Go vegan, help save the planet
A 2016 study found that China was the second-fastest-growing vegan market in the world, with a 17.2 per cent growth rate predicted between 2015 and 2020.
Vegans tend to be leaner and less likely to suffer from heart disease, diabetes and other common chronic diseases. Researchers from the University of Oxford have found that if everyone stopped eating animal-derived foods, 8.1 million human lives – not to mention billions of animals – would be saved by 2050, and greenhouse gas emissions would be reduced by two-thirds.
It’s not unusual for new restaurants to close (regardless of the menu selection): about 60 per cent of all restaurants fail within the first year. But, as more people turn vegan, it simply makes smart business sense for restaurants to offer vegan meals, especially since the Chinese government urges everyone to eat more vegan foods to help combat climate change.
Jason Baker, vice-president, International Campaigns, PETA Asia