Kardashian, who has a sizeable 313 million followers on Instagram alone, joined Beyond Meat as the company’s first Chief Taste Consultant.

The partnership will see the A-lister promoting “her favorite Beyond Meat products” with recipes and creative content, according to a press release.

She will also feature in the Beyond Meat newsletter.

“I’ve been focusing on going more plant-based and can tell you that Beyond Meat is my absolute favorite – I love how all their products not only taste amazing but are also good for me and my family,” Kardashian said in a statement. She added that her four children are “obsessed” with her Beyond Beef taco recipe, the Beyond Burger, and Beyond Chicken Tenders.

“As my fans know, my fridge and freezer are fully stocked with Beyond Meat’s products.”

Celebrity influence

Kardashian added that she’s “thrilled” by the collaboration, and “really inspired” by Beyond Meat’s mission.

“[I] love that they are not only making plant-based eating delicious and accessible, but are doing so in a way that benefits both people and the planet,” the media personality said.

“It’s empowering to know that the small changes I’m making for my family, like incorporating more Beyond Meat into our meals, can add up to make a big impact.”

Kardashian joins Shay Mitchell, Kevin Hart, Snoop Dogg, and Liza Koshy as an ambassador of Beyond Meat. The brand, founded in 2009, is now available at roughly 135,000 retail and foodservice outlets in more than 90 countries.

Beyond Meat’s star-studded lineup of celebrity backers is no accident. Besides the additional attention the company undoubtedly receives, research indicates that celebrities and social media can influence what people eat.

A survey conducted earlier this year, commissioned by dairy conglomerate Arla, found that one in three adults make dietary choices based on what they see on social media.

Additionally, a Harvard review published in 2015 looked at the role celebrities play in spotlighting the climate crisis, especially its ties to animal agriculture.

It asserted that “celebrities can help draw attention to an issue and galvanize youth engagement.”

And, that “food is one such area where celebrities can help link the impacts of climate change to our consumption habits.”

The article concluded: “Celebrities can help by relating the causes and impacts of climate change to existing socio-cultural practices, facilitating not only a questioning of cultural values (such as meat and dairy consumption) but simultaneously making the necessary changes to our habits appear more positive, achievable and accessible.”

The post Here’s Why Kim Kardashian Is Now An Ambassador For Beyond Meat appeared first on Plant Based News.

Nike x Eilish

Eilish first joined Nike’s artist roster last year. She kicked off the collaboration with a range of leather-free vegan Air Jordans, featuring her signature slime green color.  

In their latest collaboration, Eilish puts her own unique spin on the iconic Nike Air Force 1s.  

The new sneakers – featuring a neutral mushroom color palette – are made from a synthetic nubuck leather material, derived from 80 percent recycled materials, including 100 percent recycled polyester. 

Similar to past releases, the sneakers channel Eilish’s own oversized aesthetic, featuring chunky mid-foot straps. The collection showcases a total of four chunky straps covering the sneaker’s laces, a look that is inspired by two other Nike staples, the Alpha Force Low and Air Trainer 3.

The sneaker also features a fifth strap that goes around the ankle in the high-top version of the vegan-friendly AF1s.

Eilish’s stick-figure Blohsh logo is displayed on the lace deubrés and the Nike Air logos appear as usual over the tongue and heel. The insoles are made with cork and embossed with lyrics from her song Billie Bossa Nova: “It’s hard to stop it once it starts.”

“The challenge and opportunity with this collection was to respect the originals, but make them my own. It was also important for me to mix in environmentally preferred materials where we could and present them in a way that felt fresh,” Eilish shared in a press release.

New apparel collection

The Nike x Billie collaboration also features a new range of matching mushroom-colored apparel in her signature oversized style.

The clothing range includes a fleece hoodie, t-shirt, and sweatpants, embellished with subtle silicone Billie Ellish graphics and the iconic Nike logo turned on its side, pointing straight upwards.

Cruelty is never in style

Beyond Eilish’s music career, she’s an avid activist working to promote sustainability and veganism. She uses her platform to influence the fashion industry as a whole to recognize that cruelty is never in style. 

PETA has also recognized Eilish’s work, naming her its “Person Of The Year” in 2021. President of PETA, Ingrid Newkirk, previously shared: “PETA is happier than ever to celebrate her for seizing every opportunity to point out that vegan fashion and foods are kinder to the animals and the planet we share with them.”

The new Nike x Billie collection is now available on Nike’s website.

The post Billie Eilish’s Latest Collaboration With Nike Features Vegan Air Force 1s appeared first on Plant Based News.

Food-tech company Eat Just, creator of the vegan egg product, debuted two new television commercials as part of the campaign, starring Williams and Gyllenhaal respectively.

The adverts, narrated by actor JB Smoove, poke fun at the lengths celebrities go to in order to maintain their health and fitness. But with JUST Egg, the commercials suggest, eating healthily (and sustainably) is easy.

Like all plant-based foods, JUST Egg is completely free from cholesterol. It also contains 69 percent less saturated fat than chicken eggs, and boasts five to seven grams of protein per serving (depending on the product).

The eggs, made from mung beans, are also kinder to the planet. As of April, Eat Just had sold the equivalent of 250 million eggs, saving 9.1 billion gallons of water in the process.

It also spared 43.6 million kilograms of CO2e and 13,446 acres of land.

Celebrity endorsement

Speaking about the campaign, Williams said: “I eat to live, so JUST Egg helps me feel and perform better. But it’s also delicious – I don’t think my family can even taste the difference between JUST Egg and chicken eggs.

“I’m also all-in on the mission: how can we make healthy, sustainable options accessible to everyone?”

The athlete, who has 23 grand slam victories to her name, is also a shareholder in the company, something Williams says she’s “proud” of.

“JUST Egg is making a real difference,” she added.

Gyllenhaal – who has worked on near to 60 movies, including Donnie Darko and Nightcrawler – is also an investor in the brand.

“I’m excited to be partnering with JUST Egg,” he commented. “I’m eating more plant-based for my health, and JUST Egg makes it easy and delicious.

“I also recognize the impact our food system has on our planet, so JUST Egg’s mission is important to me. And, honestly, who can turn down being narrated by JB Smoove?”

The new ads will air on television in major markets, including Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City. They will also appear nationwide on connected TV platforms and social media, while billboards of the collaborations will pop up in hard-to-miss locations.

The post Serena Williams And Jake Gyllenhaal Star In New TV Adverts For Vegan Eggs appeared first on Plant Based News.

In each decade, Hart serves up a Beyond Meat burger to comedian Will “Spank” Horton.

“Traditions keep us connected to our past, but we have to make decisions for our future,” he says in the commercial. “We’ve gotta go beyond tradition, make changes that are better for the planet.”

“Eating plant-based is actually fighting climate change,” he continues. “Sometimes we don’t look for the most obvious things we can change, and I don’t know why. Some things should be easy, like eating Beyond Meat. Changing the world one burger at a time.” 

Changing up traditions

Founded in 2009, Beyond Meat’s products hit the shelves for the first time in 2012. While the brand’s products are entirely plant-based, its target audience is not vegans. Instead, it wants to encourage more meat-eaters to swap out beef burgers for plants.

And it’s working. In 2018, the brand released data revealing that 70 percent of its customers were actually meat-eaters.

With the new Hart commercial, Beyond Meat is continuing to nurture that customer base. 

“Our consumer testing found that Kevin resonated with non-plant-based consumers,” Beth Moskowitz, Beyond Meat’s chief brand officer, told Adweek. “He makes plant-based eating very approachable.”

Hart’s decision to show a backyard barbecue in the commercial was intentional. For many, it’s a summer tradition where friends and family gather to eat a meat-heavy feast. But Hart, who has reduced his own meat intake, maintains it doesn’t have to be that way.

He said: “I love that my family and I can enjoy all the foods we love, like grilled burgers in the backyard, but do so in a way that’s better for us without feeling like we’re sacrificing anything.”

The video (and shorter variations of it) will appear on digital, social, and connected TV, as well as TikTok. Beyond Meat and Hart will also host pop-ups and sampling events together to promote the products.

The post Kevin Hart Teams Up With Beyond Meat For New TV Advert appeared first on Plant Based News.

Campaigning for change at Starbucks

Cromwell is not the only celebrity to ask Starbucks to stop charging extra for dairy-free milk. Paul McCartney has also called for the coffee chain to make a change. In a letter to the CEO, he wrote: “My friends at PETA are campaigning for this. I sincerely hope that for the future of the planet and animal welfare you are able to implement this policy.”

Starbucks doesn’t charge extra for vegan milk everywhere. In the UK, it changed its policy on the surcharge earlier this year, scrapping the extra 40 pence fee for dairy-free options.

PETA offers a written template to send to Starbucks in the US, and so far, more than 135,000 people have sent an email to the chain via its website.

The template reads: “A massive chain such as Starbucks can afford to offer vegan milk without tacking on a surcharge.”

“I hope you’ll consider making this move to “earn points” and not only keep customers who already order dairy-free milk coming back but also encourage others to make healthier, more compassionate choices.”

The post James Cromwell Glues Himself To Counter To Protest Starbucks Vegan Milk Charge appeared first on Plant Based News.

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Serena Williams’ vegan investments

Williams is passionate about backing game-changing products. In 2017, she invested in frozen plant-based food subscription company Daily Harvest alongside actor and Goop-founder Gwyneth Paltrow.

At the time, Daily Harvest’s CEO Rachel Drori said: “Serena and Gwyneth immediately understood our mission to provide convenient foods without nutritional compromise. Their passion for what we are building will make them instrumental members of our investment team.”

Alongside several other high-profile figures, including Bill Gates and Katy Perry, Williams is also an investor in Impossible Foods, a plant-based meat brand on a mission to transform the food system. 

According to WILE’s co-founder Gwen Floyd, Williams’ investment will make a significant difference to the company, and help it expand on its mission to help women around the world.

She said in a statement: “This investment makes it possible for us to break through the silence and get her what she needs and wants, where she wants it.”

WILE’s products will be launching in Whole Foods Markets this month. 

The post Serena Williams Invests In Vegan Menopause Supplement Brand appeared first on Plant Based News.

Newkirk is the founder and president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

Published in 1992, Newkirk wrote Free the Animals about the Animal Liberation Front (an international, leaderless movement that promotes non-violent action against animal cruelty).

The plot of Free the Animals sees a character named Valerie challenge the system, and her work as a police officer, after learning about the abuse of animals in laboratories. To celebrate the 30-year anniversary of its publication, a new edition of the book is out this month. It features a foreword from Phoenix himself.

“Yes, ‘Free the Animals’ is about the balaclava-wearing heroes who break windows and laws to save animals, but it’s also about everyone. It’s a call to us all to take action,” writes Phoenix.

“Whether it’s wielding crowbars and bolt-cutters or picking up a pen or a protest sign, every one of us can and must fight injustice and push for animal liberation every chance we get.”

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Joaquin Phoenix and animal rights

Phoenix consistently gives a platform to animal rights messaging. In his 2020 Oscar acceptance speech, he said that humans have become “disconnected from the natural world.”

He added that “many of us are guilty of an egocentric worldview.”

“We feel entitled to artificially inseminate a cow and steal her baby, even though her cries of anguish are unmistakable. Then we take her milk that’s intended for her calf and we put it in our coffee and our cereal.”

A few days later, the actor rescued a mother cow and her calf from a slaughterhouse.

Newkirk says that other high-profile celebrities have expressed interest in acquiring the movie rights to Free the Animals.

She chose Phoenix because of his long-term commitment to animal rights activism.

“Joaquin understands what animals go through and lives and breathes animal rights,” she told the Hollywood Reporter. “It’s part of his very being.”

The post Joaquin Phoenix Acquires Film Rights To Animal Liberation Book appeared first on Plant Based News.

In 1997, Cumming starred alongside Tonka in the comedy Buddy, which tells the real-life story of a New York socialite who attempts to raise a gorilla (called Buddy). While the protagonist was played by humans in gorilla costumes, the film featured other animals, including horses, parrots, and chimpanzees.

After his movie career, Tonka was moved to the Missouri Primate Foundation (MPF) in Festus, Missouri.

The facility was home to several chimpanzees from show business. But, according to PETA, it was repeatedly violated federal animal welfare regulations. 

Missing Tonka

In 2017, Cumming wrote to Connie Braun Casey, the owner of MPF, stating that he was unaware that Tonka had been taken to the facility, and had been led to believe that the chimp would be retiring to a “sprawling sanctuary.”

“I just learned, though, that Tonka didn’t end up at a sanctuary in Palm Springs,” continued Cumming. “But inside a cage in Festus, where he isn’t able to have complex social relationships with other chimpanzees and doesn’t have meaningful outdoor access to run, climb, or play.”

After that, PETA sued MPF for keeping chimpanzees in “filthy, virtually barren” cages. 

But when representatives of the organization went to collect Tonka and six other chimpanzees to move them to a sanctuary, Tonka was gone. 

At the time, MPF’s former caretaker Tonia Haddix, who was then in charge of the animals, claimed Tonka had died. But PETA, Cumming, and the court remain skeptical. This is on the basis that prior to the rescue, Haddix publicly declared that PETA was “not getting the chimps.”

Animal abuse in the movie world

Tonka’s story isn’t unique. In the entertainment industry, animal exploitation is common. 

For example, after the release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in 2012, reports started swirling that 27 animals had died during production. Reportedly, this was due to dangerous conditions on the farm where they were being kept.

Another 2012 film, Life of Pi, was embroiled in controversy after its release. In 2016, the owner of its tiger star was charged with animal cruelty.

PETA frequently calls out animal abuse in movies and attempts to help the animals that are abused in the industry.

‘Tonka deserves to live in a lush sanctuary’

PETA and Cumming are concerned that Tonka is being hidden. They are offering $10,000 each for information on what happened to the chimpanzee. 

“If he’s still alive, Tonka deserves to live out the rest of his days surrounded by chimpanzee friends at a lush sanctuary, as ordered by the court,” said Brittany Peet, PETA’s deputy general counsel for captive animal law enforcement.

“Someone out there might be able to help PETA get him there.”

The post Alan Cumming And PETA Offer $20,000 Reward To Find Missing Chimpanzee appeared first on Plant Based News.

DiCaprio’s investment comes as Neat Burger gets ready for a US expansion. The chain currently has eight locations in London but will be opening a new store stateside later this year, in New York City.

After that, the plant-based burger chain hopes to open a further 14 stores in the US. Locations in Italy and the Middle East are also in the works, as well as a line of products for grocery store sale.

Neat Burger is all about changing the status quo in the food industry. Right now, the meat industry contributes to a multitude of environmental issues; it’s responsible for 14.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and is one of the world’s biggest drivers of deforestation.

But plant-based ingredients tend to leave a much smaller footprint. According to the Good Food Institute, plant-based meat production emits between 30 and 90 percent fewer greenhouse gases than conventional meat, for example.

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Leonardo DiCaprio on changing the food system

DiCaprio is known for his commitment to environmentalism.

As well as Neat Burger, the actor has invested in a number of sustainable brands, including vegan snack company Hippeas. And in 2016, after winning the Best Actor Academy Award for his role in The Revenant, he seized the opportunity to talk about the climate crisis. 

He said in his acceptance speech: “Climate change is real, it is happening right now, it is the most urgent threat facing our entire species, and we need to work collectively together and stop procrastinating.”

The move had a big impact. The following day, Google searches for “climate change” rose 261 percent.

Now, DiCaprio says he is investing in Neat Burger to “disrupt the food system with sustainable alternatives.” He said in a statement: “[It’s] one of the key ways we can make a real difference in reducing global emissions.”

He went on to label Neat Burger’s approach to food as “pioneering,” and added that it’s a “great example of the type of solutions we need moving forward.”

The post Leonardo DiCaprio Invests In Lewis Hamilton’s Vegan Burger Chain appeared first on Plant Based News.

Jeffrey S. Fried (Sweetgreen’s former chairman) and Henrik Fjordbak (Joe & The Juice’s former COO) are also on board. 

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Changing the meat we eat

Ultimately, Neat Burger wants to advance the alternative protein sector, and show the world how versatile, delicious, and sustainable plant-based food can be. 

Its current menu includes options like its Filet-No-Fish (a fish-free patty with vegan tartar sauce) and its Smoke Smash, which features two of its signature vegan meat patties, crispy onion rings, BBQ, jalapeños, and more. 

The chain has already picked up a few awards, including Deliveroo’s Best Vegan Brand of 2021 and 2020. Plus, it’s committed to healing the planet, and has partnered with the Eden Reforestation Project to plant one tree for every burger sold.

Neat Burger’s food is already climate-friendly: its current carbon footprint sits well below 0.5 kilograms. (To put that into context, the average meal’s carbon footprint is 1.6 kilograms.)

“We are on a mission to fundamentally change how the world consumes protein,” Neat Burger’s CEO and co-founder Zack Bishti said in a statement.

The post Lewis Hamilton’s Vegan Fast Food Chain Is Coming To The US appeared first on Plant Based News.