Latest news with #ClaireInsley
RNZ News
11-07-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Cost of dairy products closing in on non-dairy alternatives
With the rising cost of some dairy products cheesing more than a few shoppers off non dairy alternatives are closing the price gap. The Vegan Chesse awards are being held in Auckland this month, with six judges, chosing winners in twelve categories. The panel will be nibbling their way through plant based cheeses in categories from the humble cheddar to brie, camembert, blue and feta. Vegan Society spokesperson Claire Insley spoke to Lisa Owen. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
Scoop
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Not Bacon Wins Supreme
Press Release – The Vegan Society Aotearoa New Zealand The Supreme Winner of the seventh annual Vegan Sausage and Deli Meats Awards is Let Them Eat Vegan 'Not Bacon'. The judges said it had 'Great crispy texture. Good visually – layers and colour. Great umami and depth of flavour. Shows a very good skill level.' This could be a game changer for all those bacon lovers out there. 'We were so excited to have the deli meats categories, which recognise the quality and care that goes into producing great plant-based alternatives for all meat products. It's really awesome that a vegan bacon is the Supreme Winner! Maybe people can give up eating pigs after all? With the rising cost of living, eating plants will always be a good thing, providing healthier foods with lower emissions, helping to look after our planet' said Media Spokesperson, Claire Insley. This year's judges were versatile private chef Ezra Wisaksono, and seasoned Executive Chef at Sudima Auckland Airport, Rodney Gomes put the plant-based meats to the test. Joining them were Lifetime Achievement Pie Winner, Judge Jason Hay and sausage loving comedian Tom Sainsbury, putting their taste buds through the paces to come up with the final results. The full results are: Supreme Winner Let Them Eat Vegan 'Not Bacon' Judges said: Great crispy texture. Good visually – layers and colour. Great umami and depth of flavour. Shows a very good skill level Chorizo Winner Plan*t: 'Spicy Chorizo' Judges said: A perfect sausage – shape, crust, texture, mouth feel and flavour. Runner up Witty Tui 'Spicy Chorizo Style' Judges said: it's got a good kick, good spice. Great appearance with visible spicy specks' Bangers Winner Beach Pizza 'Wors Style Sausage' Judges said: Unique, bold flavour in a well-constructed sausage. Runner Up Plan*t 'Spicy Chorizo' Judges said: Delicious flavour and profile with a great mouth feel. Breakfast Sausage Winner Plan*t 'Tasty Sage and Onion' Judges said: Great texture with optimal balance of spice. Runner up Blissful's CK Food 'Mini Soy Roll' Judges said: Well-crafted with a good spongy texture. Speciality Sausage Winner Blissful's Whole Perfect Food 'Vegetarian Smoked Sausage' Judges said: Fantastic construction, texture and taste. Runner up Plan*t 'Spicy Chorizo' Judges said: Great mouth feel, flavour and profile. Sausage Rolls Winner Goodtime Pie 'Vegan Sausage Roll' Judges said: Great crispy pastry. The texture of the filling is very good. Nice balanced flavour and spice. Runner up Kai Pai 'Vegan Sausage Roll' Judges said: Good texture and mouth feel. Good bite. Bacon Winner Let Them Eat Vegan 'Not Bacon' Judges said: Great crispy texture. Good visually – layers and colour. Great umami and depth of flavour. Shows a very good skill level. No Runner up Cold Cuts Winner Grater Goods 'Sopressata' Judges said: Nice chew with a hint of lingering warm spice. Great sausage texture with pepper, chilly and fat inclusions. Great mouth feel and balanced taste. Runner up Blissful's Whole Perfect Food 'Traditional Style Vegetarian Ham Judges said: Nice maple sweetness. Tastes very close to ham with a great colour. Pastrami Winner Grater Goods 'Plant Pastrami' Judges said: Great smoky, sweet, sour and umami flavours. Perfectly seasoned. No runner up Hot-served Meat Style Winner Blissful's CK Food 'Crispy Chicken Drumsticks' Judges said 'Nice crunch. Good texture and spice. Juicy and soft with a moreish flavour Runner up Plan*t 'Vege-to-balls' Judges said: Nice bite and crumbly texture. The flavour is great and very close to the meat version. Patties Winner Plan*t 'Classic Grillhouse' Judges said: A great burger- tender, juicy, with a strong punch flavour. Runner up Beach Pizza 'Wors Burger Patty' Judges said, Impactful flavour with great herbs and spices. Seafood Style Winner Blissful's 'Vegan Fried Squid Rings' Judges said: Good texture and chewiness with a very calamari flavour. Very balanced. Runner up Blissful's CK Food 'Vegan Bites' Judges said: Very good mild, crab-like flavour.
Scoop
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Not Bacon Wins Supreme
The Supreme Winner of the seventh annual Vegan Sausage and Deli Meats Awards is Let Them Eat Vegan 'Not Bacon'. The judges said it had 'Great crispy texture. Good visually - layers and colour. Great umami and depth of flavour. Shows a very good skill level.' This could be a game changer for all those bacon lovers out there. 'We were so excited to have the deli meats categories, which recognise the quality and care that goes into producing great plant-based alternatives for all meat products. It's really awesome that a vegan bacon is the Supreme Winner! Maybe people can give up eating pigs after all? With the rising cost of living, eating plants will always be a good thing, providing healthier foods with lower emissions, helping to look after our planet' said Media Spokesperson, Claire Insley. This year's judges were versatile private chef Ezra Wisaksono, and seasoned Executive Chef at Sudima Auckland Airport, Rodney Gomes put the plant-based meats to the test. Joining them were Lifetime Achievement Pie Winner, Judge Jason Hay and sausage loving comedian Tom Sainsbury, putting their taste buds through the paces to come up with the final results. The full results are: Supreme Winner Let Them Eat Vegan 'Not Bacon' Judges said: Great crispy texture. Good visually - layers and colour. Great umami and depth of flavour. Shows a very good skill level Chorizo Winner Plan*t: 'Spicy Chorizo' Judges said: A perfect sausage - shape, crust, texture, mouth feel and flavour. Runner up Witty Tui 'Spicy Chorizo Style' Judges said: it's got a good kick, good spice. Great appearance with visible spicy specks' Bangers Winner Beach Pizza 'Wors Style Sausage' Judges said: Unique, bold flavour in a well-constructed sausage. Runner Up Plan*t 'Spicy Chorizo' Judges said: Delicious flavour and profile with a great mouth feel. Breakfast Sausage Winner Plan*t 'Tasty Sage and Onion' Judges said: Great texture with optimal balance of spice. Runner up Blissful's CK Food 'Mini Soy Roll' Judges said: Well-crafted with a good spongy texture. Speciality Sausage Winner Blissful's Whole Perfect Food 'Vegetarian Smoked Sausage' Judges said: Fantastic construction, texture and taste. Runner up Plan*t 'Spicy Chorizo' Judges said: Great mouth feel, flavour and profile. Sausage Rolls Winner Goodtime Pie 'Vegan Sausage Roll' Judges said: Great crispy pastry. The texture of the filling is very good. Nice balanced flavour and spice. Runner up Kai Pai 'Vegan Sausage Roll' Judges said: Good texture and mouth feel. Good bite. Bacon Winner Let Them Eat Vegan 'Not Bacon' Judges said: Great crispy texture. Good visually - layers and colour. Great umami and depth of flavour. Shows a very good skill level. No Runner up Cold Cuts Winner Grater Goods 'Sopressata' Judges said: Nice chew with a hint of lingering warm spice. Great sausage texture with pepper, chilly and fat inclusions. Great mouth feel and balanced taste. Runner up Blissful's Whole Perfect Food 'Traditional Style Vegetarian Ham Judges said: Nice maple sweetness. Tastes very close to ham with a great colour. Pastrami Winner Grater Goods 'Plant Pastrami' Judges said: Great smoky, sweet, sour and umami flavours. Perfectly seasoned. No runner up Hot-served Meat Style Winner Blissful's CK Food 'Crispy Chicken Drumsticks' Judges said 'Nice crunch. Good texture and spice. Juicy and soft with a moreish flavour Runner up Plan*t 'Vege-to-balls' Judges said: Nice bite and crumbly texture. The flavour is great and very close to the meat version. Patties Winner Plan*t 'Classic Grillhouse' Judges said: A great burger- tender, juicy, with a strong punch flavour. Runner up Beach Pizza 'Wors Burger Patty' Judges said, Impactful flavour with great herbs and spices. Seafood Style Winner Blissful's 'Vegan Fried Squid Rings' Judges said: Good texture and chewiness with a very calamari flavour. Very balanced. Runner up Blissful's CK Food 'Vegan Bites' Judges said: Very good mild, crab-like flavour.
Scoop
29-04-2025
- General
- Scoop
Aotearoa Falls Behind Global Average – Switch To Paleo Could Help
Press Release – Vegan Society We should all be very concerned about this day, as it marks our sustainability, and Aotearoa is falling behind the rest of the world. Ministers may claim that we are the best, but the reality is we are amongst the worst, media spokesperson Claire Insley warned. Cows in mud (Photo/Supplied) Earth Overshoot Day falls on 24th July this year, a stark reminder of how far humanity is from operating within planetary boundaries. However, for Aotearoa New Zealand, the picture is even bleaker: the national Overshoot Day arrives on 30th April. Shifting towards a plant-based diet and moving away from animal agriculture would move the date back into May, maybe even June? Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity's demand for ecological resources and services each year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year. It is calculated by dividing the planet's biocapacity by our Ecological Footprint and multiplying the result by 365. Since its inception in 1971, Earth Overshoot Day has crept steadily earlier on the calendar—highlighting humanity's deepening ecological debt. 'We should all be very concerned about this day, as it marks our sustainability, and Aotearoa is falling behind the rest of the world. Ministers may claim that we are the best, but the reality is we are amongst the worst.' Media spokesperson Claire Insley warned, 'There are many simple solutions to mitigate climate change and to live within our global budget, the most powerful of which is to switch to a plant-based diet. Our ancestors predominantly ate plants and so we need to return to the true paleo diet, to allow our children a future' Only six years ago, Earth Overshoot Day was 29th July, meaning it has advanced by five days over six years. But New Zealand's own Overshoot Day was 6th May in 2019: we have slipped six days further into overshoot, surpassing even Qatar, whose Overshoot Day has slipped by only 5 days and is 6th February, and China, on 23rd May. How can we be worse than China—a country with 1.4 billion people and a major industrial base that manufactures much of the world's goods? This data reflects not only our high per-capita consumption, but also the reality that we are failing to meet our climate targets. Despite our clean, green image, Aotearoa is disproportionately contributing to ecological degradation and climate instability, compared to the global average. This trajectory is unsustainable. Our continued ecological overspending contributes to biodiversity loss, deforestation, and climate change—all of which put our food systems, infrastructure, and future at risk. What Can Be Done? One of the most powerful and often overlooked solutions is a shift towards plant-based diets. Currently, 85% of global farmland is dedicated to animal agriculture, yet it contributes only 17% of global calories. A global shift to plant-based food systems could drastically reduce the pressure on our ecosystems, freeing up land for rewilding, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and conserving water resources. The Poore Report (2018) from Oxford University shows that a plant-based diet could cut individual food-related carbon footprints by up to 73%. If Aotearoa moved towards more sustainable food systems, it could significantly reduce our own ecological overshoot, contributing to a more sustainable and equitable future. According to the Global Footprint Network, pushing the global Overshoot Day back by just five days per year would allow humanity to live within the planet's means by 2050. Their Power of Possibility platform outlines real-world actions that can shift the date: · Halving food waste globally could move Earth Overshoot Day by 13 days. · Transitioning to renewable energy could shift it by 26 days. · Reducing carbon emissions by 50% could move it by over 90 days. These are not just numbers—they are choices. Choices we can make through policy, innovation, and lifestyle shifts that prioritize ecological health and intergenerational justice. Let's #MoveTheDate – starting here in Aotearoa. Content Sourced from Original url
Scoop
29-04-2025
- General
- Scoop
Aotearoa Falls Behind Global Average – Switch To Paleo Could Help
Earth Overshoot Day falls on 24th July this year, a stark reminder of how far humanity is from operating within planetary boundaries. However, for Aotearoa New Zealand, the picture is even bleaker: the national Overshoot Day arrives on 30th April. Shifting towards a plant-based diet and moving away from animal agriculture would move the date back into May, maybe even June? Earth Overshoot Day marks the date when humanity's demand for ecological resources and services each year exceeds what Earth can regenerate in that year. It is calculated by dividing the planet's biocapacity by our Ecological Footprint and multiplying the result by 365. Since its inception in 1971, Earth Overshoot Day has crept steadily earlier on the calendar—highlighting humanity's deepening ecological debt. 'We should all be very concerned about this day, as it marks our sustainability, and Aotearoa is falling behind the rest of the world. Ministers may claim that we are the best, but the reality is we are amongst the worst.' Media spokesperson Claire Insley warned, 'There are many simple solutions to mitigate climate change and to live within our global budget, the most powerful of which is to switch to a plant-based diet. Our ancestors predominantly ate plants and so we need to return to the true paleo diet, to allow our children a future' Advertisement - scroll to continue reading Only six years ago, Earth Overshoot Day was 29th July, meaning it has advanced by five days over six years. But New Zealand's own Overshoot Day was 6th May in 2019: we have slipped six days further into overshoot, surpassing even Qatar, whose Overshoot Day has slipped by only 5 days and is 6th February, and China, on 23rd May. How can we be worse than China—a country with 1.4 billion people and a major industrial base that manufactures much of the world's goods? This data reflects not only our high per-capita consumption, but also the reality that we are failing to meet our climate targets. Despite our clean, green image, Aotearoa is disproportionately contributing to ecological degradation and climate instability, compared to the global average. This trajectory is unsustainable. Our continued ecological overspending contributes to biodiversity loss, deforestation, and climate change—all of which put our food systems, infrastructure, and future at risk. What Can Be Done? One of the most powerful and often overlooked solutions is a shift towards plant-based diets. Currently, 85% of global farmland is dedicated to animal agriculture, yet it contributes only 17% of global calories. A global shift to plant-based food systems could drastically reduce the pressure on our ecosystems, freeing up land for rewilding, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and conserving water resources. The Poore Report (2018) from Oxford University shows that a plant-based diet could cut individual food-related carbon footprints by up to 73%. If Aotearoa moved towards more sustainable food systems, it could significantly reduce our own ecological overshoot, contributing to a more sustainable and equitable future. According to the Global Footprint Network, pushing the global Overshoot Day back by just five days per year would allow humanity to live within the planet's means by 2050. Their Power of Possibility platform outlines real-world actions that can shift the date: · Halving food waste globally could move Earth Overshoot Day by 13 days. · Transitioning to renewable energy could shift it by 26 days. · Reducing carbon emissions by 50% could move it by over 90 days. These are not just numbers—they are choices. Choices we can make through policy, innovation, and lifestyle shifts that prioritize ecological health and intergenerational justice. Let's #MoveTheDate – starting here in Aotearoa.
