ANIMAL RIGHTS charity PETA has announced its first ever Vegan Food Awards winners, after extensive taste tests of meat and dairy-free products available across the retail and hospitality sector.
The new awards scheme aims to provide credible information for the one in 10 Britons that are choosing to follow a dairy-free diet.
Winners from across 20 categories were revealed, including many recognisable high street brands.
The following are just some of those that took home the recognition:
- Best Vegan Burger: Nando’s Veggie
- Best Vegan Sausage: Linda McCartney Vegetarian Sausages
- Best Vegan Sandwich or Wrap: Pret a Manger Naked Avocado Bloomer
- Best Vegan Dessert: Tesco Apple Strudel
- Best Vegan Confectionery: Hotel Chocolat Hazelnut Bûche Dark and Nutty Chocolate Log
Other winners include Innocent for best vegan ready meal, Cavi-Art for best luxury item, and Chef Sean Paul Redding’s faux gras for most innovative new vegan product.
“Our winners – from restaurant and sandwich chains to artisan food companies to fine chocolatiers – are proof that astute food retailers are taking note that more and more people are ditching meat, eggs and dairy products and moving towards a healthier and kinder diet”, says PETA’s Mimi Bekhechi. “The best thing that people can do for animals, the environment and their health is to go vegan.”
The ‘free from’ food market in Britain is expected to top the £1 billion mark, as rising costs of meat following the horsemeat crisis earlier in the year forces consumers to adopt vegetarian or vegan diets.
