Note from the Coordinators
VEGAN OR PLANT-BASED?
When Amber's Smoked Vegan opened in Las Vegas, NV last May, they were so crowded that they had to close down for a day to restock dishes. This is a trend we're seeing throughout the USA and Canada. News spreads quickly about a new vegan establishment opening and when the restaurant does open, lines form down the street. To keep abreast of new openings, visit our online restaurant guide at www.vrg.org/restaurant/index.php
Amber's calls themselves vegan and uses plant-based in their description. Other establishments, such as P.S. Kitchen in the Manhattan Theater District, seem to avoid the word vegan, and instead say they are plant-based. Though to some plant-based means vegan, plant-based isn't always even vegetarian; and vegan isn't necessarily what people mean by plant-based (think cinnamon buns, vegan alcohol, and vegan milkshakes).
FAKE NEWS: One of our business interns was writing up research and wrote, "According to Deloitte's 2017 millennials study, worldwide 76 percent of millennials now regard business as a force for positive social impact." When we checked his reference, what he wrote is what was featured on the website. However, when we dug deeper, we found "Participants in Deloitte Global's 2017 Millennial Survey were born after 1982 and represent a specific group of this generation: those who have a college or university degree; are employed full-time; and, work predominantly in large, private-sector organizations."
So though our intern's quote was correct, we believe the Deloitte quote was misleading. It wasn't that 76% of millenials now regard business as a force for positive social impact, but that 76% of millenials working for large businesses consider business as a force for positive change. This is very different information and can lead to very different conclusions. It's like polling just Democrats, just Republicans, or just those from the Green Party; or only vegans or only meat-eaters. You can have very different conclusions. And then either side can present what they see as honest information, but really it's misleading. And all this is without knowing how the question was asked, and if the way of asking the question or the choices will lead to certain results. It's so easy to see why there is such division of thinking between different groups in our country. Certainly the same can be done when using the words plant-based or vegan. So when reading studies, deciding what products to buy, or trying to meet the needs of someone who says he or she is plant-based, look carefully to see what is behind the term.
Thank you to all our readers for caring.
Debra Wasserman & Charles Stahler
Coordinators of The Vegetarian Resource Group
