- [Narrator] This week,
Arnold Schwarzenegger
goes on a vegan coronavirus lockdown.
Ikea launches the Beyond Burger.
Americans are stockpiling oat milk
during the coronavirus crisis.
And LIVEKINDLY merges with
leading vegan meat producers.
All this and more on
LIVEKINDLY's "Weekly Vegan News."
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Following calls for seniors in California
to isolate themselves during
the coronavirus outbreak,
72-year-old Arnold
Schwarzenegger is at home
with his animals and eating vegan food.
- See the important thing
is that you stay at home
because there's a curfew now.
- [Narrator] The actor, former
politician, and bodybuilder,
posted a short clip on Instagram
encouraging people to stay home
and avoid spreading the COVID-19 virus.
The coronavirus pandemic
has now killed more
than 6,500 people worldwide.
Experts believe the virus originated
from China's wild animal
trade at a market in Wuhan.
Scientists believe that
an infected person,
animal, or group of animals
first introduced the virus
to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market.
The virus has spread
rapidly around the world,
with South Korea, Italy, and
Iran among the most affected
outside of China.
Approximately 169,000 people are confirmed
to be infected, and a number
of countries and states
have implemented social
distancing measures
to try and reduce the spread.
In California, governor Gavin Newsom
has asked seniors and people
with chronic health
conditions to stay inside.
Schwarzenegger references the importance
of listening to the advice in his video.
- If you're 65, you're not
allowed out of the house anymore
in California, so we stay
home and we eat here.
Right?
Oh, yes, it's yummy.
I eat with Whiskey and there's Lulu.
Lulu love carrots.
Whiskey loves carrots.
I just had my little bit of vegan food.
Oh, that was yummy, huh?
- [Narrator] Concerns over the coronavirus
have Americans stockpiling oat milk
along with household
and medical essentials
for their pandemic pantries.
U.S. consumers are rushing to buy medical,
health-related, and shelf-stable products
including oat milk.
As concerns grow surrounding COVID-19,
stockpiling is on the rise.
- I can't believe what
people are doing inside.
Shelves are empty.
- [Narrator] According to Nielsen data,
first aid kits, medical
and household masks,
hand sanitizer, and disposable diapers
are all common purchases.
During a four week period
ending February 22,
significant spikes in the
hoarding of emergency supplies
occurred in the U.S., China, and Italy.
The market research firm also revealed
that U.S. oat milk sales
increased by nearly 306%
in response to the coronavirus.
This is greater than the increased demand
for hand sanitizer, and just
short of medical masks at 319%.
Back in 2018, an oat milk
shortage prompted some people
to sell Oatly's Barista
Edition for up to $200.
Some of the in-demand hygiene products
are now selling online
for inflated prices.
The market research
firm is also monitoring
the impact of the virus on e-commerce.
It noted that online
shopping could increase
in the coming weeks in
response to self-isolation
and quarantine procedures.
"We expect the rush to stock up
"to have an almost immediate impact
"on supply chains for manufacturers
"of the most sought after
goods," said Nielsen.
Shenzhen may be the first city in China
to ban the consumption
of dog and cat meat,
according to the Humane
Society International.
While a new proposal will
see forms of wild meat banned
due to the coronavirus outbreak,
dog and cat meat has been
included specifically
in acknowledgement of their
status as companion animals.
The draft regulation follows an order
from China's National Peoples Congress
to ban all consumption
of wild animal meat.
It entered the public comment phase
at the end of last month.
Per "The Guardian," no
timeline has been given
for the final determination.
"It would be extremely welcome for dog
"and cat meat consumption
to be banned in Shenzhen.
"Particularly because
the proposal specifically
"recognizes dogs and cats as companions
"who must be protected from this brutal
"and largely illegal
trade," said Peter Lee,
HSI's China policy
expert in his statement.
He added, "It's a sentiment that could
"have huge ramifications for the millions
"of dogs and cats who are stolen
"across China for human consumption."
Coming up, Lewis Hamilton
feeds baby kangaroos
displaced by bush fires.
IKEA shoppers can now buy the
vegan bleeding Beyond Burger
at select stores in the Netherlands.
A new even meatier version
of the plant-based patty
is now available in IKEA
Amsterdam and Amersfoort.
According to Bram Meijer,
Beyond Meat's Regional
Marketing Director EMEA,
"The new burger is in line
"with the brand's eat
what you love's mission.
"We are excited to
introduce IKEA customers
"in Amsterdam and Amersfoort
to the delicious taste
"and texture from the new Beyond Burger,"
he said in a statement.
"Our goal is to make vegetable
proteins more accessible.
"We are proud that we
can achieve this goal
"in collaboration with IKEA."
He noted that the chain strives
for a more sustainable life.
Multi-national furniture company IKEA
is constantly updating its store menu
with new sustainable food options.
It recently announced the upcoming launch
of its new vegan meatballs in Europe.
- [Newscaster] The
meatball that quote looks
and tastes like meat,
but is made from plant-based
alternative proteins.
- [Narrator] According to the company,
"The plant balls are also
made with pea protein
"to make them even meatier
"than their predecessor veggie balls.
"The latter features a blend of chickpeas,
"green peas, and carrots.
"We look empathetically
at vegetable variants
"of existing dishes with meat,
"and we increasingly introduce new, tasty,
"and healthy vegetarian options,"
said Marcel Rutgers, food manager at IKEA.
He added, "IKEA shows that healthier
"and more sustainable life does not
"have to be complicated."
He continued, "The
cooperation with Beyond Meat
"fits in well with this."
Philz Coffee has removed
2% dairy milk from its menu
amid the growing demand for oat milk.
The coffee chain has adapted the menu
in all of its 57 locations in California,
Maryland, Virginia,
Illinois, and Washington D.C.
The switch came as the
chain saw a decreased demand
for the 2% dairy option.
Philz Coffee said the 2% milk
was no longer a popular
choice among its customers.
In contrast, dairy-free
oat milk is high in demand.
Philz Coffee first tested
oat milk at select locations
as a result of increased
requests for the beverage.
Following much success, they chain decided
to roll it our company-wide.
Philz Coffee isn't the only chain
to add oat milk to its menu.
In January, Starbucks announced
it added the non-dairy beverage
to select locations in the Mid-West.
The coffee chain plans to expand it
to more cafes at a later date.
The world's biggest coffee chain intends
to continue increasing
its plant-based options
to improve its environmental impact,
but also to cater to demand.
"The consumer demand curve
is already shifting,"
Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson
told "Bloomberg" earlier this year.
- I think it's because
it has the consistency
and the kind of body of real milk.
- [Newscaster] And she's selling out
of oat milk nearly every day.
- [Narrator] Dunkin Donuts
also recently revealed
the launch of its new oat milk latte.
- The company already offers almond milk
as a dairy-free option.
The announcement comes
just days after Starbucks
added similar dairy-free
drinks to its menu.
I've never had oat milk.
- [Female Newscaster] I'll try it.
- I'll try it, yeah.
- [Narrator] The coffee and donut chain
currently only offers the drink
at locations in California,
but it will become available
nationwide this spring.
In addition to the latte,
customers will be able
to add oat milk to any of
Dunkin's hot or iced coffees.
Earlier this year, Prat A Manger announced
it would begin offering oat milk
alongside rice, coconut, and soy.
In an Instagram post,
the chain also revealed
it would no longer charge a surcharge
for plant-based milk.
Lewis Hamilton shared a video of his trip
to New South Wales Wildlife Information,
Rescue and Education Services
Inc., also know as WIRES
in Australia this week.
- We landed this morning in Sydney
from a long flight from London,
and straight from the airport
we came out to the bush because I wanted
to visit a couple of places.
One of the organizations
particularly, WIRES,
which is where I donated my money to,
who are in charge of
response and looking after
the animals that were struggling
thorough the bush fires.
- [Narrator] "I had the
incredible opportunity
"to visit New South Wales, Australia,
"to see the admirable
work WIRES Wildlife Rescue
"is doing to care,
rehabilitate, and preserve
"the country's native wildlife following
"the recent devastating fires,"
the six-time Formula One world
champion wrote on Instagram.
Founded in 1985, WIRES is
the larges wildlife rescue
and rehabilitation
non-profit in Australia.
Its rescue team is led by volunteers.
"It was one of those days that really
"put things into perspective,"
Hamilton continued.
He donated $500,000 to
the charity last January,
according to Reuters.
Hamilton wanted to meet
with the people responsible
for taking care of animals displaced
by the Australian bush fires.
He wanted to see the
devastation of the fires
with his own eyes.
"Over one billion animals
were impacted by the fires,
"and it's going to take years
for Australia to recover.
"So it's thanks to non-profits like WIRES,
"an organization I
supported during the fires,
"that we have the
resources to help preserve
"this beautiful country,
and its amazing wildlife."
Hamilton is vocal about
his compassion for animals.
The champion race car driver
adopted a plant-based diet
for his health in late 2017.
But soon, he began to talk about veganism.
Speaking to his millions
of Instagram followers
about the ethical issues
with leather, hunting,
animal agriculture,
and the climate crisis.
Beyond Meat is launching
frozen vegan breakfast sausages
in select U.S. retailers.
With 11 grams of protein per serving,
the Beyond Breakfast Sausage
offers the same texture
and taste of traditional pork sausages.
It has 50% less fat, 35% less
saturated fat and sodium,
and 33% fewer calories
than its meat counterpart.
The new sausages, free from GMO's, gluten,
soy, and artificially
produced ingredients,
are available in two
flavors: classic and spicy.
According to the brand,
they can go from frozen
to finished in under five minutes.
Coast to coast retailers
offering the new vegan patties
include ACME, Shop Rite,
Whole Foods, Wegmans,
Albertsons, and VONS.
Chuck Muth, Beyond Meat's
Chief Growth Officer,
said in a statement, "Introducing
Beyond Breakfast Sausage
"at retail stores is an exciting next step
"for our brand as we continue to invest
"in expanding opportunities for shoppers
"to enjoy our products at home.
"We're very pleased with
our retail momentum to date,
"and entering the breakfast meat category
"was a natural next step for our brand
"as we look at our runway
for future growth," he added.
Coming up, LIVEKINDLY merges
with leading vegan meat producers.
Florida could soon ban shark finning.
The state Senate has passed SB680,
a ban on the import, export,
and sale of shark fins in Florida.
- We are in a critical time
for ocean conservation.
This, as sharks face continued threats
from around the world.
One part of that threat
is the shark fin trade.
- [Narrator] According to Shark Allies,
a non-profit protection and
conservation organization,
70 million sharks are killed
for their fins each year.
Florida is the largest hub
for the shark fin trade
in the United States.
"This week, in an uncommon
display of bipartisan unity,
"the Senate passed legislation,
"which would remove Florida
"from the global shark fin trade, SB680,"
the organization wrote on its website.
It continued, adding, "In a
compromise with opponents,
"the bill includes a sunset provision
"allowing businesses that harvest fins
"a five year transition period."
The bill now moves to the
House of Representatives,
under the name HB401.
"Some lawmakers are working
"to effectively shut down
the bill," Shark Allies adds.
"Specifically, the House intends to remove
"the sunset clause, and
exempt all local participants
"in the fin trade,
essentially keeping Florida
"in the shark fin business."
Shark Allies is urging Floridians
and others to call on
Governor Ron DeSantis
to intercede with the House Speaker,
as the bill was overwhelmingly
approved by the Senate.
And finally, last Wednesday,
our own LIVEKINDLY,
the fastest growing
plant-based media publisher,
announced its acquisition
by the LIVEKINDLY company,
formerly Foods United.
LIVEKINDLY was founded
in 2017 by Jodi Monel,
and generates more than
100 million monthly
across platform impressions.
- I was inspired to
create LIVEKINDLY media
because of the lack of positive
and inclusive content out there
involving the plant-based movement.
There's a lot of negativity in correlation
to the word vegan, and
I really wanted to turn
that on its head and make
it inclusive to everyone.
But you know, whether
you're vegan or vegetarian,
plant-based, an
environmentalist, meat eater,
what ever you are, you can
be part of this movement
and make a difference.
- [Narrator] The newly
formed LIVEKINDLY Company,
founded by Roger Lienhart,
an early investor in Beyond
Meat and Impossible Foods,
is now the leading collective of heritage
and startup brands committed
to changing the future of food
through the creation of
delicious plant-based products
without the need for animals,
or the depletion of natural resources.
- The LIVEKINDLY Company, for me,
is a mission to put better
food in front of people
on a daily basis, as much
and as fast as possible.
I'm super excited to be part of this
because we all know is that
we need to really shift
the current food system into
a sustainable food system.
And to really be part of
this incredible movement
to make sure that really
we get the at-scale,
at-speed, the world to change
into a plant-based diet.
- [Narrator] The LIVEKINDLY media division
will continue to operate independently
and drive conversation
around the global shift
towards a plant-based diet
and compassionate living,
featuring industry-relevant
news and brands.
- Well, I think LIVEKINDLY has a really
unique take on the media.
We, in particular, like to
highlight the positive stories,
and the human stories.
Our mission is really about humanity,
our home, and those who share it with us,
and so our content reflects that.
- [Narrator] "To live kindly means to live
"in a way that demonstrates
an appreciation
"for our humanity, our home,
"and those who share it with us,"
said Jodi Monel, founder
and CEO of LIVEKINDLY.
"The LIVEKINDLY Company adopting our name
"is a reflection of the tireless
LIVEKINDLY teams hard work
"over the past three years.
"Being part of the group
will give us a chance
"to not only reach more people,
"but also have a greater impact
"on the existing food system.
"The LIVEKINDLY team has built
an incredible news platform
"in less than three years.
"It's an exceptional
feat," said Roger Lienhart.
"To scale with speed and integrity
"requires a collective of
mission-aligned people,
"and I'm thrilled to
have this all star team
"join us for the journey."
That's it for today.
Are you excited about the news
of LIVEKINDLY's acquisition?
Let us know in the comments below.
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