By Shanine Bruder
Leeds Kirkgate Market stall Fat Annie’s is amongst the first street food vendors in the country to take meat off their menu and make the change to go completely vegan.
Within just a few weeks, Fat Annie’s will be introducing a brand-new menu that hosts a number of popular street food products, all of which will be made 100% vegan.
Old and new customers of the street food establishment have flocked to social media to praise James for making the change, with one customer writing: ‘’Great little hidden vegan gem in Kirkgate Market.’’
Another added: ‘’Huge respect for making the change. You still have a customer in me.’’
The motivation behind the meat-free menu came after James himself decided to make the shift to become a vegetarian in order to do better for the planet.
The business owner said: ‘’Now I’m proud of what we do – we’re part of the future and the solution, and if economically that doesn’t work because there’s not enough demand or if we don’t get the product right, then that is fair enough.
‘’But at least we’re doing that with our principles’’.
‘’Now I’m proud of what we do – we’re part of the future and the solution.”
James stock, owner of fat annies
According to a new report ‘Changing Diets During the Covid-19 Pandemic’ published by The Vegan Society, one in five people have reduced the amount of meat they are eating over the last 12 months.
12% of people have also minimized their eggs and dairy intake and 7% of respondents have cut down on all three, meaning that one in four people have actively cut back on some form of animal products since the first lockdown.
The report also found that 32% of people are thinking more about their personal impact on the planet.
With more people now considering this, consumers are now provided with many more options to shop more sustainably.
One of these is Panda Refills Zero Wate Shop, also based in Leeds Kirkgate Market.
The Zero Waste shop was created in 2018 by owner Aimée Charlotte in order to provide consumers with a store in which they can bring their own containers, buy products by weight, reduce the amount of food waste and eliminate the need for packaging.
Speaking to Yorkshire Voice, owner Aimée Charlotte said: ‘’We’re zero waste. It’s more of a non-consumer sort of thing – we just want you to buy what you need; we don’t want you to over buy.
‘’Secondly, that comes plastic-free, and thirdly we also do fair trade and vegan.’’
Leeds Kirkgate Market will also be hosting the Great Yorkshire Vegan Market on Sunday November 14, hosting over 60 stalls offering a wide variety of vegan produce.