Will 2018 be the Tipping Point?

Happy New Year 2018!!!

I’m so excited to see what 2018 has in store for us. Last year was a whirlwind of activity in the plant-based movement. A few years ago, it looked like it would take decades for veganism to take root and flourish, but thanks to social media and word of mouth, 2017 was a banner year in elevated awareness. The veil of uncertainty and confusion is lifting; people are seeing clearly that plant-based eating is the solution to many of our health and environmental issues. You might even say that our society is moving toward a Higher Health Consciousness. :) Handbook to Higher Health Consciousness

I see so many encouraging signs including vegan or vegan-friendly restaurants popping up everywhere. For example, visiting Las Vegas a couple of years ago, I could only find three restaurants that seriously supported plant-based eating. This year, there were easily 20. Amazing.

Here are a few other indicators that plant-based eating is rapidly gaining popularity:

Australia is the third fastest growing vegan market in the world. Australians do Google searches for ‘vegan’ more often, per capita, than any other population. (VegWorld Magazine)

There are quite a few vegan events scheduled worldwide in the next few months: Veganmania in Innsbruck, Austria; Tulum Vegan Fest in Mexico; Veg Fests in several Florida and UK locations and Phoenix, AZ; VegOut! In Scottsdale, AZ; and Vegan Street Fair in North Hollywood, CA. See Vegworldmag.com

Look at the huge member numbers for some of the vegan Facebook groups – Vegan Beginners 101 79k (that’s 79 thousand!), Vegan 101: Beginners Level 25k, How To Vegan 72k, Plant Based Eating 112k.

There have also been dramatic changes in the dairy industry. Plant-based milks generated 1.4 billion dollars in sales last year and have grown 54% over the last 5 years. Cow’s milk production, on the other hand, declined 11% in sales in the US last year. Dairy giant Danon WhiteWave Foods invested sixty million dollars in its plant milk facility.

The American Medical Association passed a resolution saying that hospitals should provide plant-based meals and remove processed meats.

The CEO of Tyson Foods (one of the largest meat producers) admitted that the future of food might be meatless. Tyson purchased 5% of vegan food startup Beyond Meat in 2017, and made an additional investment in December 2017.

Jeremy Coller and his FAIRR Initiative (Farm Animal Investment Risk and Return)

gained the backing of an investor coalition worth $1 Trillion dollars. The FAIRR Initiative targets unsustainable issues in factory farming such as overuse of antibiotics in livestock production.

Athletes and celebrities are adopting plant-based eating in record numbers. Search online for vegan athletes and vegan celebrities.

These indicators are just the tip of the iceburg. 2018 is in position to be a watershed year for people moving away from the Standard American Diet toward more healthy lifestyles.