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By Spencer Angeltvedt, Co-founder of Loa Skin

What does it mean to be palm-oil free?

Hiding in virtually all cosmetics, packaged foods, cleaning products, and even biodiesel—palm oil has secretly found its way into packaged goods and numerous industries across the globe.

Palm oil has quickly become the most widely used vegetable oil. While at first glance palm oil seems harmless, it has in fact bred one of the most environmentally destructive and morally corrupt industries on Earth.

Here’s why.

Palm oil is cheap to produce. It’s 10 times cheaper than soy—a once-industry leader. Palm oil’s incredibly high global demand has directly affected a few large islands in Indonesia and Malaysia where It’s mainly produced.

While little-known to the Western world, these islands consist of Sumatra, Borneo, and West Papua (of New Guinea), and contain some of the oldest and most biodiverse rainforests. Borneo, in particular, is the third largest island in...

By Nareena Switlo, Co-founder, Naledo

How to shop for sustainable and ethical spices. 

It’s time to look at your spices! We all want fresh, natural, and sustainably sourced spices… but that is hard to figure out when you are looking at labels on the grocery store shelf!

When we launched Naledo we were shocked to learn about the journey most of our spices take to get into our pantries. Spices can trade hands many times before being packaged. The result can be poor taste, additives (like sawdust and lead in turmeric powder), damage to our environment, and impoverished farmers.  

Let’s look at our favourite spice, turmeric. Some farmers are paid as little $0.24 for 1kg of fresh turmeric root. By the time it gets to the store shelf in powder form it can be $105 for 1kg. 

So what can we do to support a more equitable supply chain that empowers farmers rather than keeping them in poverty?

Our Top 5 Tips to Spotting a Great Spice Brands: 

By Justo's Craft Dips

Running a business with a focus on sustainability and community impact is challenging. But, for the group of young entrepreneurs behind Justo’s Craft Dips it’s oh-so rewarding.

It’s been just over two years since Justo started delivering his home-made dips in paper cups to his friends via an Instagram page. Starting this business as a group of 22 year olds with no business or food industry experience may have been an eyebrow raising move. However, it’s a decision that has yet to be regretted. Justo’s continues to make waves and disrupt the west-coast dip world.

The points below are tied to the values we hold as individuals, and as the leaders of our business. Our vision is to leave our mark on the landscape of consumer packaged goods – building a new industry standard that prioritizes extended producer responsibility, environmental stewardship and community impact.

Support for Vulnerable Community Members

Together,...

By Corks By Design

When it comes to vegan wallets and handbags, it can be a challenge to find a vegan, sustainable, durable, water resistant, light, soft and unique. All the things you want in vegan fashion.

Cork by Design has the Perfect CORK WALLET for you.

How can the bark of a cork tree is transformed into cork fabric?

After being harvested, the cork bark is left to air dry for six months. Then it’s boiled and steamed to get even more elasticity. Heat and pressure are applied to cork to press it into blocks, which are later sliced in thin sheets that can be transformed into a multitude of wonderful cork fabric accessories. Unlike the heavy chemical processing of leather, CORK FABRIC production is chemical-free!

Cork Fabric is Wear and Tear Resistant

Cork wallets are very sturdy and will last you a lifetime, even if you carry them daily in your jeans’ pocket. Thanks to its honeycomb structure, cork is highly abrasion resistant and has a high friction coefficient....

By Tubify

Plant-based and vegan diets have become super trendy, but what's actually the difference between the two?

The breakdown is; Vegan diets eliminate all animal products entirely, while plant-based diets focus on eating mostly plants, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains.

Vegan

As we mentioned above, people who live a vegan lifestyle do not consume any animal products in their diet and bring that into their entire life as well by avoiding products or purchasing clothing, etc. that uses animal products, or tests on animals.

Vegan foods include;

• Vegetables
• Fruit
• Nuts and Seeds
• Whole Grains
• Beans and Legumes
• Anything that does not contain animal products!

Plant-Based

Plant-based diets mean the person is choosing to eat whole foods, meaning the food has undergone little – if any – processing and is as close to its natural state as possible.

Which one is right for you?

Whichever one you feel good and vibrant on! There is no one...

By AlgaBloom International

Inflammation is an essential part of the immune system's response to injury and infection. But if it goes on too long or occurs in places where it is not needed, it can become a problem. [4]

It’s called chronic inflammation and has been linked to diseases such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, and autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.[1]

Spirulina is one of the most powerful anti-inflammatories found in nature. So how does this 3.6 billion year-old blue-green microalgae manage this feat?

The answer is the miracle blue protein pigment called Phycocyanin. It’s the “blue” in the blue-green algae and is one of the main active components in Spirulina. Phycocyanin fights free radicals and inhibits the production of inflammatory signaling molecules thereby providing impressive antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.[2]

Spirulina is also a source of Omega-3 - another important factor in reducing inflammation.
In...

By Wise Bites

There’s a difference between going technically vegan and truly embracing a healthy, plant-based diet.

For instance, each of us has known a few teens or preteens who have taken forays into veganism or vegetarianism, only to wind up on an all-pasta diet. (Our favourite kid interpretation of this was the preteen who was “vegetarian except for bacon.”)

In fact, it was concern about the low nutritional value of a lot of convenient snack foods, particularly the kinds we feed our kids, that prompted us to found Wise Bites, making our products with superfood ingredients that pack a big energy-and-nutrition punch.  

Here are a few tips to improve your vegan diet and make sure you’re getting all the benefits of plant-based eating. 

1. Check the nutritional value of packaged products. Take a closer look at the snack items you buy to see if they are as healthy as their packaging may lead you to believe. Many of the most popular snack products...

By RYP Naturals

The Process

The creation of RYP Naturals, or Reach Your Peak Naturals, is to provide consumers with nutritious, convenient, plant-based products while minimizing the amount of waste for the environment in the process. Ever wonder where the unwanted or imperfect fruits and vegetables end up when they aren’t “the perfect shape or pretty” enough to be sold at a grocery store? Our family manufacturing team works closely to support North American farmers and processors by sourcing those unwanted yet perfectly nutritious fruits and vegetables, dehydrating them and creating a shelf-stable product.

Our family manufacturing company North of 49 Naturals, uses a proprietary low-thermal drying and blending process that optimizes the nutritional value and effectiveness of our dehydrated products. Ensuring that the temperature during the drying process is based on the actual product temperate, so the food is never overheated.

We work with various...

By Komo Comfort Foods

Hi there! We are Fred and Jeffrey from Komo Comfort Foods! We are both vegan and believe plant-based eating is better for the people, planet, and animals.

Fred has been plant-based for over five years whereas Jeffrey is approaching one year. We think everyone can incorporate more plant-based meals into their diet and aim to do so through our foods at Komo. We’ve compiled a snapshot of our experience and things we’ve noticed after going plant-based.

1.  You may get many questions

 It is estimated that currently 3% of consumers follow a vegan diet, 5% vegetarian, 53% omnivores and 36% flexitarian. Therefore, plant-based eating is relatively new to many. Adopting a full plant-based/vegan diet can raise questions from others that see it as a major change. Being interrogated by family, friends or strangers is never enjoyable, but sometimes it comes from a place of genuine curiosity.

“I’m asked all the time – why plant-based?...

By Jusu Bar

At Jusu Bar, our founding mission is to help our customers take control of their health and wellness by making better food choices. That’s why we choose to make cold-pressed juices that function in any lifestyle. Whether you’re trying a juice cleanse or just adding a juice to your meal, it will awaken your cells and energize your life.

Here’s why we choose to cold-press:

1. At Jusu, we focus on maximizing the nutrient content and flavour of our cold-pressed juices. Our hydraulic press uses thousands of pounds of pressure to extract every last drop of goodness from fresh fruits and vegetables. 
2. Unlike traditional pasteurization, no heat or oxygen is used in the process, preserving all of the amazing nutrients that are typically lost.
3. Our juices are put through HPP (High Pressure Processing) as a final step after manufacturing to safely extend their shelf life without the use of heat or preservatives. High Pressure Processing is an environmentally...