As 2022 comes to a close, we’re thinking about all the big vegan headlines of the year—and there were plenty. Overall, we can confidently say that this year was one filled with plant-based innovation.
From lupini beans as a base for dairy-free ice cream to watermelon seeds as a key ingredient for vegan cottage cheese to precision fermentation-made mozzarella, it is clear that the future of dairy does not lie in milking cows.
If years past were dominated by vegan burgers, 2022 was all about new plant-based chicken, both in stores and at places like KFC, Panda Express, and other fast-food chains.
Speaking of fast food, Burger King spent the year exploring the future of food with vegan pop-ups across the globe. In 2022, the international chain toyed with flipping the script by making plant-based meat the new normal, with animal meat available by request.
And market research experts at Research and Markets are predicting that advancements in the vegan food world will continue to grow in the coming years. According to its November report, the global vegan food market is slated to grow by nearly $1 billion in 2022, up from $13.55 billion in 2021. By 2026, the market-research firm places the market at $18.73 billion.
Top 22 vegan news headlines of 2022
1Vegan chicken arrives at KFC
Back in January, Beyond Meat’s vegan chicken hit KFC’s 4,000 stores for a limited time, and we were eating it up.
Here’s to hoping KFC revives Beyond Fried Chicken as a permanent option—maybe with a few new vegan dipping sauces?—in 2023.
2Animal-free mozzarella cheese targets pizza shops
For pizza lovers, the year 2023 cannot come soon enough. That’s because next year is when New Culture promises to put its vegan mozzarella cheese—made dairy-identical with the power of precision fermentation—on pizzeria menus nationwide.
And it’s not all talk at New Culture, as the company is backed by agri-business giant ADM and $23 billion Korean conglomerate CJ CheilJedang, a major player in the US pizza industry.
3Starbucks’ first vegan fall drink
Okay, it may not be a PSL—which in 2022 still contained dairy ingredients in the US—but Starbucks got cozy this fall with the launch of its first vegan drink, the Apple Crisp Oatmilk Macchiato.
Perhaps next year, Starbucks will heed the call of numerous PETA protests and eliminate its vegan milk surcharge?
4Beyond Orange Chicken lands at Panda Express
For at least five nights straight in September, dinner meant another trip to Panda Express for a combo meal of chow mein, super greens, and Beyond the Original Orange Chicken—and we know we weren’t the only ones making the nightly voyage.
spicy, sticky, and sweet. This vegan orange chicken needs to stay on the menu forever. Panda, can you hear us?
5Chicago gets a Whole Foods-sized vegan grocery store
Massive vegan supermarket PlantX opened its doors in Chicago this summer, and grocery shopping has never been the same.