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Vegan foods gain popularity with visible shift from dairy to plant based dairy alternatives
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Wednesday, 24 November, 2021, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Our Bureau, Bengaluru
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Vegan foods gains popularity going by a visible shift from dairy to plant based dairy. At the November Food Safety Conversation, which highlighted World of Vegan Foods, a panel of experts : Vishwesh Nair, founder and managing director, Milkin Oats, Dr Achyutan Eswar, co-founder, Sampoorna Ahara and PHC Lifestyle Clinic & NutritionScience.in, and Palak Mehta, founder and CEO, Vegan First, founder, Vegan India Conference and representative Indian chapter of the World Vegan Organisation (WVO). The conversation was moderated by Surabhi Soral, consultant, Food Safety Works.
“People will switch from dairy to plant based dairy alternatives because of increasing self-awareness about the health impacts. About 0.1% of the global population has turned vegan. In India too, from 2019 till now, the vegan population has almost doubled. A lot of it is due to the innovation around the plant-based products. We are positive that even the Union Government will bring in policies to support the vegan industry,” stated Nair.
“Globally, the vegan industry is expected to touch $ 63.9 million by 2024. Around 14.5% of the entire global warming is attributed to the livestock farming. For instance, to make 200 ml of glass of milk, approximately 125 litres of water is utilised compared to oat milk, which needs only 9.6 litres of water. Hence shifting to plant based alternatives will have a huge positive impact on the environment and sustainability,” added Nair.
According to Dr Eswar, “People find it difficult to give up on dairy products initially but eventually will see the benefits and start consuming plant-based alternatives. India needed vegan-friendly laws like Portugal and Brazil along with increased awareness on the benefits of the plant based food diet which is crucial. This is because plant based diet can help in preventing, treating and reversing several lifestyle diseases and disorders.”
Emphasising about the need for a vegan movement, Mehta said, “It was only a move towards plant based foods can help in solving the world hunger crises as well as help in balancing the environment and the biodiversity.”
Noting that India can become one of the largest exporters of plant-based products, Mehta said, “The need was to look for different opportunities for this industry to thrive in the country. There are several options of plant based alternatives available in the market that do not contain allergens like soy and nuts. Even India’s food regulatory FSSAI, has introduced a vegan logo to help consumers to differentiate a vegan from non-vegan products.”
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