I have been known to become a bit indignant when talking about Linda McCartney releasing more and more vegetarian products in place of vegan food, but this latest debacle takes the cake.
Is the company being immensely and mind-boggling shortsighted or are they being purposively antagonistic? I honestly can’t tell anymore.
Behold the brand new Linda McCartney Vegetarian pulled pork-style 1/4lb burgers. Yes, the company has borrowed a food innovation that has taken the vegan world by storm over the past decade (made with jackfruit originally) and made it vegetarian by adding one completely unnecessary ingredient.
Honey.
Can you even believe it?!
With veganism breaking sales and growth records all over the world and UK newspapers trumpeting information about huge increases in people who identify as vegan, Linda McCartney made the decision to add one of the most redundant ingredients possible to what would otherwise be a market-changing vegan product. You can see the ingredients list here.
Do they have a marketing team with no critical thinking skills? Does the company not appreciate the potential value of an additional 200,000 or 300,000 retail customers? Is the company deliberately antagonising vegans by adding honey?
I can’t make sense of it. At all. Please put your theories in the comments below or tweet them to Linda McCartney here.
Also… would you like to know why honey is not vegan? Click here.
Do you remember when we all joined together as one vegan superpower and got Holland & Barrett to reverse their decision to not stock the Fry’s Vegetarian frozen vegan product range?
Fry’s Vegetarian original vegan burger
Well, we are about to flex our collective plant-based consumer muscle once again to ensure the same vegan food options are available all over the UK… in Sainsbury’s!
What is this campaign all about?
Consumers choose foods free of animal products for many reasons. Scientific evidence suggests the production of plant-based food contributes significantly less to environmental damage and climate change than animal farming.
Many religions require devotees to adhere to meat and dairy free diets during certain celebrations. People often choose a diet free of animal products for ethical reasons as they don’t agree with modern factory farming methods. Health is another major factor. A plant-based diet is completely free from cholesterol.
With plant-based food choices becoming increasingly popular amongst UK consumers, it is time for major food suppliers such as Sainsbury’s to answer this call for more vegan choices in their aisles. Brands such as Quorn and Linda McCartney have monopolised veggie shelves in UK supermarkets but very few of their items cater to people who want animal-free food. Quorn and Cauldron have the biggest presence of any veggie brands in the UK. The trouble is, they are the same company and clearly have little interest in serving the vegan community. Most of their products are not animal-free and those that are, are not even labeled suitable for vegans.
We don’t want egg in our food. We want burgers, pops, pies, schnitzels, sausages, sausage rolls, chunky strips and everything else made by Fry’s Vegetarian because it is all vegan!
Fry’s Vegetarian traditional vegan sausages
What can you do?
Click here to sign the petition to urge Sainsbury’s to carry vegan food by Fry’s. The petition will be sent to Sainsbury’s on your behalf.
Add extra steam to the campaign by emailing the following Sainsbury’s contacts to strengthen your request:
sarah.lich@sainsburys.co.uk Category Product Developer
alison.atkin@sainsburys.co.uk Buyer
richard.hall@sainsburys.co.uk Head of Frozen
andy.phelps@Sainsburys.co.uk Category Manager
Post a link to this page everywhere. Facebook. Twitter. Pinterest. Google+. Tumblr. Post it on message boards and your own blogs. Email it to family and friends and enemies. Get everyone you know to take one minute out of their day to sign the petition. Use any part of the text on this page in any way you see fit.
Leave a comment below letting us know if you have emailed/signed the petition/heard back from Sainsbury’s. Like all big businesses, they are not going to take notice unless we have big voices.
Brighton is full of fantastic food choices for the discerning vegan. There are numerous vegetarian cafes scattered throughout the town and certainly no shortage of options on the menus of omnivorous eateries.
Unfortunately, there is a vegetarian restaurant that I feel is letting the Brighton team down in the race to deliver quality, cruelty-free dining.
Some things are simply destined to be together. A triple shot of vodka and a glass of cola. A ferocious hangover and oven chips with gravy. There are countless combinations of perfect matches like these examples out there.
During a recent shopping adventure, I picked up two products that seemed to scream ‘combine us’ from my grocery basket.
Linda McCartney sausage rolls
First up we have an old faithful in Linda McCartney sausage rolls. Vegans do need to be careful when purchasing from this company as some products in their range contain milk and/or egg. The sausage rolls however are suitable for a cruelty-free diet and are crispy perfection when you follow the cooking guidelines carefully. You recieve 6 per box and the frozen snacks are free from artificial preservatives and flavours. They make a quick, simple snack and are available in shops all over the UK.
