I receive lots of vegan–and other–news via email every week and ararely, if ever, share it here. But this press release was of particular interest to me and I thought, perhaps, you…
Formation of the Vegan Trade Council Announced
Group to Represent the Interests of the Vegan Product Industry
Washington, DC, January 5, 2015 – The formation of the Vegan Trade Council, an industry association to represent the interests of vegan product manufacturers, was announced today. Alan Nemeth, a professor of animal law at the American University Washington College of Law and the University School of Law is leading the formation of the trade group.
Nemeth said that the vegan industry is at the point in its maturity where it can join together in a trade association to provide assistance to members of the industry and to promote its products broadly, and that the establishment of a trade association for the vegan industry will provide further support to the growth and mainstream acceptance of vegan products, through both advocacy and public relations.
He stated, “The dairy, beef, pork, poultry, and seafood industries all have trade associations and high-powered lobbyists to represent their interests legally, legislatively, in the development of regulations, and in the promotion of their products in the press and in the marketplace. These trade associations are effective, because they represent the views and dollars of their entire respective industries. The vegan food industry currently has no such trade association and subsequently has no coordinated representation to help build public relations and promote plant-based interests nationwide. As such, the animal-based product industry has no vegan trade contemporary to argue the vegan industry’s positions with regard to issues such as public health, the environment, the Farm Bill, agricultural livestock, school lunches, dietary alternatives, and so on. It is time that the vegan industry gets a seat at the table.”
The recent legal issues faced by Field Roast and Hampton Creek further highlighted the need for an industry-wide organization to speak on behalf of an industry that is rapidly gaining traction. When Pinnacle Foods purchased Gardein, a maker of plant-based meat, poultry, and fish alternatives earlier this year, its CEO Bob Gamgort said, ” [w]e believe that plant-based protein is at the tipping point of becoming mainstream.” And as the industry grows, the importance of a trade association grows in tandem.
Outreach to the vegan community has begun as the Vegan Trade Council begins to build its membership and support base. The organization will be based in the Washington, DC area. The Council can be contacted through www.vegantradecouncil.com.
