Why Our Plant-Based Movement is Dying, and How to Bring it Back

In my last newsletter, I suggested I would share more about my father’s research in China. I’m thinking, however, that many of our subscribers are passionate supporters of the plant-based movement and my father, which means they already know his inspiring research story well. This may explain some of the newsletter analytics we’ve observed in the past few weeks. And for this reason, I’ve decided to jump into more current topics in our free newsletter and will reserve the deeper science story in the next two longer articles for paid subscribers.

As you know by now, I coauthored with my father a book titled The Whole Truth, which is scheduled for release next June. In this book, my father tells stories of corrupt forces that have suppressed the healing message of plant-based nutrition. I follow these stories in the concluding part of the book, where I lay out a hopeful strategy for how we might reinvigorate our plant-based movement.

I say “reinvigorate” because our movement is in decline. In the last Gallup poll, only 1% of Americans identified as vegan, down from 3% in the prior poll. As noted in this article, many vegan restaurants are going out of business and sales of various meats are hitting record highs. Simultaneously, public interest in the carnivore diet is exploding, with online search interest nearly doubling over the prior year. Anyone who has been paying attention knows that an animal-centric way of eating is now the most popular diet in America.

We first took note of this accelerating trend in our PlantPure foods business. In the few years following the release of our film, PlantPure Nation, plant-based food products were all the rage. At first, this was driven by public interest in their health benefits. Unfortunately, however, people who wanted to make money off this new trend hijacked our emerging movement, creating and selling processed vegan junk foods that imitated animal products. I remember an email exchange with the founder and CEO of one of these companies (a vegan burger company), imploring him to add whole food, plant-based products to his burger line so his company could still make the health argument. I told him our movement would end up dying without the health message—I think he didn’t like what I had to say, because he stopped communicating with me after that exchange.

I think history has validated this argument. In the days following the pandemic, consumers discarded the processed vegan products for the real meats, cheese, and eggs. The vegan options were expensive during a period of increasing food inflation, and without any sort of redeeming health value, they lost their shine in the marketplace. Unfortunately, category managers working for grocery retailers had come to associate “plant-based” with these vegan junk foods, so when consumers turned away from them, shelf space for the entire plant-based category began shrinking, which has continued to the present day.

We can’t, of course, lay all the blame for the struggles of our movement on vegan junk food companies. The powerful interests who profit from our misery have played a major, perhaps even bigger, role. This has been well documented, including in the book I just wrote with my father, so I won’t go further into this topic here, but will instead turn my attention inward, to our own whole food plant-based community. In short, I think we can do a better job crafting our movement’s message. We can also expand our focus in a way that brings many more people under our tent. And finally, we need to work harder on strategies that empower people to share our movement’s message in a more grassroots way.

I admire all the good people who have been working hard to advance our movement. The points I’ll make in my next few newsletters should not be interpreted as criticism of these folks, many of whom I know and respect. Our problem has not been a lack of effort or passion; we are overflowing with those attributes. Rather, we need to think more deeply about what is required to succeed as a movement.

I will discuss all this in my next few newsletters. Also, I would like to encourage you again to share these newsletters with others and to consider upgrading to a paid subscription. I am hoping that, with your help, we can grow our support enough to continue this publication.

Thanks for your interest and support.

Until next time,

Nelson

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In next week’s paid newsletter, we continue telling the deeper story of my father’s research at Virginia Tech.

Mason Jar Gifts, by Kim Campbell

The holidays are upon us, which means parties, gatherings, and all the special moments that make this season feel magical. I love it all. But finding the perfect gift is not always easy.

That is why I lean into gifts that do not break the bank and still carry a personal touch. In our home, it has long been a tradition to give something homemade to the people who help us throughout the year. From teachers to electricians, neighbors, and friends, there are so many wonderful people who make our lives run smoothly, and I love thanking them with something from my kitchen.

One of my favorite ways to do this is with mason jar gifts. They are charming, practical, and endlessly customizable. This year, I’m filling jars with layered soup mixes, which are always appreciated during the colder months. In years past, I have filled them with granola, pancake mix, cookies, and all sorts of treats.

So grab a few mason jars, fill them with something delicious, and share a little love with the people who have supported you this year. A simple gesture can mean so much.

Here is a recipe for a Split Pea Lentil Soup:

https://plantpurecommunities.org/recipes/split-pea-lentil-soup-jar/

Enjoy!

Kim