It seems like every week the news in the vegan food world is more exciting than the last and this week is no exception. With Black History Month in full swing, Myer’s Cookies has created delicious vegan treats to celebrate incredible black women. Oatly is entering 2023 with a new line of fully vegan yogurts with a historic climate impact label. And Tabitha Brown’s Sunshine Seasoning is now available in abundance so you’ll never run out again. Read on for more.
1Mayer’s Cookies Black History Month Collection
With Black History Month underway, we’re looking to San Diego’s favorite black-owned vegan bakery Maya’s Cookies for some timely treats. Here, owner Maya Madsen creates three limited-edition cookies commemorating some of history’s greatest black Americans.
Mayer’s Cookies
“This year’s collection is a message to the arts and my way of honoring the contributions of countless black women in the literary arts, the world of dance, the music industry and beyond,” Madsen said in a statement.
The first is the chart topper, a delicious cookie dedicated to the one and only Patti LaBelle whose musical talent has been delighting fans for generations. Inspired by LaBelle’s famous cobblers and pies, the chart topper features smoked peach jam (made by Black-owned Trade Street Jam Company), real peach slices and a cinnamon brown sugar crumble.
The Prodigy pays tribute to ballerina Misty Copeland and the Black women who have made history in the world of ballet and dance, including her mentor Raven Wilkinson. The cookie is bursting with champagne flavor, fresh strawberries and sprinkled with a sparkling sugar glaze.
Mayer’s Cookies
Finally, The Best Seller is a black-and-white cookie that serves as an interpretation of The Vanishing Half, a New York Times bestselling novel by Black author Brit Bennett that tells the story of twin sisters who, once inseparable, choose to live in two different worlds.
Through her cookies, Madsen tells the complexity of this story about identity with a combination of flavors: salted caramel fudge made with red velvet, brown sugar chocolate chunks, and Kanda chocolate.
“Each cookie tells the story of remarkable change makers and features the elements of fellow black-owned, women-owned small businesses that I love,” Madsen said.
“From our friends at Trade Street Jam Co., creating vegan, low-sugar jams with unexpected flavors at Kanda Chocolate, whose owners source jobs directly from Ghana, the collection is a celebration of black, women’s excellence—past and present. ,” she said.
2Coconut palm shakes at Alfred
Popular Los Angeles-based chain Alfred Coffee has added yet another vegan milk to its vast offering, coconut water company VitaCoco’s new Barista MLK. The new coconut milk was created by baristas as an alternative to other vegan milks on the market and is made with a mixture of coconut water and coconut cream.
“At Alfred’s, we’re always looking for ways to level up our beverage offerings,” Josh Jad, Alfred’s founder and CEO, said in a statement. “We pride ourselves on listening to our customers and for years they’ve asked for coconut milk throughout our cafes, but it wasn’t until Vita Coco’s game-changing new Barista MLK that we felt confident enough to officially add coconut milk to our menu. ”
Alfred Coffey
Alfred’s is featuring its newest menu addition, the limited-time Coconut Date Shake Latte made with pure coconut cream, rich organic date syrup and topped with a double shot of espresso.
“It tastes amazing, foams perfectly, and has the blessing of our baristas, and we can’t wait for our customers to try it in their Alfredo drinks,” Jad said of the chain’s new coconut milk.
The new Coconut Date Shake Latte is available through March 12 at Alfred locations in Los Angeles (excluding LAX), San Francisco and Austin.
3Vegan bacon comes on the veggie grill
The Veggie Grill is a beacon of vegan hope whenever a craving for classic fast-food hits hits, shining its light from 35 locations nationwide. And vegan chain Hooray Foods just gave us another reason to stop with the addition of plant-based bacon.
Hurray Foods
“We are thrilled to partner with Hooray Foods and offer our customers their amazing plant-based bacon in their favorite dishes,” said Christine Velasquez, Veggie Grill’s director of restaurant supply chain, in a statement. “It has a delicious savory flavor; a crisp and chewy texture; and it really enhances several of our favorite menu items.”
Hurray’s vegan bacon is featured on Veggie Grill’s BLT Avocado Croissant, made with romaine lettuce, diced tomatoes, dijonnaise and mashed avocado and served on a flaky croissant roll.
Hurray Foods
Claire Klein, Hooray Foods head of sales, said in a statement, “It’s a huge win for us to be able to bring Hooray Bacon to a family of restaurants that share our commitment to offering delicious and sustainable plant-based options.
“We are honored to continue Veggie Grill’s mission of providing delicious food without animal cruelty or negative environmental impact,” said Klein.
The new vegan bacon can also be ordered on other Veggie Grill menu items (we’re thinking vegan bacon cheeseburgers are in our future).
4Oatley’s new climate label
People choose to consume vegan dairy products for a variety of reasons. For those motivated by environmental concerns, Oatly is making it easier to measure the climate impact of its products, starting with its revamped Oatgurt line. The new line – which is made with blended fruit and includes a new vanilla flavor – is the first consumer packaged goods company to display a climate impact label.
“The goal of the products we create at Oatly is to make it easier for people to switch to non-dairy options, and great taste is one of the essential ingredients in driving that transition,” Leah Hoxie, senior vice president of innovation at Oatly North America, said in a statement. “This line of newly reformulated Oatgurts delivers just that and more – the deliciousness, great texture and variety of delicious flavors that people crave.”
Otley
So what is the climate impact of a tub of Otgurt? The label states that each vegan yogurt has an impact of 1.7 to 1.9 kg CO2e/kg packaged food product. This is a measure from Oatley’s life cycle analysis from farmer to grocer.
Currently, there is no standardization on how climate impacts are displayed on labels. In fact, the label doesn’t really make sense until other companies put climate impact labels on their products for comparison. After taking the first step with the Oatgurt line, Oatly is pushing for standardization in labeling and asking other companies to join so that eco-conscious consumers can make truly informed choices.
“The food industry needs to transform to meet current climate challenges, and we believe that providing consumers with information to understand the impact of their food choices is one way we as a company can contribute to that effort,” said Julie Kunen, Director of Sustainability Oatley North America. , in a statement. “We at Otley are inspired every day to deliver products that are good for both people and the planet.”
“We hope this next step in transparently bringing climate information forward will inspire other companies to do the same and that consumers will begin to recognize and learn about these indicators when shopping for their families,” Kunen said.
Oatly has also calculated the climate impact for 12 of its other products and is using the climate impact label in Europe from 2021.
5Sunshine seasoning in bulk
It seems like everything Tabitha Brown touches turns to gold—and every product she releases sells out immediately. Such was the case with Brown’s collaboration with spice company McCormick that resulted in the creation of Sunshine Seasoning.
The vegan salt-free condiment includes a mix of flavorful ingredients like pineapple, mango, and of course a healthy dose of Brown’s favorite: garlic powder.
When McCormick first experimentally launched Sunshine Seasoning online in 2021, the spice mix sold out in just 39 minutes and immediately created a resale market on Ebay—where bids for a two-pack of the spice mix reached upwards of $120.
Fast forward to 2023 and Sunshine Seasoning continues to be a best-seller for McCormick, which has released even more of it to meet demand. For those craving more of Brown’s popular seasoning, Sam’s Club is now offering the largest container of Sunshine Seasoning.
The new 9.7-ounce shaker (which retails for $7.98 a pop) offers five more ounces of Sunshine Seasoning than any other size—making it so you can sprinkle it on as many vegan dishes as you want because it’s your business.
“The sun just shined and I’m so grateful that we can spread the sunshine in a bigger way,” Brown said in a statement sent to VegNews.
Bulk sizes of Sunshine Seasoning are available at Sam’s Club stores, online or for curbside pickup or delivery.
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Anna Starostenetskaya is Senior News Editor at VegNews and keeps an eye on all things vegan in her hometown of San Francisco, CA and elsewhere.