprive “carnivorous” dogs of the meat they need to survive. Yet domestic dogs are actually omnivores, just like us: they have evolved over thousands of years to digest the starches in plant-based foods and receive all the nutrients they need without meat. Later in this article we explain exactly how the biology of dogs has evolved beyond their wolf ancestors.

One of the biggest myths of modern pet food marketing is that it’s healthy to be feeding our four-legged friends the natural diet of a miniature wolf.  Phrases like “feed your dog’s inner wolf!” and words like “ancestral,” “biologically appropriate,” and “raw” persuade us that our Spaniels and French Bulldogs share the basic needs of fierce wild canids and would thrive on the same diet of meaty animal carcasses. This simply isn’t true.

A domestic dog has different nutritional needs to a wolf

Dogs actually began to evolve from gray wolves between 15,000 and 40,000 years ago; not only do today’s domestic dogs look different to wolves, their internal biology is different too. Researchers have found specific genetic “mutations” that allow dogs to digest and use starches found in plants within their bodies much more efficiently than wolves. These new genetic traits allowed even early dogs to thrive on a diet rich in plants, meaning our modern dogs are no longer strict carnivores: they have important genetic mutations that have adapted them to an omnivorous diet.

What’s more, gray wolves cover long distances in pursuit of prey and defending their pack from predators. Dogs’ wild ancestors would spend most of their day burning up calories by hunting down small mammals to eat, thus needing fatty, protein-dense meals of raw animal meat to refuel. This scenario bears little resemblance to how our relatively lazy domestic dogs receive their food.

A recent report showed that over 39 percent of dogs (that’s over 3.7 million) only get up to half an hour’s daily walk. Yet these dogs still receive at least two meals a day, placed at their paws without any physical exertion. Even when they’re walked for an hour a day, our Cavapoos and Collies don’t need all those meaty calories because they’re not living the naturally active lives of wolves.

There’s no advantage to giving dogs protein they don’t require (they can’t store the excess) and we’ve already seen that all that additional meaty fat is just making our dogs fat.  High-meat diets are generally high-calorie diets, and calories count most when it comes to lifestyle causes of weight gain. That means that we need to dramatically rethink the kind of food that we’re feeding our pets if we want them to live long, active lives. Veggie dog food contains lower fat levels and more dietary fiber, which helps your dog maintain a healthier weight. 

 The dreaded C-word

Discovering cancer in our dog is every dog owner’s worst fear but, scarily, this is now the leading cause of death in dogs. A growing number of vets are linking high cancer rates to meat-based pet foods, with dogs suffering from the subtle, long-term damage of bioaccumulation. Chemical toxins in the environment build up (bioaccumulate) in animals the higher we move up the food chain. Put simply, when our pets eat other animals, they also consume the toxins those animals ate.

Furthermore, rancid fats, often present in commercial meat-based diets, are a leading source of free radical production in dogs. These free radicals, unstable atoms that can damage cells, have been linked to the development of cancer and arthritis. Plant-based food is free of rancid fats, instead providing antioxidant, cancer-fighting ingredients like blueberries, kale, hemp and sunflower seeds, seaweed, and broccoli.

These plant-based foods deliver nutrients like vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, and selenium, proven to build immunity and build healthy joints. Just ask Lewis Hamilton: he famously switched his bulldog Roscoe to a vegan diet after his dog’s arthritis worsened. On a plant-based regime, Roscoe’s swollen paws healed up and his joint pain appeared to ease. This is just one of many first-hand accounts of the positive impacts of removing meat from the dog bowl.  

In 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that processed and/or red meat consumption is linked to cancer in humans, urging us to reduce the amount of meat we eat. Although there’s less research on the animal side, certain cancers have been explicitly linked with high-meat dog foods.

On the flipside, a scientific study of 300 vegetarian dogs found that no dog who had been “vegan” for more than five years had cancer. All this suggests that if we take the meat out of dog food, we reduce the risk of that dreaded C-word. It’s that simple.

The hidden “extras” in commercial meat-based food

Researchers and testimonials from plant-based dog owners list a wealth of potential health benefits of feeding plant-based dog food, including fighting allergies, building immunity, and making sure your hound lives to a long, healthy old age. A 2016 study summarizes the evidence supporting the health and safety of plant-based pet food But what it all boils down to is this: by taking the meat out of pet food, you’re also taking out a lot of nasty stuff. 

Commercial meaty pet food is often made with the less appealing parts of the animal that humans can’t or don’t want to eat, like bones, fat, blood and feathers. These by-products are rendered: melted down into a meaty gruel before being dehydrated and made into kibble or mushed up with cereal and grains in cans. With rendered meat-based food you can’t see what you’re getting so all sorts of nasties can sneak in. Just Google “pet food recalls” if you want a sleepless night… 

What about raw meat feeding? According to the British Small Animal Veterinary Association, American Veterinary Medical Association and the World Small Animal Veterinary Association, raw meat pet food can introduce bad bacteria like E. coli and Salmonella and even parasites into our pets and our homes. And while the high levels of fat might make your dog’s coat shiny, they also come with obesity risks.

With plant-based food, you know exactly what you’re feeding your pet, and those ingredients won’t come with a side order of salmonella.

We believe it’s “nice” for dogs to eat meat: but wouldn’t they prefer a more varied diet?

The stereotype of a dog happily gnawing on a bone is just one of many marketing images that create a subconscious message: my dog loves meat, and he or she will be sad and deprived without it. But is your dog really less happy eating plant-based food?

Not according to the science. A recent article surveyed 2,308 owners to find out how their dogs behaved towards their food: were their tails wagging as much? Did they dash up to their bowl? Were they barking with excitement? How fast did they eat? Taking all these things into account, the researchers found “no consistent evidence of a difference between vegan diets and either conventional or raw meat diets.”

Dogs don’t crave specific foods such as chicken or beef: they crave the nutrients within them. If we can deliver those nutrients without animal meat, our dogs should love their new plant-based food just as much as their old diet. 

New plant-based startups are leading a revolution in plant-based pet food, creating food that’s tastier and more satiating than ever. And most excitingly, they’re offering a much-needed variety of tastes and textures beyond bland, meat-based kibble. After all, the images of juicy beef, fresh pink salmon or tender chicken breasts on conventional pet food packages generally have very little to do with the hard, brown kibbles or grayish mush inside.

When we consider that most dogs are eating the same meat-based meal, day in, day out – as well as meat-based treats – it’s clear that something needs to change. After all, would you want to eat the same food, every day for the rest of your life? Not only is it soul-destroying, but pet nutritionists agree that having variety is important in creating a healthy gut microbiome.

Secret sauce

How can we insist that “dogs crave real meat” when we’re feeding them animals that have been cooked and processed far beyond recognition? Why would our pets even want to eat this bland food? Well, many pet food manufacturers add a “secret sauce”: animal fat sprayed onto the food, or meat by-products treated with heat, enzymes and acids to form concentrated meat flavors.

These flavorings taste really good to pets but that doesn’t mean that they’re healthy or nutritious. After all, humans have also developed tastes for unhealthy, fatty, sugary foods but that’s not to say we should be eating them every day.

Of course, taste preference is unique to the individual: it’s unlikely that the humans you know enjoy all the same foods, so why should the dogs? We’d also get pretty bored eating the same food for every meal, day in, day out. The range of plant-based options available – from THE PACK’s “No-Moo Ragu” to HOWND’s fresh blueberry and coconut porridge – mean that you can feed your dog a variety of different flavors and textures, finding those they like best and mixing up mealtimes to keep it interesting.

We believe misinformation that feeding plant-based diets is breaking the law (not true!)

The shift to plant-based feeding hasn’t been helped by negative publicity around vegan diets after misinformed suggestions that feeding plant-based diets could be in breach of the UK’s Animal Welfare Act. This is simply not true: the Animal Welfare Act states that owners must feed a “suitable diet” meeting their dog’s nutritional needs. Absolutely nowhere are vegan or vegetarian diets mentioned as unsuitable.

To suggest that dogs, who are omnivores not obligate carnivores, need meat to be healthy, is unscientific. As veterinarian and animal welfare expert Professor Andrew Knight puts it, “The claim is that animals on vegan diets will necessarily become ill and it’s somehow cruel to maintain them, is contrary to the scientific evidence in this field and is ignorant.”

Do vegan dogs get enough protein? 

If you’re vegan, you’re probably all too familiar with the question, “but where do you get your protein?” It will come as no surprise that “vegan” dogs are often subjected to the same cross-examination. In fact, because of the common misconception that dogs are obligate carnivores, the idea of a plant-based pup is even harder to stomach. So what’s the deal with dogs and protein?

According to current nutritional guidelines for dogs in Europe, the minimum amount of protein required for canine growth is 18 percent of daily food consumption. With dry kibble, you’ll see on the labels that protein makes up 18-25 percent of nutritional composition in most complete dog foods. With wet food, it will appear less due to the additional moisture content: once you remove that, the protein percentage is often even higher.

Protein molecules are molecular “strings” made up of 20 common amino acids. When dogs eat protein, their digestive system breaks down these strings into their amino acid building blocks, which are then used by your dog’s body to make lots of different proteins: the ones needed at any particular moment to build muscle, produce hormones or fight infection. If their diet contains enough of these amino acid building blocks, dogs can make half of the 20 amino acids on their own (including Taurine).

However, there are 10 amino acids that they can’t create, which means they must be eaten. A dog food must contain all of them in adequate levels to meet the official nutritional standards which allow the food to be labeled “complete”.

Is it just meat products that contain these ten essential amino acids? Of course not. High-quality plant protein sources, just like you find in complete vegan dog food, can also contain all ten. This isn’t just theory: last year, a study in a reputed veterinary journal compared the nutritional soundness of 19 meat-based and ten plant-based pet foods. What did it find? That plant-based diets were superior to meat-based diets.

The sheer number of healthy plant-based dogs today is testament to the science. You might have heard of Bramble, a Collie who once held the Guinness World Record for being the oldest living dog at 27 years of age. Like her owner, Bramble lived on a strict meat-free diet of rice, lentils, organic vegetables and that firm vegan favorite,”nooch”. So not only can dogs survive on plant-based food, time after time, they’ve been shown to thrive without meat. 

The future of dog food

One dog guardian has seen her 15-month Vizla, Keaton, doing just that: not just thriving health-wise, but delighting in his “vegan” meals. Happy owner Sharon tells us, “He can’t get enough quickly enough, and he has the same keenness three days later, which is impressive. Now all I have to do is teach him table manners…” 

Sharon has been feeding THE PACK, one of the leading companies in this emerging space. The London-based startup is on a mission to create the world’s most nutritious plant-based dog food that dogs love to eat. Healthy products that don’t compromise on taste is the mantra of THE PACK, which launched the world’s first plant-based meat-alternative wet food for dogs late last year.  No more invisible nasties: open a can of THE PACK and you see exactly what you’re getting: visible lupin beans, chunks of butternut squash and other ingredients, easily identifiable as real food. 

Founders Damien Clarkson and Judy Nadel are pet parents who were shocked by the extent of the health crisis in dogs. Clarkson and Nadel teamed up with world-leading experts in pet food nutrition, veterinarians and scientists, and set about building a company to transform pet health for the better.

It’s just one of a number of emerging pet food companies worldwide which are revolutionizing the industry with nutritious, delicious, ethical dog food that’s more than a match for meat-based alternatives. When creating their innovative range of wet-dog food, Clarkson explains, “We set our animal nutritionists the challenge of matching the protein levels of meat products with a plant-based wet food. This process took a lot of time, but together with world-leading experts we were able to bring a high-protein wet food to the market.” 

Palatability is also something Clarkson and Nadel are obsessed with. Nadel explains: “Dogs deserve to enjoy their food! We are constantly working with experts in dog palatability to innovate on taste and create products that dogs deserve and love.” She added that the response to THE PACK’s first products available through their website www.thepackpet.com  has been amazing: “We have had so many pet parents sharing videos and images with us of their dogs loving the food. We’re even getting raw feeders as customers, who love our products for variety in their dogs’ diets.” If advocates of raw meat food are seeing the benefits of plant-based feeding, we’re on the cusp of real change.

When we consider the health benefits of a plant-based dog diet and all the exciting new options available, it seems crazy to keep feeding our dogs meat. If we can safely nourish our dogs in a way that doesn’t harm another animal, while at the same time enhancing their health and happiness, why wouldn’t we?

New meat-free dog food alternatives are popping up every day, helping us to expand our circles of compassion to give all animals a better life, not just pets. Because in the end, the purchase of each can of dog food represents a choice about how a cow, chicken, pig, or fish lives and dies.

For those of us who have removed animal products from our own diets, game-changing new start-ups are proving that there’s no reason at all to keep feeding them to our dogs – and every reason to stop.

PBN has teamed up with THE PACK to offer 20 percent off your first purchase of its meaty, plant-based wet food for dogs. Simply use the code PBN20 when you check out at www.thepackpet.com

This is a paid-for advertorial

The post The Health Crisis In Dogs Is Here – So Why Are We Still Feeding Them Meat? appeared first on Plant Based News.

A statement from Starbucks sent to PBN denies that the company plans to drop the upcharge for plant-based milk and begin charging extra for dairy milk. 

According to a spokesperson, the announcement was a spoof. However, it was not immediately clear who was responsible for it.

In the earlier announcement, PBN received a press release from an unknown entity calling itself Starbucks Cares. The organization describes itself as “an internal division tasked with centralizing the company’s efforts to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion.”

According to Starbucks Cares, the decision to drop the upcharge was based on the prevalence of lactose intolerance in Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. 

This has not been the first time Starbucks has come under fire for the upcharge on plant-based milks, Plant Based News reported on a similar story in early November 2021 after animal rights group PETA took aim at the multi-national.

But Starbucks global communications manager Megan Lagesse has revealed the announcement is fake. In a statement sent to PBN, she said:

“This announcement is false, and the website is not associated with Starbucks.”

Starbucks offers oat, soy, almond, and coconut milks at an upcharge of up to 70 cents in the US, regardless of the size of the drink. 

Starbucks Workers Union

In breaking news on The Independent, a story released by the outlet earlier today detailed how Starbucks executives were flown in to scupper a union vote in upstate New York

In a much-anticipated breakthrough, the same news outlet in the UK also reported ‘Starbucks workers form a first-ever union in company history’.

In public comments following the union campaign, Kevin Johnson – the company’s CEO – told The Wall Street Journal that an attempt to unionize Starbucks workers “goes against having that direct relationship with our partners that has served us so well for decades and allowed us to build this great company.”

In a statement to employees on 7 December, Mr. Johnson said he respected the union election process.

Plant Based News can exclusively reveal that the elaborate spoof targeted at US corporate Starbucks was orchestrated by leading dairy-free advocacy group Switch4Good and spoof group ‘The Yes Men’

*Update Thursday 9th, 7:09 pm* Updated to include a statement from Starbucks Deputy Head Of Communications Jerelyn Curlew.

*Update Thursday 9th, 7:52 pm* Updated to include information about Starbucks Employees successfully forming the first workers union in the companies history.

*Update Thursday 9th 11:26 pm* Updated to remove a false quote on the request of Starbucks USA.

The post Starbucks Denies Campaign To Drop Upcharge On Plant-Based Milk In 2022 appeared first on Plant Based News.