If you are a passionate vegan and try not to use any animal products such as fur, leather, silk, honey and wool, shouldn’t those values and priorities extend to your investments as well? Extending the idea of living a complete vegan lifestyle is the concept of vegan investing, which focuses on investments into companies that follow ethical principles regarding the environment and cruelty-free treatment of animals.
Vegan Companies
Vegan companies are those that have a conscience, who don’t exploit animals for their own profit and gain. Many of these companies are food manufacturers and suppliers that specialize in plant-based offerings and have experienced exponential growth due to the global rise of veganism. The vegan diet excludes meat, dairy products, eggs and all other ingredients derived from animals. Dietary staples include fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains
In addition to positive growth forecasts, vegan companies qualify as socially responsible investments. Socially responsible investments support companies that aim to have a positive cultural and environmental impact. This type of investing has become more popular in recent years and gives investors the opportunity to have a stake in companies they truly believe in. Vegan stocks are one way to introduce those investments into your portfolio.
Here are some of the well-known publicly traded companies benefitting from the global expansion of Veganism:
- Beyond Meat
- Ingredion
- Tofutti
- Hain Celestial
Beyond Meat: (BYND) Based in Los Angeles, Beyond Meat is among the top producers of plant-based meat substitutes and has achieved exponential growth since going public in 2019. A little know fact is that Its products have been available at Whole Foods since 2013!. The brand touts itself as the “future of protein,” with vegan alternatives that look and cook like the real thing.
Ingredion: (INGR) Doesn’t make food products directly, but is an international company that supplies certain ingredients to major food manufacturers. These include oils, sweeteners, starches and grains. Most importantly, all of their products are plant-based.
Tofutti: (TOFB) A New Jersey based company that makes a range of soy-based, dairy-free foods for the vegan and vegetarian markets. They are best known for their namesake vegan ice cream, but also have a larger dairy-free product line including: Better Than Cream Cheese, Sour Supreme and Ricotta Cheese
Hain Celestial: (HAIN) An U.S. based food company that owns several natural and organic food divisions. You might recognize a few such as, Celestial Seasonings & Teas, Health Valley and Hain Pure Foods.
What’s the Purpose?
The impact of vegan investing is twofold. By investing in these companies, you not only give financial impetus and encouragement to businesses that follow environmentally and socially responsible practices, but you also help divert capital from companies that follow destructive ones.
Vegan investing can help shape a better future in a significant way by not investing in companies that exploit animals. It furthers the concept of Socially Responsible Investing that came about as a result of people’s desire to make investments based on their societal concerns and values.
So, How Should I Invest?
To participate in the burgeoning and rapidly evolving Vegan investing space, one should consider a broader and more diversified approach to alleviate some of the potential risk, rather than simply trying to choose an individual stock or two. At Demand Wealth, we have developed the ‘Demand Vegan’ portfolio for this very purpose. It contains cruelty free screened and globally diversified companies that align with your values, risk profile and financial needs. As one of our several vegan staff members says, “Think of it as spreading your tofu around, instead of putting it all in one basket”.
If picking vegan stocks seems difficult…IT IS! At Demand Wealth that is what we do. Click here to open an account or to learn more, schedule a zoom with one our vegan advisors today!
This report is a publication of Demand Wealth. Information presented is believed to be factual and up-to-date, but we do not guarantee its accuracy and it should not be regarded as a complete analysis of the subjects discussed. All expressions of opinion reflect the judgment of the author as of the date of publication and are subject to change.