Researched by Jacqueline Tang, VRG Intern

The Covid-19 pandemic, caused by the novel coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2, presents many unique challenges to public health. People may be wondering how a massive pandemic allegedly arose from one wet market—and how to prevent the next crisis. Unfortunately, the answer is complicated. It involves our relationships with animals (both wild and domestic) and with the environment. Climate change further influences all of these interactions.

   Recently wet markets (that sell live animals for food) have come under scrutiny for the dangerous mixing of wild animals and humans. The criticism of these markets is filled with ethnocentrism and Western ideals. Although wet markets are undoubtedly perfect places for viral multiplication and transmission, people fail to recognize two other major factors:

1. The role of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) in spreading infectious disease to people.

2. Humans’ relationships with the Earth’s ecosystems, both near and distant.

THE ORIGINS OF ZOONOTIC DISEASES

Viruses that come from animals, also called zoonotic viruses, are a major threat to society and public health. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC), a division of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, “… scientists estimate that more than six out of every 10 known infectious diseases in people can be spread from animals, and three out of every four new or emerging infectious diseases in people come from animals.”¹ Since humans come in contact with animals in many ways, it’s important to consider different situations where zoonotic diseases can be easily transmitted across species.         

WET MARKETS

Recently, wet markets have come under scrutiny for the dangerous commingling of wild animals and humans. Also, they bring an exotic combination of animals, which normally are not found close to each other in the wild, together in one place. At a wet market:

A. Wild animals can infect domesticated animals.

B. Viruses can spread between different species.

     Birds and bats especially carry many viruses. When they come in contact with an animal of a different species, a virus can mutate and adapt, eventually gaining the ability to infect a new host. In this manner, viruses spread widely.²

     Some viruses are unable to directly infect a human, including avian (from birds) forms of influenza and some types of coronaviruses. These viruses require an intermediate host that serves as the go-between such that the virus can enter a new species. In the intermediate host, a virus changes sufficiently through mutations that enable it to adapt to a new host. Later, when given the chance to infect a human at close proximity, it may be able to do so by binding to specific cell receptors.^3,4

     The risk of wet markets stems from being places that allow for many different types of species to come in contact for the first time. This gives viruses numerous potential hosts and greater possibility of genetic recombination through mutation. Without certain mutations, a particular virus may not be able to exploit a new species.

     The cramped conditions in wet markets lead to animals being under severe stress. As a result, wild animals, already carrying many viruses that they are immune to, will shed more viral particles in the market.⁵ This means that there is a greater chance of viral infection for humans and other animals that are in the wet market. Unfortunately, stressful conditions for animals is not unique to wet markets. Conventional animal agriculture also places extreme stress on food animals.

CONCENTRATED ANIMAL FEEDING OPERATIONS (CAFOs)

According to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, a division of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), CAFOs “congregate animals, feed, manure and urine, dead animals, and production operations on a small land area.”⁶

     CAFOs present many challenges for public health. The risk lies in their scale and sanitation. Many individuals of the same species, known as monocultures, are housed together in small cages, rooms, or buildings. If a virus is able to infiltrate (either from wild animal, human, or another method), it will easily spread between animals.

     The lack of genetic diversity within livestock also facilitates viral transmission between animals.⁷ The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO of the UN) stated that “livestock health is the weakest link in our global health chain, and disease drivers in livestock as well as wildlife are having increasing impacts on humans.”⁸

THE WET MARKET-CAFO CONNECTION

Besides the contributions to pandemic risk that wet markets and CAFOs present when considered individually, their connection is also problematic. For example, consider the case of influenza, a common virus in poultry and swine. Influenza is more common within CAFOs compared to wet markets. For example, in a systematic review over a six-year period, researchers noted that of 364 avian influenza outbreaks, 56.1% originated in poultry CAFOs while only 0.8% started in wet markets.⁹

     Scientists also report that many viruses undergo genetic recombination that occur among individuals of the same species and between species. In other words, if a wild animal comes in contact with livestock, either directly or indirectly, it can easily spread certain viruses to the domestic food animals.¹⁰

     Typically, viruses are not very pathogenic in the wild host. Once infected by a wild virus, domestic animals serve as “amplifier hosts” in which that virus often becomes more pathogenic than it was in the native species. Through genetic recombination and/or mutation, the wild virus becomes adapted to the new host.¹¹

     The transport of both domesticated and wild animals can also magnify zoonotic viruses. The animals being transported might be exposed to viruses that their immune systems have never encountered. During this exposure, foreign viruses have the potential to recombine and create completely novel viruses.¹²     

     J.F. Chan and colleagues, in a 2013 Trends in Microbiology article state that in the wild, bats and birds are favorable reservoirs for most emerging viruses because of several “unique ecological, biological, immunological, and genetic features.” The loss of biodiversity and habitats for bats and birds leads to an increased interaction with humans and other species, including domesticated animals. The researchers report that the increased crowding of different wildlife species at wet markets has made it easier for viruses to jump between species.¹³

     In some countries, animal agriculture also occurs in mixed species settings. For example, in China, it’s common to raise pigs along with ducks and other avian species. ¹⁴ The high probability of viral transmission caused by interspecies mixing cannot be overstated.

THE ROLE OF INTERMEDIATE HOSTS IN VIRAL TRANSMISSION

In a 2020 editorial by A. Rodriguez-Morales and fellow researchers published in Le Infezioni in Medicina many viruses use intermediate hosts like civets or camels because they cannot spread directly from the original infected animal (bat or bird) directly to humans.¹⁵

     M. Konda and fellow investigators, in a 2020 review article in Cureus summarize the viral process in intermediate hosts¹⁶:

1. Mutates and recombines in intermediate hosts, thus adapting to humans

2. Binds to the correct cell receptor in humans

3. Enters the human cell

4. Integrates its own genetic material into the human cell’s

5. Commands the human cell to reproduce virus.       

6. Human cell continues to reproduce more virus.

     Scientists hypothesize that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, used an intermediate host between bat and humans just like its viral cousins responsible for other recent coronavirus outbreaks.¹⁷

CONCLUSIONS: PANDEMICS, WET MARKETS, AND CAFOs

Both wet markets and CAFOs present unique challenges for the future of public health. CAFOs, with thousands of genetically similar animals in close proximity, provide the perfect environment for a virus to spread.

     Wet markets bring hundreds of wild species together in one place. They allow for interspecies viral transmission and the potential of recombination to form novel pathogens. Wet markets also allow virus-infected animals, like wild bats and birds, to come into contact with humans and domestic animals.

     Both CAFOs and wet markets may have very poor sanitation and living conditions for animals, creating stressed animals that shed more virus. This situation facilitates rapid viral spread.

     Wet markets and CAFOs jeopardize public health and food security. Research should focus on prevention of pandemics in both types of food systems. Ultimately, humans need to reevaluate their role in the Earth’s ecosystems if we hope to prevent the next global pandemic of a zoonotic virus like SARS-CoV-2.   

Notes from the editors:

WHAT IS A WET MARKET?

According to researchers, “A typical wet market is a partially open commercial complex with vending stalls organized in rows; they often have slippery floors and narrow aisles along which independent vendors primarily sell ‘wet’ items such as meat, poultry, seafood, vegetables, and fruits.” See: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10460-019-09987-2

     In this sense of the term, wet markets exist all over the world, including the United States, where they are called “farmer’s markets.”

     In this paper, “wet market” refers to open markets selling live animals, including wild, domestic, and/or domesticated wild animals, as well as animal products (eggs, meat, bones, organs, etc.).

WHAT IS A CAFO (concentrated animal feeding operation)?

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines Animal Feeding Operations (AFOs) as “agricultural enterprises where animals are kept and raised in confined situations. AFOs congregate animals, feed, manure and urine, dead animals, and production operations on a small land area. Feed is brought to the animals rather than the animals grazing or otherwise seeking feed in pastures, fields, or on rangeland. There are approximately 450,000 AFOs in the United States.” ¹⁹

     “A CAFO is another EPA term for a large concentrated AFO. A CAFO is an AFO with more than 1,000 animal units (an animal unit is defined as an animal equivalent of 1,000 pounds live weight and equates to 1,000 head of beef cattle, 700 dairy cows, 2,500 swine weighing more than 55 lbs, 125 thousand broiler chickens, or 82 thousand laying hens or pullets) confined on site for more than 45 days during the year. Any size AFO that discharges manure or wastewater into a natural or man-made ditch, stream or other waterway is defined as a CAFO, regardless of size.”¹⁹

References

1. Zoonotic Diseases. cdc.gov. https://www.cdc.gov/onehealth/basics/zoonotic-diseases.html. Published July 14, 2017. Accessed November 4, 2020.

2. Chan JF, To KK, Tse H, Jin DY, Yuen KY. Interspecies transmission and emergence of novel viruses: lessons from bats and birds. Trends Microbiol. 2013;21:544-555.

3. Johnson KEE, Song T, Greenbaum B, Ghedin E. Getting the flu: 5 key facts about influenza virus evolution. PLoS Pathog. 2017;13:e1006450. Published 2017 Aug 24.

4. Konda M, Dodda B, Konala VM, Naramala S, Adapa S. Potential Zoonotic Origins of SARS-CoV-2 and Insights for Preventing Future Pandemics Through One Health Approach. Cureus. 2020;12:e8932. Published 2020 Jun 30.

5. Brook CE, Boots M, Chandran K, et al. Accelerated viral dynamics in bat cell lines, with implications for zoonotic emergence. Elife. 2020;9:e48401. Published 2020 Feb 3.

6. Animal Feeding Operations. NRCS. https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/plantsanimals/livestock/afo/. Accessed November 4, 2020.

7. Jones BA, Grace D, Kock R, et al. Zoonosis emergence linked to agricultural intensification and environmental change. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013;110:8399-8404. doi:10.1073/pnas.1208059110

8. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. World Livestock 2013 – Changing Disease Landscapes. Rome, IT: FAO; 2013.

9. Chatziprodromidou IP, Arvanitidou M, Guitian J, et al. Global avian influenza outbreaks 2010-2016: a systematic review of their distribution, avian species and virus subtype. Systematic Reviews. 2018 Jan;7(1):17.

10. Keesing F, Belden LK, Daszak P, et al. Impacts of biodiversity on the emergence and transmission of infectious diseases. Nature. 2010;468:647-652.

11. Jones BA, Grace D, Kock R, et al. Zoonosis emergence linked to agricultural intensification and environmental change. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013;110:8399-8404.

12. Liverani M, Waage J, Barnett T, et al. Understanding and managing zoonotic risk in the new livestock industries. Environ Health Perspect. 2013;121:873-877.

13. Chan JF, To KK, Tse H, Jin DY, Yuen KY. Interspecies transmission and emergence of novel viruses: lessons from bats and birds. Trends Microbiol. 2013;21:544-555.

14. Keck F. Livestock Revolution and Ghostly Apparitions: South China as a Sentinel Territory for Influenza Pandemics. Current Anthropology. 2019:60:S20.

15. Rodriguez-Morales AJ, Bonilla-Aldana DK, Balbin-Ramon GJ, et al. History is repeating itself: Probable zoonotic spillover as the cause of the 2019 novel Coronavirus Epidemic. Infez Med. 2020;28:3-5.

16. Konda M, Dodda B, Konala VM, Naramala S, Adapa S. Potential Zoonotic Origins of SARS-CoV-2 and Insights for Preventing Future Pandemics Through One Health Approach. Cureus. 2020;12:e8932. Published 2020 Jun 30.

17. Hu T, Liu Y, Zhao M, Zhuang Q, Xu L, He Q. A comparison of COVID-19, SARS and MERS. PeerJ. 2020;8:e9725. Published 2020 Aug 19.

18. Wet Market. Merriam-Webster. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wet market. Accessed November 5, 2020.

19. Animal Feeding Operations. NRCS. https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/plantsanimals/livestock/afo/. Accessed

Jacqueline Tang did a Vegetarian Resource Group internship while a pre-med and public health major at Johns Hopkins University.

The contents of this posting, our website, and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.

As most of you know, the restaurant industry is struggling during the Pandemic. If you’re able to, now is a good time to pick-up or have delivered food from a local vegan restaurant. See The Vegetarian Resource Group online Guide to Veggie Restaurants in the USA and Canada: www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

For those living in Baltimore City, many of us in The VRG office especially enjoy delicious food from One World Café. In addition to their usual menu, they also offer vegan specials each weekend that are outstanding! For example, some of their previous specials include: Tofu fajita with grilled peppers, onions and quinoa bowl with seasoned black beans, cabbage salad and slice avocado; Middle Eastern salad and falafel platter; Grilled polenta with tofu triangles in an onion gravy and served with sautéed navy beans with spinach and mushrooms; and Curry chickpea and veggies over organic quinoa with roasted sweet potatoes served with a mango chutney. Their food features whole foods and not just processed foods. Presently they are open Wednesday through Sunday for pick-up, delivery, and limited outdoor and indoor dining. They are located near JHU’s Homewood Campus. See: www.facebook.com/One-World-Cafe-191474677552909/

By Odette Olivares

When The Vegetarian Resource Group intern Odette Olivares decided to try veganism (after watching the documentary, Earthlings), she was a teenager living in Mexico. She bumped into many sites that offered comprehensive information about vegan nutrition, but she still had many questions. Since she knew that many new Latin American vegans might be going through the same situation, she created a selection of the best Latin American websites with information on calcium for vegans. It is completely possible to obtain all the calcium we need from a vegan diet, but we want reliable sources.

     Spanish and Portuguese-language websites were evaluated according to four categories: author and sources reliability; information accessibility; completeness and correctness; and inclusion of Latin American recipes high in calcium. Are you curious to know which are the websites with the highest scores? Take a look at this selection: https://www.vrg.org/nutrition/best_latin_american_websites.htm

A reader wrote: A new method for detecting egg white and pig gelatin in aged red wine has been developed and is described in the journal Food Chemistry (online first 7 December 2020, 128822): https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0308814620326844?via%3Dihub

Readers may also be interested in https://www.vrg.org/blog/2020/12/21/vegan-wine-its-time/

The contents of this email, our website, and our other publications, including The Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.

After completing my MSc thesis about Healthy and Sustainable Diets, I decided to apply for an internship position at The Vegetarian Resource Group for my required Masters internship, hoping to continue researching topics related to plant-based diets, vegetarianism, and sustainability. Although this internship was not concentrated on scientific research, I was lucky to work on two interesting research projects. The first one was related to sustainability, and the second one consisted of an evaluation of knowledge and dietary patterns of Latin American vegans.

I worked for approximately one month with Jeanne Yacoubou, MS, the VRG Research Director, to find out about and to compare the global methane emissions of rice and meat production. I enjoyed this project because besides reviewing scientific literature, I was having an experience with investigative reporting by contacting scientists to interview them about their most recent data.

During that month, I provided Jeanne with information. I learned that atmospheric methane has increased by more than 2.5 times since 1750, due to livestock production, rice cultivation, fossil fuels usage, and the increasing global temperatures. According to a global methane emissions’ estimate of 2017, livestock farming emissions accounted for 4 times the methane emissions produced through rice cultivation. Although in the end, my university did not approve this project (to use for my nutrition credit) it was very exciting and interestingly challenging.

After this, I had the opportunity to work with Reed Mangels, PhD, RD, the VRG Nutrition Advisor. Working with her was like getting back in contact with the warmness I had left in Mexico when I moved to the Netherlands to study.

The common topic of my projects was Latin American vegan  foods high in calcium and low or moderate in oxalate content, a substance that impedes calcium absorption. First, I explored the gastronomy of Latin American countries to identify (traditional vegan) foods high in calcium. Then, I evaluated calcium information for vegans available on different internet sources. I constructed a rubric to evaluate 100 Latin American websites, 50 websites in English geared towards Latin Americans, and 30 Latin American governmental entities. Lastly, I surveyed Latin Americans to find out about their knowledge and dietary practices regarding vegan foods high in calcium.

After I finalized evaluating websites and governmental entities geared for Latin American vegans regarding calcium on the vegan diet, I realized how essential VRG activism is. Few sites had accurate information on this topic. Also, results from the application of an internet-based survey indicated an information gap regarding good vegan calcium sources, at least among most of the Latin American participants from this survey.

Working as an intern at The VRG helped me to experience a high degree of independence and freedom to write blog-postings and to apply my knowledge on research methodology. I also experienced a different writing style I had not used at the university – one more related to the arts than to the academic or scientific writing style. It is funny to compare my first blog-posting draft, to my final outputs and notice how I evolved from having a very boring style, to a very enthusiastic one. I hope not too much!

I am very grateful to The VRG, for allowing me to work with them and to develop research projects. Now I am more convinced about continuing the promotion of vegetarianism and plant-based diets to improve our lives, as well the lives of other sentient beings, and our world.

For information about The Vegetarian Resource Group internships, see www.vrg.org/student/index.php

Odette Olivares Sanchez is a Mexican student about to complete her MSc in Nutrition and Health at Wageningen University, The Netherlands.

See some of her projects at:

https://www.vrg.org/nutrition/foods_calcium.htm

https://www.vrg.org/nutrition/best_latin_american_websites.htm

https://www.vrg.org/nutshell/information_in_Spanish.htm

The contents of this posting, our website, and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgment about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.

Due to the generosity of an anonymous donor, The Vegetarian Resource Group each year will award $20,000 in college scholarship money to graduating U.S. high school students who have promoted veganism/vegetarianism in their schools and/or communities. Vegetarians do not eat meat, fish, or fowl. Vegans are vegetarians who do not use other animal products such as dairy or eggs.

One award of $10,000 and two awards of $5,000 will be given. Entries may only be sent by students graduating from high school in spring 2021. Deadline is February 20, 2021. We will accept applications postmarked on or before February 20, 2021. Early submission is encouraged!

Applicants will be judged on having shown compassion, courage, and a strong commitment to promoting a peaceful world through a vegan/vegetarian diet/lifestyle. Payment will be made to the student’s college (U.S. based only). Winners of the scholarships give permission to release their names to the media. Applications and essays become property of The Vegetarian Resource Group. We may ask finalists for more information. Scholarship winners are contacted by e-mail or telephone. Please look at your e-mail.

For details on the contest, see: http://www.vrg.org/student/scholar.htm

By Lucia Rivera, VRG Intern

Masa harina, a flour and dough made from ground maize, is essential to Latin American cuisine. It can be found in tortillas, pupusas, tamales, gorditas, and many more staple dishes from North and South America. For vegans, there are also tons of ways to make use of this great versatile ingredient.

Beginning with corn tortillas, dry masa harina should be paired with water to be shaped and cooked. The general ratio is 1 cup of water for every cup of masa harina, with half a teaspoon of salt as well.

Once corn tortillas are made they can be used for many vegan recipes including bean tacos, vegetable fajita tacos, or meat substitute tacos.

Besides tortillas, another great use of masa harina is for tamales. Here is a list of 18 vegan tamales recipes provided by Dora’s Table: https://dorastable.com/18-easy-vegan-tamales/. These include fillings like red chili jackfruit, black beans with sweet potato, and cactus. However, tamales can also be made for dessert, with fillings such as pineapple and strawberries.

Moving on from tamales, gorditas, and sopes are two Mexican dishes that can be made with a couple of ingredients in addition to masa harina. Here is a recipe for both from Mexican Made Meatless: https://mexicanmademeatless.com/how-to-make-sopes-and-gorditas/.

For vegans interested in purchasing masa harina, one great option is Bob’s Red Mill Masa Harina, which can be purchased online or at a local grocery store. Additionally, the internet is full of recipes using masa harina, providing free inspiration for those looking!

Thanks to Anayeli Camacho for providing recipe information used in this post.

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: Masa Harina is a flavorful flour made from nixtamalized corn (corn soaked in lime water).For more information on this and other traditional Latin American vegan foods high in calcium, see: https://www.vrg.org/nutrition/foods_calcium.htm

For other recipes, see:

https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2006issue4/2006_issue4_tamales.php

https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2000jul/2000_jul_ending_corn.php

https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2011issue1/2011_issue1_vegan_mexican_household.php

By Odette Olivares Sanchez, VRG Intern

Latin American gastronomy is the result of traditional indigenous cuisine enriched by ingredients that Spaniards, Africans, Portuguese, French, and people from other cultures brought on their arrival to Latin America. The diet of indigenous people used to be rich in plant foods with moderate quantities of insects, fish, and meat. They did not use to consume milk, cheese, or other dairy products, yet they were apparently able to get enough calcium from their diets.

     An interesting ingredient from Mexico is cactus or nopal (as it is called in Spanish) and it is used raw or cooked in many Mexican dishes. Some people might not like it because of its slimy texture; however, it is very nutritious due to its fiber, vitamin C and manganese content, in addition to its calcium content.

     In some parts of Latin America, ingredients that used to be popular in the indigenous cuisine have lost popularity in younger generations. However, governmental organizations and entrepreneurs are bringing them back because of their valuable nutritional properties.

     In the case of Colombia, stinging nettles were introduced with the arrival of the Spaniards. Nowadays, they are not as popular as they once were, but they are still used in salads, quiches, soups, or stews. Due to their contribution of protein, calcium, and other important nutrients, entrepreneurs are reintroducing them in traditional products such as empanadas. In order not to cause irritation when handling them, they should be cut from the stems closest to the ground, avoiding contact with the leaves. Later, they should be cooked in boiling water with salt so that acetylcholine, the element that produces itching, is deactivated.

     Cochayuyo is another traditional ingredient from Chile that has lost popularity in younger generations. This alga was commonly used in many Chilean indigenous dishes, and it only grows on the coasts of Chile and New Zealand. Its name means “sea turnip” in Quechua, the language of the group of indigenous people who settled in the Andes Mountains and occupied the area of Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Chile. Since it is also a good source of iodine, iron, magnesium, and antioxidants, the government of Chile is trying to bring it back to the tables of Chilean families and is promoting it as a super food.

To see more, go to https://www.vrg.org/nutrition/foods_calcium.htm

Read this article in Spanish here: https://www.vrg.org/nutshell/Alimentos-veganos-Latinoamericanos-y-Altos-en-Calcio.pdf

See this excellent Opinion piece in the Baltimore Sun newspaper from vegan soul food restaurant Land of Kush owners: https://www.baltimoresun.com/opinion/op-ed/bs-ed-op-0111-land-kush-20210108-ivjrdoj7qvgltmebybugzrkitq-story.html

During these hard times, please support vegan restaurants by ordering directly. For veggie restaurants around the USA and Canada, see: https://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

The Vegetarian Resource Group maintains an online Guide to Vegan/Vegetarian Restaurants in the USA and Canada. Here are some recent vegan restaurant additions. The entire guide can be found here: http://www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php

To support the updating of this online restaurant guide, please donate at: www.vrg.org/donate

Here are some new additions to VRG’s guide (Note: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic many are doing take-out and/or delivery now):

Georgetown Liquor Company, 5501 Airport West S., Ste. B, Seattle, WA 98108

Enjoy vegan pub grub and booze to-go. Their menu includes sandwiches, salads, a large selection of beer and a HUGE selection of cocktails.

Le Mariachi, 26 Rue Bélanger, Montreal, QC H2S 1C8 Canada

Inspired by Mexican street food in California, Le Mariachi offers delicious vegan Mexican food ranging from tacos, to chilaquiles to churros.

Pho Vegan Asian Cuisine, 329 E. Bidwell St., Folsom CA 95630

Huge menu of 100% vegan interpretations of classic Asian dishes including appetizers, soups, noodles, rice plates, desserts, and drinks. Gluten-free and Oil free menu items are also available.  

Phyto’s Vegan Eats, 1025 South 1st St., Las Vegas, NV 89101

100% Vegan Hot Dog Cart. No permanent location yet, but they do pop-up events at various locations through the Las Vegas area. The menu consists of four signature Hot Dogs (Crispy Cowboy, El Guey, Kimchi Kool, and Chili Cheese) and a large variety of “build your own” options. The build your own options vary for each pop-up; check Instagram for updates. Everything sounds unique and delicious.

Plant Based Papi, 1412 SE Morrison St., Portland, OR 97214

The menu changes daily, but the core comfort food offerings include truffle mac and cheese tacos, crispy buffalo “chicken” quesadillas, and roasted jackfruit chili cheese fries. The chef does not use faux meats, rather Jackfruit, chanterelle mushrooms, and banana blossoms are used instead.

PLANTA Cocina, 10 Temperance St., Toronto, ON M5H 1Y4 Canada

PLANTA Cocina is a plant-based restaurant in Toronto’s Financial District that offers Mexican-inspired cuisine, including loaded nachos, five types of vegan tacos, tamales, and salads! Reviewers especially enjoyed their vegan chorizo, empanada, and tres leches cake.

Simple Bliss Vegan Café, 2540 Lake Tahoe, South Lake Tahoe, CA 96150

Simple Bliss, makes a delicious and nutritious stop for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a snack. Breakfast bowls – made of either rice, muesli, or fruit – are served all day long. Pastries, such as bonbons or donuts, are gluten-free, soy-free, and made in-house. Lunch and dinner include tacos, nachos, soups, and salads. Or, in the mood for something lighter? Try a house-made drink, such as the popular Maca Latte or the Banana Cream Pie Smoothie!

V’s Diner, 5601 Edgewater Dr., Orlando, FL 32810

V’s Diner serves classic American comfort foods out of a food truck at A Sound Garden. Dishes such as seitan hamburgers and fake “animal” French fries give vegetarians access to wallet-friendly American dishes. They also constantly update their menu, adding dishes like vegan popcorn chicken to constantly keep the food they serve fresh and exciting.

Veggz Café, 32 W. Michigan Ave., Battle Creek, MI 49017

Small counter service eatery offering curbside pickup and carry-out. The Café has no kitchen, so food is prepared at a commissary kitchen and brought to the counter for sale. Menus change daily. A favorite menu item is the vegan macaroni and cheese but the eatery also offers house-made soups, paninis, quiche, and patty melts made with Beyond Burger meat substitute.