The Vegan Economy

Adapted from ESL Brains

Look at this list. What food do you think these people eat?

• fruitarians
• nutarians
• pescetarians
• flexitarians
• freegans
• raw vegans
• people on a “seafood diet”

Complete the questions with the following words:

dairy / protein / carbs / plant-based / poultry / staple / foodie / organic / soy

1. Do you consider yourself a __________? Do you like to try unusual dishes or products?
2. Have you ever considered going _________ and not eating meat?
3. Do you like coffee with __________ milk?
4. Why is __________ food more expensive? Is it really more expensive to produce it?
5. Can you imagine living without __________ products as cheese, milk, or butter?
6. Do you think that __________ cause weight gain?
7. What can be other sources of __________ apart from meat?
8. What is the __________ diet in your country, i.e. the main types of food that people eat regularly?
9. What is more popular in your country – eating __________ or beef?

Pre-Video Questions:

• Do you think that veganism is becoming more popular? Why?
• Do you think veganism is just a fad?
• What are some good consequences of being vegan? What are some bad consequences of being vegan?

Fill in the blanks as you watch the video:

1. The vegan trend is just exploding everywhere as I’m sure you’ll be aware __________.
2. Rudy Fernando and his staff offer __________ a meat-free menu with French influences but, of course, the steak frites comes __________ a soya steak instead of the cow variety.
3. We’ve got one __________ five households that are now actively reducing the amount of meat that they’re eating.
4. We have really innovative startups coming __________ the [vegan economy] space, such as the Impossible Burger.
5. The biggest tech investors in the world are putting money __________ meat-free alternatives.

Video: True or False?

• The mainstream restaurant industry doesn’t accept the vegan trend.
• Almost 30% of evening meals in the UK don’t include meat.
• People reduce the amount of meat they eat because of the environmental impact of farming.
• Allplants produces 50 thousand meals a week for their customers.
• Facebook is also investing in the vegan economy by supporting startups.

“Go” Phrases: Match the phrase to the correct definition.

go nuts / go bust / go further / go hand in hand

1. to happen or exist together
2. to take something to a more advanced stage
3. to become crazy or enthusiastic
4. to be forced to close because it’s financially unsuccessful

Discussion Questions:

1. Does veganism go hand in hand with ecology? Why or why not?
2. What products or food do people go nuts for today?
3. Will prices of vegan products decrease because of the trend becoming mainstream?
4. Do you think that meat businesses might go bust or will turn vegan to remain on the market?
5. Do you know people who have gone further and started avoiding all links to animal exploitation, such as wearing wool or leather or using products tested on animals? Would you decide to do that?