Recently, more and more people are choosing and practicing diets from a variety of options that suit their lifestyles and beliefs. Vegetarians are one such choice.
There are many types when you look inside the vegetarians: lacto-vegetarian eat dairy products; ovo-vegetarian eat eggs, a lacto-ovo vegetarian eat both dairies and eggs. Vegans, those who avoid consuming animal-derived products, is a term proposed by six people including Donald Watson in 1944 when vegetarianism campaign was established. It combines the first and last word of “vegetarian”. Their principles were based on “emancipation of animals from exploitation by man” and “maintaining environmental sustainability.” Due to these reasons, many vegans are conscious that such eating habits lead to animal welfare and environmental protections, not just being healthy (1*). Vegans do not even eat any animal-derived products (such as honey, beeswax, and gelatin). Not only that, stricter so-called ethical vegans do not even wear silk, leather, or wool (*2).
Sales of vegan-labeled products are increasing 3% annually in 2015. For US millennials (people born between 1980s and early 2000s), the label of “Vegan” is an important factor when purchasing products. In addition, more than half of US consumers consider veganism healthy (*3).
Protein products are the most important ingredients for vegans. A variety of meat substitutes are being developed using soybeans, wheat gluten, peas, quorn (mycoprotein), and so on. Among these, consumers tend to prefer those meat alternatives made with less additives and more natural ingredients (*4).
Amano Enzyme’s non-animal-derived products will contribute to the development of vegan food market with delicious and accessible products.
TYPES OF VEGETARIANS
| Type | Meat & Fish | Dairy Products | Eggs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vegan | X | X | X |
| Ovo-vegetarian | X | X | O |
| Lacto-vegetarian | X | O | X |
| Ovo-Lacto | X | O | O |
*1) The Vegan Society: https://www.vegansociety.com/
*2) Vegetarian Nation: http://www.vegetarian-nation.com/
*3) Statista: Sales growth of the vegan market between 2015 and 2020 worldwide, by country
*4) Mintel: Germany hosted the highest number of vegan launches worldwide in 2016
(Published on March 24th, 2017)
