FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 7, 2019
For Information, contact: Jessie Stahl, PPC Senior Policy and Program Coordinator: (704) 412-4506 X 110
Nutrition-focused Restaurant Campaign Hits 100+ Milestone Expanding Globally
Participating Restaurants See Significant Benefit Promoting Healthy Dining
The nonprofit organization, PlantPure Communities (PPC), today announced that two key milestones had been reached via the PPC Restaurant Campaign. With the addition of Snack Mafia – a restaurant located in Guwahati, India – there are now over 100 restaurants participating in the Campaign. Restaurants must offer at least one plant-based, oil-free meal on their menu in order to participate. The PPC Restaurant Campaign responds to the growing demand from health conscious diners seeking plant-based, oil-free menu options when dining out. Participating restaurants are discovering that nutrition-based healthy menu options help expand their customer base by attracting new diners seeking meatless, low fat menu options.
The PPC Restaurant Campaign is being driven by the 200,000+ people connected to the PlantPure Communities Pod Network. To date, restaurants in eight countries – including, Australia, Bulgaria, Denmark, Israel, Canada, India, Italy and the US – have made this healthy menu item addition. Aparajita Barbora, manager at Snack Mafia (the 100th restaurant to join the Campaign), said: “I never thought business would increase so rapidly after joining the Campaign. We are adding more meat-free & dairy-free options to our menu as the number of people aware of the health benefits of a plant-based diet grows every day.” According to Foodable Labs, “51% of chefs in the U.S. are now offering vegan options.” Leland Neal, CEO of Taco Rico Franchising, a Tex-Mex restaurant chain in Florida with six participating restaurants, said, “We take pride in being able to offer many healthy vegan and vegetarian options. Doing this really sets us apart from any competition and allows us to grow sales in this exciting market.” Jeanne Minier, Assistant Manager at the Loving Hut Restaurant in Norcross, Georgia said, “We have new customers every day who have adopted the plant-based eating for life and are eager for oil-free and plant-pure choices. We encourage all restaurants to answer the call for more meat-free and oil-free options.”
As part of the Restaurant Campaign, Pod members venture out into their favorite restaurants to collaborate with chefs and restaurant managers to promote the addition of plant-based, oil-free options to their menus. The Campaign is supported by a virtual online toolkit which contains tips on how to approach a restaurant, how to adjust the menu, and how to ramp up business via social media and local press. Participating restaurants are spotlighted in PPC e-newsletters and social media platforms, are added to an interactive map on the PPC website, and PPC subscribers living within 50 miles of the restaurant are notified of the new healthy meal options, and encouraged to dine there with family and friends. “Everything we eat is either good or bad for our health — restaurants that add meat-free, oil-free meals make it possible to dine out with friends and family while supporting customers’ health goals,” said Jody Kass, PPC Executive Director. “The restaurant industry is changing – because American consumers are changing. More people are waking up every day to the realization that they can take control of their health and reverse their heart disease, diabetes and other chronic illness – just by changing what is on the end of their fork. While restaurant industry trends are always evolving, healthy plant-based dishes are here to stay!” said Nelson Campbell, PPC Board Chair and Founder.
Beyond the health benefits of eating more plants, reducing the consumption of animal based foods also helps curb climate impact. An important report issued by the UN in October 2018 recommends that everyone reduce their consumption of animal products by 30% to avoid irreversible damage to the planet. There is growing momentum to push plant centric menus for public health and the health of the planet.
To find out more about the PlantPure Communities Restaurant Campaign, visit this webpage and check out the Restaurant Campaign Toolkit and the interactive map listing participating restaurants.