Victoria Agyepong ( TM )’s Post

The Vegan Dairy has won a Sustainability Award! 🌏 Here is how the Vegan Dairy are exceptionally sustainable: Plant-Based Ingredients: The Vegan Dairy uses only plant-based ingredients, eliminating the need for animal agriculture and its associated environmental impacts. Organic Sourcing: Many of their ingredients are sourced organically, promoting sustainable farming practices and reducing the use of harmful chemicals. Waste Reduction: They focus on minimising waste through efficient production processes and on-site composting facilities. Ethical Sourcing: They prioritise sourcing ingredients from responsible businesses that support local communities and sustainable practices. Reduced Carbon Footprint: By avoiding animal agriculture, The Vegan Dairy contributes to a lower carbon footprint compared to traditional dairy production. The Vegan Dairy are striving towards a more sustainable, ethical and healthy food future. Our food systems need an overhaul for the health of our planet, as well as ourselves! Plant-based foods are planet-friendly in so many ways. By growing crops directly for human consumption (vs for animals for humans to eat) we could massively address food insecurity and hunger around the world, not to mention methane emissions. #sustainabilityaward #sustainabilityaward2024 #sustainablebrand #sustainabilityawards #sustainablebrands #consciousbrands #ecoawards #ecobrands #ecofriendly #circularbusiness #environmentalsustainabilityaward #sustainablefood #ecopreneur #sustainablefoodaward #sustainablefoodawards #veganaward #veganfoodaward #vegancheese #vegancheeseaward #veganbusiness #veganproduct #veganlife #sustainablebusinessawards #sustainablebusinessaward

Do we all need to go vegan to stop climate change? It may sound too radical and be impossible for many people due to health or other reasons. But we should not stick to all-or-nothing thinking; we can make a change by taking small steps. For example, researchers from Johns Hopkins University suggest a “two-thirds vegan diet” with one serving of meat per day. This simple change could cut greenhouse gas emissions from livestock by 60 per cent. Animal products influence climate, natural resources, and biodiversity the most. A recent study published in Nature Food showed that dietary impacts of vegans were 25.1% of high meat-eaters for greenhouse gas emissions and land use and 46.4% for water use. It also demonstrated a substantial difference (at least 30%) between those who eat less than 100 grams of meat daily and consumers with a more meat-intensive diet. Another way to reduce your footprint is to replace beef, the most climate-intensive meat, with chicken. Meat contains essential nutrients and cannot simply be removed from everybody’s diet. To scale up the change, we need a “protein transition” — replacing animal products with plant-based or lab-grown substitutes equivalent in taste and nutritional value. The main challenge is to ensure a socially just transition that will balance the interests of small traditional producers with climate needs. Although a plant-based diet is generally better for the environment, not all vegetables have the same carbon footprint. One way to cut emissions is to eat seasonal vegetables that do not require heated greenhouses. Another source of food-related emissions is transportation, making it better to opt for locally grown options. It does not mean you must grow your vegetables to save the planet. On the contrary, a recent study from the University of Michigan showed that the carbon footprint of conventionally grown fruits and vegetables is at least five times lower than that of food grown in urban vegetable patches or allotments. This result comes down to the carbon-intensive infrastructure required by urban agriculture sites. So, the best option seems to be finding a local supplier with environmentally friendly practices. Another way to reduce your carbon footprint is to minimize the amount of food waste your household produces. It includes better planning your grocery shopping to avoid buying excess food, storing it properly, and composting the scraps lest they end up in a methane-emitting landfill. #ClimateChange #SustainableDiet #CarbonFootprint #ProteinTransition

The Real Impact of Veganism: Is It as Environmentally Friendly as We Think? Veganism is widely celebrated for its environmental benefits, but a closer look reveals complexities that merit attention. 🌍🔍 🔹 Monocultures: Large-scale vegan agriculture often relies on monocultures, such as soy and almonds. Monocultures can lead to significant biodiversity loss and soil degradation. For example, soy production is responsible for about 70% of deforestation in the Amazon, impacting local ecosystems and wildlife. 🔹 Global Supply Chains: Many plant-based products are imported from afar, increasing their carbon footprint. Transportation contributes up to 30% of the carbon emissions from global food supply chains. For instance, avocados from Mexico and almonds from California involve high transport emissions. 🔹 Water Usage: Some plant-based alternatives have substantial water footprints. Almond farming consumes roughly 1,900 liters of water per liter of almond milk. In contrast, producing a kilogram of beef requires about 15,000 liters of water, yet water-intensive crops can strain resources in arid regions. 🔹 Resource Efficiency: Despite these issues, plant-based diets still offer substantial environmental benefits. Switching from a meat-heavy to a varied plant-based diet can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 50%. For example, a person eating a vegan diet can save approximately 1,100 kg of CO2 emissions per year compared to a meat-eater. While veganism has its challenges, such as monocultures and high transport emissions, it remains a more sustainable option overall. Improving practices and focusing on locally sourced and less resource-intensive foods can further enhance its benefits. 🌱🌎 How are you integrating these considerations into your sustainability efforts? #Veganism #Sustainability #EnvironmentalImpact #Monocultures #GlobalSupplyChain #WaterFootprint #PlantBased

Some light reading to kick start the long weekend 😎 👏 🥂 ! % common myths about #sustainable diets: ❎ Myth: Plant-based eating is always the greenest. 🌍Truth: Locally-sourced animal products can sometimes have a lower carbon footprint than imported plant foods. ❎ Myth: Organic food is automatically better for the planet. 🌍Truth: Organic farming can use more land and produce lower yields, sometimes increasing environmental impact. ❎ Myth: Packaging-free is best. 🌍Truth: Minimal packaging isn’t always more eco-friendly; some packaging preserves food longer, reducing food waste. ❎ Myth: Imported foods are unsustainable. 🌍Truth: Transport is only a small part of food’s carbon footprint; growing methods matter more. ❎ Myth: Eco-eating is too expensive. 🌍Truth: Eco-friendly choices can be affordable, like reducing meat intake or buying in-season produce. Let's rethink sustainable eating and try to make a real impact! #EcoFriendly #SustainableEating #MythBusting #FoodChoices #ESG

So now we eat more meat than ever before, and it's continuing to grow. What we need now is the same fundamental shift in what we eat, but in the opposite direction, back towards plants. I'm here today as a food and climate expert because diet shifts are critical for the planet. The only way that we can reach climate targets and feed 10 billion people is by reducing the production and consumption of industrial meat. We need other solutions. We need regenerative agriculture. And we need to address food loss and waste. But those alone are insufficient to reach climate goals. And diet shifts are also essential for food security and health. We need to grow more food on less land by 2050, and to do that, we need to shift from land-intensive animal protein to land-efficient vegetable protein. And that also helps with our health. Now we know that overconsumption of meat is a leading cause of preventable disease, including heart disease, but also obesity and diabetes. We also know that meat is a leading cause of climate change. Meat alone can account for as much as 20 percent of global emissions. We also know that we're misusing nearly half of our farmland to grow feed for animals, rather than food for humans. Just last month, I was in Germany, and I walked into a Burger King and bam! I was bombarded with ads for their plant-based Whopper. It was all over the store, and the plant-based Whopper was center of the menu, and it was the same price as the regular Whopper. Today in Burger Kings in Germany, one in five of all Whoppers sold are plant-based. One in five, in the country that invented the frankfurter. Or take Lidl, it’s one of the largest supermarkets in Europe. They decided to put their plant-based meat next to the conventional meat in the meat section and make it the same price. So when you went to grab a package of ground beef, you had a healthier, sustainable plant-based option right next to it that costs the same. Within six months of making this change, the sale of their plant-based products went up by 30 percent and shows no sign of lagging. Now scaling from here, it’s not easy politically or personally. But we're not talking about never eating meat. We're talking about less meat and more plants. We're talking about overconsumption of meat. The average American right now eats six times the recommended amount of red meat. And yes, there's progress to be made. We need products that are plant-based to be healthier and cheaper. But without a doubt, eating more plants is better for the planet, better for animals and better for us. And when companies and governments make it easier for us to choose differently, we do. People want healthy and sustainable options, but it's simply not that easy to make that choice today. EN 47,255 views | TED Countdown Dilemma Series: Food | June 2024, 10/2024 The hidden forces behind your food choices Sarah Lake  https://lnkd.in/eZ6hthuv

🌱🌍 Sustainable Agriculture, Vegan Diets, and Avoiding Food Monopolies: My Journey 🌟 📊📄 Hey everyone! 😊 After spending time diving deep into the realms of sustainable agriculture, vegan diets, synthetic meat, and how all these relate to our fight against climate change, I'm excited to share my findings with you all! 🚀📚 The journey took me through understanding how industrialized farming practices impact greenhouse gas emissions 🌫️ and how a shift to sustainable practices 🌾 can lead to significant improvements in reducing our carbon footprint! 💚 Here are some of the key takeaways from my research (you'll find more details in the PDF attached 📎): ✨ The Power of a Vegan Diet 🥦: A vegan diet can contribute to a 25-30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by eliminating methane emissions from livestock and reducing deforestation 🌳. This simple shift can make a BIG impact on our planet! 🌍✨ 🌾 Sustainable Agriculture + Vegan Diet = A Climate Win! 🌟: Combining sustainable agriculture with plant-based diets can accelerate emission reductions 🚜💨. This means fewer emissions from fertilizers, more local food systems, and stronger, more resilient soil 🌱. 🚫🤖 Avoiding Food Monopolies: One important question that I explored was whether vegan diets and synthetic meats could inadvertently contribute to food monopolies 🤔. And yes, it turns out they could—if we’re not careful! To prevent that: Let’s support local farmers and cooperatives 👩🌾👨🌾. Promote open-source seeds 🌾🔓 and decentralized synthetic meat labs 🍖💡. Advocate for strong antitrust policies and public R&D initiatives to keep food innovation accessible for all 🌍. 💡 A Balanced Food System is the Goal: The key message I want to share is that by supporting diverse, localized food systems 🌾, encouraging whole foods 🌽🥦, and avoiding the concentration of power 💪, we can create a resilient and fair food future for everyone! 🌱 📄 I’ve put all my research into a concise and detailed PDF 📊. If you're interested in the impacts of diet, agriculture, and food monopolies, give it a read! 🤓👇 🌟 Thank you for joining me on this journey! I’d love to hear your thoughts on how we can make sustainable agriculture the new normal while keeping our food systems fair and inclusive 🌍✨. Together, we can grow a better future! 💚🌿 #India #Sweden #SustainableAgriculture #VeganDiet #ClimateChange #FoodMonopoly #SyntheticMeat #LocalFoodSystems #OpenSource #FairFood #ClimateAction #AgriculturalInnovation #FoodForThought 😊🌍🍀🚜

Check out these top 5️⃣ companies leading the way in eco-friendly practices and tasty eats! 🌱 👉 Beyond Meat Making plant-based meats without GMOs, gluten, or soy. They're good for you and the planet! 👉 Patagonia Provisions Known for outdoor gear, now offers sustainable, organic foods like wild salmon and buffalo jerky. Eat well, do good! 👉 Imperfect Foods Rescues "ugly" produce to cut food waste. They offer other sustainable foods like pasture-raised eggs and grass-fed beef. 👉 Dr. Bronner’s The company, which started with soap, now offers organic, fair-trade coconut products and chocolate. It supports fair prices for farmers and sustainable farming. 👉 Thrive Market An online store with organic produce, grass-fed meat, and more. They support farmers using sustainable practices. Which one is your favorite? Support these sustainable food companies and join the movement towards a greener, healthier planet! 🌍 #MacCuevas #sustainableeating #ecofriendlyfood #greenliving #ethicaleating #sustainablefoodchoices

🌱 Happy World Vegetarian Day! In the spirit of the special day, we're exploring plant-based trends in the food industry and what they mean for production and packaging. The global food industry is experiencing rapid growth in plant-based alternatives, and the trend is only expected to pick up speed: 1️⃣ Market Boom: Bloomberg projects the global plant-based foods market could reach a staggering $162 billion by 2030 📈 2️⃣ Packaging Revolution: It’s not just what’s in the food, but how it’s packaged. Consumers are more aware of biodegradable materials, minimalist designs using less plastics, and new innovative recyclable options. 5️⃣ Ready-to-Eat Surge: The demand for convenient plant-based meals is growing. Ready-to-eat aisles are packed with more and more vegetarian and vegan alternatives. The good news for the food industry is that adapting to the changing trends is easier than you might think. For instance, Kometos’ Finntray line is perfectly suitable for dosing and packaging new plant-based foods into a variety of packaging options. The food industry can develop new products and implement changes in production quickly – and without major investments. Click the link in Comments to learn more 👇 #PlantBased #FoodInnovation #SustainableProduction #FoodTech

Can ‘seasonal’ be a sneaky way to introduce people to ‘less meat’? 👀 I recently tried that at a dinner we did with Landmarkt and I think it worked! I was nervous because these people had come to hear about the benefits of seasonal food. I was going to do that, but only after setting the context: 83% of the emissions from the EU diet come from meat & dairy and 4% from fruits and vegetables. So ‘seasonal’ only affects a tiny part of the carbon footprint. The main reason that I want to eat more seasonally is to be connected with nature and support sustainable farming. I don’t think any of the guests were vegetarian and it was a big eye-opener to hear about how much land we use for meat and dairy and how high the emissions are. One young man had just been on a carnivore diet but he came up to me afterwards to say how much he liked the presentation. It made him think a lot. So I think the experiment worked: eating seasonally is something everyone seems to support and can be the ‘foot in the door’ to tell people about the environmental impact of food. The nice thing about ‘seasonal’ is that it’s about celebrating fruits and vegetables. And that’s exactly what it’s all about. Right now meat and dairy are the center of our plate and we need to switch that around: lots of veggies and legumes, with meat and dairy as a luxury product and tastemaker rather than the staple food. If you want to eat more seasonal yourself, or introduce it to a friend, check out our seasonal calendar on the Fork Ranger website. And if you can bring together a bunch of people around the topic of eating seasonally, I’d love to come and tell them something about the bigger picture of eating sustainably 😉 --- 🙋♂️ I share facts about climate change and food. Follow me and join my exploration for a sustainable version of 'The Good Life‘. 📱 If you want to get more facts about the impact of our food (and recipes), download the Fork Ranger app in the Google Play or App Store.

🌍 World Vegan Day: A Call for Climate Action Through Our Plates 🌱 As we celebrate World Vegan Day, we are reminded of the urgency to address climate change. Just three days ago, Valencia experienced a terrible flood disaster with over 200 lives lost and more people still missing. This, coupled with record-breaking heat waves and worsening droughts every summer, highlights how extreme weather is intensifying due to climate change. Animal agriculture is responsible for 16.5% to 23% of global greenhouse gas emissions  (depending on whether things like deforestation for livestock and feed production are included). To put that into context, this is comparable to the entire transportation sector's emissions. What once seemed like a distant threat is now a daily reality, accelerating at an alarming rate. But here’s the empowering part: we don’t need to wait for laws or policies to make a difference—we have the power right now. Every meal we choose can reduce our carbon footprint. By shifting towards a plant-based diet, individuals can cut their emissions by up to 73% annually. Here's a simple way to look at it: Going plant-based for a year can save as much CO2 as taking a gas car off the road for 6 months! The Power of Small Decisions I usually talk about business building but this topic is very dear to my heart and I see clear connections because there is this saying: How you do one thing you do everything. The discipline and mindset needed to make small, consistent changes—whether in your diet or your business—are what lead to long-term success. So whether you want to make more sustainable choices like starting a plant-based lifestyle or building a business, you can always start with small steps. No need to procrastinate waiting for the "perfect moment" to come. It never comes—whether it’s taking action on climate change or starting that project you’ve been dreaming about. You also don't need to have everything figured out before you take action, just start with one meal, one new action. And don't let self-doubt stop you. Millions of people have built a business and millions of people are thriving without ever eating animal based products, so why not you? The floods in Valencia are a harsh reminder that we must act now. Let’s use this World Vegan Day as a reminder that real change starts with small steps—whether it’s for our planet or our personal growth. What small step will you take today—whether for your health, your business, or our planet? #WorldVeganDay #ClimateAction #Sustainability #ValenciaFloods #PlantBased #TakeAction