Stratum Resource post, Time to Seize Your Opportunity

Vegans! Vegans everywhere!

Simply type in “plant-based options” into your Google search and you’ll be inundated with hundreds of thousands of meat and dairy options that you may have never heard of before.

Just when we thought 2019 was the “Year of the Vegan”, it appears 2020 has taken it further up mainstream.

Members of the vegan food industry, like cookbook author and blogger Sam Turnbull, have observed a shift in how veganism is regarded by the general population.

“For a long time, vegans were seen as weirdos,” Turnbull said. “But now, with a ton of amazing documentaries, books, and media it has become more widely understood that being vegan or eating a plant-based diet is beneficial to the environment, our own health, and of course the animals.”

She says that she thinks increased awareness of climate change is inspiring a lot of people — as well as the organizers behind major award shows — to move towards more plant-based options. This was reflected in a January statement made by the Academy of Motion Pictures.

“The Academy is an organization of storytellers from around the world, and we owe our global membership a commitment to supporting the planet,” said the statement. “For the past decade, the Academy has been committed to reducing its carbon footprint. For the past seven years, the Oscars show has had a zero-carbon imprint. We continue to expand our sustainability plan with the ultimate goal of becoming carbon neutral.”

Now with veganism becoming more popular, Turnbull said, the demand for plant-based products is rising and the quality and range is expanding. “If you can get a veggie burger that tastes the same as a meat-based one, but no one had to die for it, why wouldn’t you?”

According to data from the Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA) and The Good Food Institute, the total value of the plant-based foods market is now approximately $4.5 billion. Notably, products like the Impossible Burger, a vegan beef patty alternative, are now on the menus at over 9,000 restaurants nationwide, including Burger King, Red Robin, and White Castle.

In early January, most were not surprised to hear the Academy of Motion Pictures announcement that plant-based foods would be the only items on the menu during this year’s Academy Awards Ceremony on February 9^th. This announcement follows the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild award dinners which also switched menus to vegan.

“Joker” actor Joaquin Phoenix gave quite the speech that stirred some reactions in both camps. Whether you are for plant-based eating or not, surely you heard or have an opinion on his winning speech that actually had nothing to do with winning at all.

He saw an opportunity and he seized it.

Given the chance, wouldn’t you?

We all have an agenda at some point or another in our work life.

Take this blog post for example.

Why am I writing about plant-based options and actors who are vegan?

Obviously, I, too, have a plant-based agenda.

As a writer for an ingredient company, I know these articles are not for readers to simply know what is trending on the market today.

Although it’s important for both your job and mine to stay up to date on the latest trends, I know you are here for more than just that.

I get it.

You are the ones in this industry who are seeking to create formulations to improve human health, to lessen your brand’s carbon footprint and you seek to create products with sustainable and traceable ingredients.

So why not look at formulating your next product with Ahiflower?

We here at Stratum like to call it our “Super Plant.” It is a natural, food-sourced, sustainable ingredient that is brought to us by our partners at Nature’s Crops International in the UK.

Ahiflower is certainly your best vegan omega value. It is our unique ingredient that will help your product stand out against the competitors.

In fact, it hits all the checkmarks you are seeking in a plant-based omega ingredient.

Now that I have your attention, here are a few Ahiflower facts:
Now we all know that algal oil and seaweed oil are on the rise, but let’s be real, they taste terrible. Why not choose an ingredient with no fishy taste or smell?

• Balanced Daily Omega
• An Unparalleled Combination of Omega 3, 6, 9 Fatty Acids for Health, Vitality and Wellness
• 4X’s Better Omega-3 Value than Flaxseed Oil
• Vegan Friendly – Not from Fish
• Sustainably Cultivated and Fully Traceable
• Clean Tasting - No Fishy Taste or Fishy Burps!
• Marketable – has a story worth sharing

Let us pause here and take a moment of gratitude for no more fishy burps.

It appears I’ve seized my opportunity.

It’s now time to seize yours.