New Plant-Based Trade Group To Bring Veg Message to DC

Today, new plant-based trade group Plant Based Food Association officially launched, consisting of 23 veg companies including founding members Daiya Foods, Follow Your Heart, Miyoko’s Kitchen, The Tofurky Co., and Upton’s Naturals. The coalition was formed with the goal of giving plant-based foods a voice in Washington, DC, says Executive Director Michele Simon. “Every other sector of the food industry—from sugar to organics—is represented in the policy arena. The time has come for the plant-based food industry to also have a collective voice,” the lawyer and food-policy expert said from the group’s Northern California headquarters. PBFA plans to lobby Congress to shift policy toward plant-based foods, particularly in school lunch programs which are notoriously influenced by the meat and dairy industries. Elizabeth Kucinich—a sustainable food advocate and wife of democratic politician Dennis Kucinich—will lead the group in DC and use this united voice to push for plant-based foods policies in governmental agencies. According to PBFA, the plant-based food industry generates $3.5 billion in sales annually, with The Tofurky Co. CEO Jaime Athos predicting that “in the next 5 to 10 years, we are going to see a massive explosion of interest in plant-based foods.”