America Could Be Vegan by 2050

By Lindsey Little | March 13, 2014

The current article you are reading does not reflect the views of the current editors and contributors of the new Ecorazzi

The founder and director of Catskill Animal Sanctuary, Kathy Stevens, thinks America could be vegan by 2050.

Here’s the evidence:

1. Meat consumption is on the decline, while interest in vegan food is on the rise.

Americans consumed 12.2 percent less meat in 2012 than in 2007. More and more Americans are becoming “flexitarian,” adopting a vegetarian diet more than half of the time. In 2012, a poll found that 16 percent of Americans described themselves as flexitarian. That number is predicted to rise as the Meatless Monday movement has grown to 50 percent national awareness. In addition, Google Trends reported a 3-fold increase in vegan internet searches from 2005 to 2014. This data highlights the fact that vegans aren’t just in cities like L.A., New York and Portland anymore. Plant-based diets are spreading to small towns across the country, as knowledge and resources become more readily available.

2. Supermarkets are adding new vegan products.

Your local supermarket looks a lot different today than it did just a few years ago. Organic produce, gluten-free products and meat substitutes are just some of the recent healthy additions to supermarket shelves. In 2010 and 2011, 110 meat substitute products were added to stores.

3. Restaurants are becoming more responsive to vegans.

High-end vegan food was named the number one food trend by Forbes in 2013. Even more telling may be the changes that are taking place among the country’s fast-food chains. Burger King, Wendy’s, Subway and Dunkin’ Donuts are among those who have pledged to stop selling products that are derived from the meat industry’s most cruel practices. Other chains recognize that Americans’ palates are changing. Moe’s Southwest Grill offers organic tofu as an option in its tacos and burritos. Recently, Chipotle added “Sofritas” to their menus in 17 states.

4. The rich and powerful are throwing their money behind vegan start-ups.

Billionaires are lining up to invest in vegan companies. Microsoft founder Bill Gates has invested in Beyond Meat and Hampton Creek Foods. HCF also raised $23 million from from Asia’s richest man, Li Ka-sing, and Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang. If wealthy people know one thing, it’s how to make more money. They wouldn’t back these companies if they didn’t see huge growth potential.

Let’s work together to make America vegan by 2050!

Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Source: Huffington Post

0 Comments

Kathy Stevens

Michael!!! and Lindsey–THANKS!! for continuing this conversation. It was after reading the study posted by Gary Francione which found that when 10% of us feel in our bones that a social ill must change, then change HAPPENS–and after considering the massive social changes of the last 150 years–that I said to myself “We vegans need a goal.” And based on how rapidly our attitudes and policies in other social arenas have changed, 2050 sounded reasonable to me!! Plus…I’ll be here for the party!!!! Vegan by 2050. Let’s say it. Let’s believe it. Let’s make it happen!!
- Sparafucile
  
  So it’s not about health, after all? It’s about omnivorism being a “social ill”, as you put it?
  
  It seems your interest is about CONTROL. And that makes you a bad person. In fact, the worst kind of person.
  - Kahler Nygard
    
    ^no I will stop and control ANYONE if I have the power and they are murdering , raping, or torturing an innocent.
    With your logic you should let cannibals run around because stopping them makes you a bad person.
    - Sparafucile
      
      Thanks for offering a reply to nothing anybody was saying. Who needs logic, when you can just change the subject with an idiotic screed?
      - Kahler Nygard
        
        wtf is an idiotic screed? and it was on subject, the subject being the abuse and enslavement of animals being un-necessary and our devotion to change this horror that too long has been on this earth
      - Sparafucile
        
        pivoting to raise (and then ranting on) “murder, rape, and torturing” is what defines both your subject-changing and your idiotic screed. (little hint for you: the subject was “is veganism about health, or control?”)
        
        Omnivorism has nothing to do with “abuse and enslavement” — unless, perhaps you’re so deluded as to consider fishing equivalent to “abuse and enslavement”.
        
        Actually, after reading your above recent posts, I have to conclude you’ve gone way, way beyond deluded. You’re obviously clinically insane. I don’t know precisely which DSM category (or, more-likely, categories) describes you best. But I’m certain somebody’s let you know at some point in your sad deluded life.
    - John Smith
      
      ..and pull your illegal shit on my property and I will put you in prison or in the morgue.I have no sympathy for those that harm animals and even less for terrorist loving PETA spewing dirtbags like you control freak @$$h0le.
      - Kahler Nygard
        
        see Im going to try to work through governmental forces and straight logic and using my life as an example , your still a murderer and you will have to answer to god upon death. Thankfully each will get their own due from what they did in their life, chase pleasure more at the cost of others pain. That is just going to work out so well
Sparafucile

“Organic produce, gluten-free products and meat substitutes are just some of the recent healthy additions to supermarket shelves.”

What makes “gluten free” a “healthy addition”, exactly? Gluten allergies, and lactose intolerance are individual medical conditions, just like an allergy to tree nuts or peanuts. Would you describe a “nut-free” supermarket as having changed for the healthier?
Red

Make mine medium rare.
Rick Guardino

I don’t think the human race will be around in 2050, have you seen how the polar ice caps melting at a faster rate than expected. You’ll be lucky to snack on a lizard.
- Kahler Nygard
  
  we can move to more northern climates and grow there, and I would rather die than eat a lizard. Thankfully I don’t have to
  - Sparafucile
    
    What’s it like being on the Terrorist Watch List? Eh, psycho?
    
    I’ve known people like you. You think you have a “cause”, when all you’re really doing is trying to find an outlet for your own narcissism.
    
    What it inevitably leads to is that you a) Get tired of nobody listening to you (which is because you’re a raving fact-deficient psycho), and take your actions to the ‘next level’. This usually lands your type in prison. Or, b) You get so depressed that nobody’s serving your narcissism, that you kill yourself.
    
    Ever-so-rarely, there’s a third way, and I hope you find it. But it’s a rare occurrence.
    - Kahler Nygard
      
      Well its pretty good so far, got a million view on youtube over the actions of government agents. (off the no fly list and figuring out how to not get my genitals fondled while not having naked images of my body taken , so life’s good making progress) You care to share your situation name , age, location , occupation ?
      Now I’m a narcissist because I care about living beings that I don’t torture or cause them pain.
      Get real , the real narcissist is the one who continues to cause others pain and tell those trying to stop the pain and suffering that they are “psycho”
Pentoth

It seems that these trends like veganism are increasing as people are becoming less educated. Kind of interesting if you ask me.
John Smith

Stop drinking the bong water.More people would probably go vegan if it wasn’t for the PETA spewing radical animal rights nutjobs aggressively pushing the agenda.
- Kahler Nygard
  
  oh look at this somebody trying to shut up vegans, hate us cause you aint us , is what it is, you cant control your self, so of course you like the accusers of Socrates seek to attack the integrity of us with no real basis other than your emotions of hatred
  - Sparafucile
    
    Nobody cares what you nutjob vegans say. In fact, the more you talk, the more you repulse people. I hope you speak and write often and at-length.
    - Kahler Nygard
      
      Hey the more I repulse evil the better, news flash dumbass vegans are growing in numbers and percentage , just look at the grocery stores organic-vegan products abound. Funny how your argument is (people have hate in their heart so kiss their ass and they might not hate you) Sorry that’s not going to stop us . Not until the animal enslavement ends.
  - Pentoth
    
    He isn’t trying to shut you up. I have a couple of friends who are vegan. One is incredibly radical about it and another who is not. My radical friend pushed me away from entertaining it completely for years because I associated that kind of lifestyle with such extremism. My new friend has a much more friendly approach and is not extreme at all. Which one do you think I am going to listen to?

America Could Be Vegan by 2050

Beyoncé and Jay-Z sell out veganism for ticket giveaway

Month one of “the year of the vegan”

What About: “No-Kill” Eggs?

Vegandale Brewery offers the ultimate vegan night out

Don’t blame vegans for the shame you feel about using animals