The Vegan Society is calling on the public to shun an extremely outdated and cruel date in the diary and in turn create a kinder and more compassionate future for both animals and the environment.
Today (28 May) is National Beef Burger Day - an annual event set up by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association in America. The aim is to encourage consumers to buy and eat beef before boasting about it using various hashtags on social media.
The Association claims most Americans eat beef yet a 2018 research paper by Public Health Nutrition found 2 in 3 Americans had stopped or reduced their meat consumption while approximately 6% of the US population – around 19,632,000 people - are currently estimated to be vegan. Further to this, recent research shows 1 in 5 (20%) Brits have cut back on their meat intake in the last 12 months alone. Meanwhile, meat consumption in Australia is at its lowest for 25 years, according to a report by IBISWorld.
The truth is approximately 2.6 million cattle are killed for human consumption every year in the UK. The society strongly believes this is totally unnecessary when there has never been so much choice when it comes to enjoying delicious and nutritious vegan alternatives. These meat-free versions are better for you, the environment, and animals – and don’t break the bank either.
Just some vegan ‘beef’ burger alternatives registered with The Vegan Society’s Vegan Trademark:
- Burger King’s Veggie Bean Burger
- Moving Mountains Plant-Based Sausage Burgers
- Heck’s Ultimate Vegan Burger
- Love Seitan’s Seitan Burgers
- ALDI’s Plant Menu Spicy Bean Burgers
Ericka Durgahee, Marketing Manager at The Vegan Society, said: “It’s hard to believe that in 2021, and knowing what we know about the effects of animal agriculture on the environment, that people are actively being encouraged to eat a beef burger.”
“Every year we are registering more and more fantastic plant-based and vegan burgers with the Vegan Trademark. Not only do these vegan offerings look and taste delicious, but they also help you feel better knowing you’ve not contributed to any animal suffering. There’s really no excuse.”
For those who are tempted to give veganism a go but don’t know where to start, The Vegan Society has the free VeGuide app. With nutrition information and recipes, it helps users deal with dilemmas such as giving up cheese or struggling to find vegan products by covering the basics of transitioning to a vegan lifestyle over 30 days. You can also search for tasty vegan burger recipes here.
