As you walk around Natural Products Expo trying all the innovative new vegan products, you get the palpable sense that vegan lifestyles are more prevalent than ever. So many companies are creating products that don't support the cruel meat and dairy industries. Many of the same brands are also thinking about sustainability and health, so it's a win-win-win.
Check out some of the terrific vegan food and beauty products that we discovered at this year's event:
Dairy-Free Yums
Daiya Cheese Sticks
These sticks are unlike anything that you've ever had. They're a must-have in any respectable lunch bag.
Daiya Ice Cream Bars
A picture is worth a thousand words in this case.
Field Roast Chao Dressings and Dips
Field Roast's new dressings come in Caesar, Ranch and Thousand Island flavors. Use them on salads or burgers or as a dip.
Good Planet Foods Dairy Free Cheese
This company is perfecting the taste and texture of nondairy cheese.
Loving Earth Chocolate
This vegan chocolate company is sustainable and fair trade, and it uses non-GMO ingredients. We recommend the mouthwatering creamy chocolate bar.
Miyoko's Kitchen 'Un-Lox Your Dreams' Cream Cheese
The queen of nondairy products strikes again! Miyoko's Kitchen is unveiling new flavors of vegan cream cheese, and they're simply divine.
Violife Mediterranean Style and Just Like Feta Vegan Cheeses
These vegan cheeses might just transport you to a Grecian isle.
Meatless Picks
Beyond Meat Beyond Sausage
This isn't the first time that we've sung the praises of this vegan sausage—now go out and try it!
Good Catch Foods Vegan Crab Cakes
Good Catch products are some of our new favorites, and these crab cakes are no exception.
Good Catch Foods Fish-Free Burger
And don't forget about this burger.
No Evil Foods
Vegan chorizo, sausage, chicken and ham roasts are some of the deliciously innovative new products by No Evil Foods.
Most Unique Product
Vegan Fish Sauce by 24Vegan
Try it in sauces, homemade kimchi and more.
Convenience Foods
Daiya Burritos
The Santa Fe is extra-cheesy and has a kick of spice! We love it.
Enjoy Life Foods Dipped Banana Protein Bites
Enjoy Life prides itself on creating allergy-friendly snacks. These bites are ready to be thrown in your gym bag. They pack 6 grams of protein and are palm oil–free. Oh, and they're delicious.
Field Roast Chili Mac 'n Chao
This year, Field Roast introduced a version with macaroni pasta instead of penne, and we must say, it's perfect.
Gardein Skillet Meals
Ready-made vegan meals are great for super-busy days when cooking isn't an option.
Beauty Brands
ACURE ORGANICS
ACURE—one of our favorite 100 percent vegan companies—has a new biocellulose mask that's definitely worth a try.
Pacifica
So many items to try, so little time at the expo. From facial masks to hydrating mists, we love that Pacifica's products are 100 percent vegan and available at both Target and Ulta stores.
Of course, these are just a few of the amazing vegan products coming to store shelves near you. Keep an eye out for them, and remember: None of these delicious options would be available if compassionate consumers didn't keep asking for them.
California is bracing for rare January wildfires this week amid damaging Santa Ana winds coupled with unusually hot and dry winter weather.
High winds, gusting up to 80- to 90 miles per hour in some parts of the state, are expected to last through Wednesday evening. Nearly the entire state has been in a drought for months, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, which, alongside summerlike temperatures, has left vegetation dry and flammable.
Utilities Southern California Edison and PG&E, which serves the central and northern portions of the state, warned it may preemptively shut off power to hundreds of thousands of customers to reduce the risk of electrical fires sparked by trees and branches falling on live power lines. The rare January fire conditions come on the heels of the worst wildfire season ever recorded in California, as climate change exacerbates the factors causing fires to be more frequent and severe.
California is also experiencing the most severe surge of COVID-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic, with hospitals and ICUs over capacity and a stay-at-home order in place. Wildfire smoke can increase the risk of adverse health effects due to COVID, and evacuations forcing people to crowd into shelters could further spread the virus.
As reported by AccuWeather:
In the atmosphere, air flows from high to low pressure. The setup into Wednesday is like having two giant atmospheric fans working as a team with one pulling and the other pushing the air in the same direction.
Normally, mountains to the north and east of Los Angeles would protect the downtown which sits in a basin. However, with the assistance of the offshore storm, there will be areas of gusty winds even in the L.A. Basin. The winds may get strong enough in parts of the basin to break tree limbs and lead to sporadic power outages and sparks that could ignite fires.
"Typically, Santa Ana winds stay out of downtown Los Angeles and the L.A. Basin, but this time, conditions may set up just right to bring 30- to 40-mph wind gusts even in those typically calm condition areas," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Mike Doll.
For a deeper dive:
AP, LA Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Post, Weather Channel, AccuWeather, New York Times, Slideshow: New York Times; Climate Signals Background: Wildfires, 2020 Western wildfire season
For more climate change and clean energy news, you can follow Climate Nexus on Twitter and Facebook, sign up for daily Hot News, and visit their news site, Nexus Media News.
- Bond Fire South of LA Forces 25,000 to Flee - EcoWatch ›
- 'Explosive' Southern California Lake Fire Spreads to 10,000 Acres ... ›
- 10 Wildfires Ignite Around Los Angeles in Unseasonable Wind and ... ›
EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
By Jennifer Sass, Nsedu Obot Witherspoon, Dr. Philip J. Landrigan and Simon Strong
"Prevention is the cure for child/teen cancer." This is the welcoming statement on a website called 'TheReasonsWhy.Us', where families affected by childhood cancers can sign up for a landmark new study into the potential environmental causes.
Trending
Climate Crisis Will Shift Tropical Rain Belt and Create Food Insecurity for Billions, Study Finds
Nearly 1.6 million people in the southern part of Madagascar have faced food insecurity since 2016, experiencing one drought after another, the United Nations World Food Program reported.
- Half a Degree of Warming Makes a Big Difference to Global Food ... ›
- UN Warns of Impending Food Crisis - EcoWatch ›
- Global Hunger Is Increasing, New UN Report Finds - EcoWatch ›
President-elect Joe Biden is planning to cancel the controversial Keystone XL pipeline on the first day of his administration, a document reported by CBC on Sunday suggests.
- Construction Begins on Keystone XL Pipeline in Montana - EcoWatch ›
- Trump Approves Keystone XL Pipeline, Groups Vow 'The Fight Is ... ›
- Keystone XL Pipeline Construction to Forge Ahead During ... ›
By Monir Ghaedi
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to keep most of Europe on pause, the EU aims for a breakthrough in its space program. The continent is seeking more than just a self-sufficient space industry competitive with China and the U.S.; the industry must also fit into the European Green Deal.
European satellites continue to provide data on climate change.