The Vegan Report

Animetrics is a women-led research and capacity-building organization, founded in 2023 by two economists from Türkiye, Gülbike Mirzaoğlu & Sueda Evirgen. They specialize in economics, impact evaluation, and research tailored to local contexts. They help animal advocates, especially in the Majority World (also called the ‘Global South') and Muslim communities, use evidence to strengthen their work. Most of the world’s farmed animals live in these regions, yet resources for advocacy are limited. Animetrics is here to change that.Visit Animetrics Now: https://www.animetrics.org/Follow Animetrics on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/animetrics.research/Follow Animetrics on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/animetrics-research/Email Animetrics: hello@animetrics.orgIf you have any comment or question regarding the show, send a message to theveganreportpodcast@gmail.comFollow The Vegan Report on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/veganreportpodcast/Follow The Vegan Report on X: https://x.com/veganreportshowMusic by Alisia from Pixabay

Victoria Moran, bestselling author and longtime vegan educator; Jane Velez‑Mitchell, journalist and Unchained TV founder; Hope Bohanec, animal advocate highlighting farmed‑animal issues; Glen Merzer, author on plant‑exclusive health; Anitha Robinson, storyteller of everyday kindness. They chat about media urgency, countering disinformation, creative storytelling, rescuing and transforming farms, podcasting challenges, and building community and hope.

Ella Wong, a project manager in user research and stakeholder engagement for alt protein and animal advocacy in Asia. She explores why trial does not equal repeat purchase in plant-based markets. She contrasts Western value messaging with local health and cost drivers. She outlines ways to retain local talent, share practical knowledge, and unlock regional funders and experiential donor formats.

Today, we’re asking a fun—and maybe slightly provocative—question: are vegans smarter than most people? You’ve probably seen those articles listing brilliant minds who were vegetarian for ethical reasons—people like Einstein, Tolstoy, Mary Shelley, or Leonardo da Vinci. And if you’ve been with us for a while, you might remember episode 37, where we talked about one of those great minds: the literary genius Al‑Ma’arri, often considered the first vegan in recorded history.So today we’re wondering: did their intellect lead them to the ethical principles we hold? And beyond these outliers, do we see the same pattern in the general population?To explore this, I’m joined by Chris Bryant. Chris is a social scientist and an expert on meat reduction and alternative proteins. He leads Bryant Research, and he’s also a prolific creator on YouTube. I actually joined him during one of his livestreams to record this episode—it was my first time doing a livestream, so that was an adventure in itself.You can find links to connect with Chris in the episode notes.In our conversation, we talk about the relationship between intelligence and veganism, but we also get into psychopaths, the dangers of animal activism, cannibalism, his experiences debating the “meat heads” of the internet, and a whole lot more.Connect with Chris: https://www.youtube.com/@chrisbryantphdLearn more about Bryant Research: https://bryantresearch.co.uk/Al-Ma‘arri: The World's First Vegan. With Dr. Kevin Blankinship | Ep. 37 https://rss.com/podcasts/veganreport/1427038/Donate to Dharma Voices for Animals: https://www.dharmavoicesforanimals.org/donateSign Up to MapYourHealth: https://mapyourhealth.info/If you have any comment or question regarding the show, send a message to theveganreportpodcast@gmail.comFollow The Vegan Report on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/veganreportpodcast/Follow The Vegan Report on X: https://x.com/veganreportshowMusic by Yurii Semchyshyn from Pixabay

Joyce D'Silva, a lifelong vegan and veteran animal welfare leader, shares her decades of work linking faith and animal care. She discusses how religious teachings contrast with practices, strategies for engaging clergy and conservative leaders, building interfaith coalitions, outreach to nonreligious activists, and spiritual tools to sustain activism.

Sign Up to MapYourHealth now: https://mapyourhealth.info/A pipe collapse outside Washington, D.C., has spilled nearly 300 million tons of sewage into the Potomac River. In its wake, researchers have discovered high levels of harmful pathogens like E. coli and antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2026/potential-health-impacts-of-the-potomac-river-sewage-spill#:~:text=A%20pipe%20collapse%20outside%20Washington,resistant%20Staphylococcus%20aureus%20(MRSA)Big Poultry Owns Your Backyard. With Liz, Juliane & Haidy | Ep. 92 https://rss.com/podcasts/veganreport/2257921/Uh Oh Canada! Animals Need Your Vote. With Liz White | Ep. 72 https://rss.com/podcasts/veganreport/1987257/The End of the Antibiotic Era. With Cóilín Nunan | Ep. 55 https://rss.com/podcasts/veganreport/1735697/If you have any comment or question regarding the show, send a message to theveganreportpodcast@gmail.comFollow The Vegan Report on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/veganreportpodcast/Follow The Vegan Report on X: https://x.com/veganreportshow

Do you think ending factory farming is possible? If yes, what form of activism do you believe will stop factory farming for good? Institutional change? Street protests? Legal reforms?Well, our guest today, Bruce Friedrich, founder of the Good Food Institute, thinks ending factory farming is possible — but activism is not the answer. For him, the solution to this issue is cultivated meat: the perfect replacement for regular meat, because it would taste the same, cost the same, but with no health risks, environmental damage and certainly no animal suffering.In this episode, we discussed the new McVeggie that has launched in Canada, the consolidation of power in the hands of a few big food corporations, the Campbell Soup 3D printed lab-grown chicken debacle, and the opposition to cultivated meat by some animal advocates. Many of them have appeared on the show. I will add links in the description to all those episodes, including an amazing debate hosted by United Poultry Concerns featuring Bruce.Meat: How the Next Agricultural Revolution Will Transform Humanity's Favorite Food — and Our Future https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/235992470-meatIs Cell-Based Meat Good for Animals? With Leah Garces, Bruce Friedrich, Vasile Stanescu & John Sanbonmatsu | BONUS https://rss.com/podcasts/veganreport/2018735/Inside the Mad World of Meatistan. With John Sanbonmatsu | Ep. 79 https://rss.com/podcasts/veganreport/2063993/Veganism is Not Capitalism. With Miyoko Schinner | Ep. 65 https://rss.com/podcasts/veganreport/1898355/If you have any comment or question regarding the show, send a message to theveganreportpodcast@gmail.comFollow The Vegan Report on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/veganreportpodcast/Follow The Vegan Report on X: https://x.com/veganreportshowMusic by Dmitrii Kolesnikov from Pixabay

Sandro Jenni, a PhD student in psychology at the University of Zurich studying political psychology of plant-based food systems. He discusses political challenges and polarization around food and animal welfare. He compares Swiss and EU data, debates movement strategy about reaching across the left-right divide, and tests messaging approaches like moral reframing versus reasoning.

Miyoko Schinner, epicurean activist and sanctuary founder; Brett Christoffel, maker of All Y'alls plant-based proteins; Sandra Nomoto, vegan marketing strategist and author; An Pham, founder of Bodhi Gourmet and organizer of Montreal’s Vegan Christmas Market; Meg Kelly, veganic farming educator. They debate whether vegan businesses can be activism, how scale and retail pressure warp values, and local, transparent alternatives to corporate distribution.

Today, we travel to Denmark to explore the amazing work of the Vegetarian Society of Denmark.I welcomed their Secretary-General, Rune-Christoffer Dragsdahl, to discuss why the Vegetarian Society of Denmark, despite its support of veganism, is not called the Vegan Society of Denmark, the art of building coalitions with people you disagree with, what if the annexation of Greenland into the US could be beneficial for stopping whale hunting?, Rune-Christoffer's secret to not burning out and much more.If you have any comment or question regarding the show, send a message to theveganreportpodcast@gmail.com Connect with the Vegetarian Society of Denmark: https://vegetarisk.dk/english/Learn about Animal Charity Evaluators top 10 charities: https://animalcharityevaluators.org/recommended-charities/If you have any comment or question regarding the show, send a message to theveganreportpodcast@gmail.com Follow The Vegan Report on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/veganreportpodcast/Follow The Vegan Report on X: https://x.com/veganreportshowMusic by Oleksandr Stepanov from Pixabay