Here’s some exciting news for everyone who cares about animals, the environment and their health: Vegan foods are selling like, well, vegan hotcakes—which, by the way, are now available at Denny’s. As more people opt for foods that are both kind and craveable, business is booming for brands that step up to meet the demand.

Beyond Meat, one of the most popular vegan companies in America, is shortening its name to Beyond and reformulating some of its products to be even healthier, including the new Beyond Ground, which is made with just four ingredients: fava beans, potato starch, water and psyllium husk. Nothing in Beyond Ground causes animals to suffer. Ground beef, on the other hand, is made from dead animal flesh. At the slaughterhouse, cows are hung upside-down, their throats are slit and they are skinned and gutted. Some are conscious through the entire process.

Caring people, especially millennials, who are fueling the sale of vegan products, refuse to support such cruelty. That’s one of the reasons why plant products—and not animal flesh—are the foods of the future. Technavio, a market research firm that helps businesses identify opportunities, expects the global vegan food market will rise by $29.93 billion by 2028 because of growing customer demand.

Food companies that want to bring in the “green” should pay attention.

The global vegan cheese market—which accounted for about $2.43 billion in 2021—is expected to reach more than 7 billion American dollars by 2030. Plant milks, including oat, nut and soy milk, dominated the market in 2024, and the vegan beverage market will reportedly reach more than $61.89 billion by 2034, mostly because of growing concerns about health and sustainability.

Likewise, the global vegan chocolate market, which was $1.38 billion in 2024, is predicted to nearly double by 2033. OK, I admit I might be single-handedly responsible for this, as vegan chocolate is one of my favorite foods, next to blackberries, pineapple, corn on the cob, almonds and Beyond Burgers. I buy a heap of vegan chocolate every week.

Now I’m looking forward to even more vegan options in the future. The worldwide vegan egg market, which includes Just Egg and Wunder Eggs, among others, hit $1.5 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach $4.5 billion by 2030. That’s promising news for those of us who want to eat eggs made from plants rather than hens’ ovulations.

Chickens raised for eggs are confined to tiny cages stacked tier upon tier. The wire mesh rubs off their feathers, chafes their skin and causes their feet to become crippled. When the birds begin to lay fewer eggs, when they’re about two years old, they’re sent to the slaughterhouse, where their throats are slit and they’re often scalded alive.

Is it any wonder why the vegan food market is thriving? Not only is eating vegan easy and delicious, each vegan spares at least 200 animals every year, and research shows that a vegan meal is responsible for at least 2.5 pounds fewer CO2 emissions than a meat-based one. And eating wholesome vegan foods significantly reduces one’s risk of developing cancer, heart disease, diabetes and other conditions.

There’s no reason to wait. An abundance of vegan foods is available right now. Join the millions of us who are already benefiting from the power of plants, and go vegan today!

_____

Heather Moore is a senior writer for the PETA Foundation, 501 Front St., Norfolk, VA 23510; www.PETA.org.

_____

©2025 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.