Scientists are exploring an unconventional food technology that uses engineered microbes to transform plastic waste and agricultural byproducts into food ingredients. Could this help address food scarcity and plastic pollution, or are we entering a dystopian future where we're eating cookies made from trash? We break down the research, explore the possibilities, and ask whether food technology is the solution to our unsustainable food system. A vegan creator announces they're no longer vega...

In this episode of Vegan Hacks Pod, Jason takes on a popular Top 10 vegan-friendly cities list—and has some serious questions about it. Portland takes the top spot, but should it? Why are Los Angeles, New York, Las Vegas, and other cities missing or ranked lower than expected? Jason breaks down the list from the perspective of someone who actually travels to these cities, eats at the restaurants, checks out the vegan scenes, and pays attention to the smaller communities and pop-ups that don't...

Can you be vegan… except for beef? It sounds ridiculous, contradictory, and maybe even impossible but there’s a bigger conversation hiding inside that question in involves plant based companies adding beef to their products! Send us Fan Mail

California was once one of the biggest centers of vegan food in America. Now, restaurants are closing, locations are disappearing, and even some companies that built their identity around plant-based food are changing direction. On this episode of Vegan Hacks Pod, Jason breaks down what’s happening to the vegan food scene from Hart House, Monty’s Good Burger and The Vegan Joint to the growing pressure facing independent vegan restaurants. We also get into the complicated story of Sunday Suppe...

Beyond Meat is going through another major transformation and this time, they're going way beyond meat. The company is launching its new PhytoSphere platform, featuring protein powders, savory jerky bars, Veggie burgers, beverages and other products built around the idea of stacking plant nutrients and entering “thrive mode.” But is this actually the future of plant-based food… or has Beyond Meat completely lost sight of what made the company important in the first place? Send us Fan Mail

There was a lot of panic when news broke about a tofu recall. But once you look past the headlines, there’s a much more interesting story. In this episode, we get into the Hodo Foods recall, what actually happened, and how one small, independent tofu company grew from a farmers market operation into a major national brand. But the bigger question is what happens when an independent vegan-friendly company gets taken over by larger corporate interests. We also talk about the future of flavored ...

Beyond Meat was once one of the biggest names in the plant-based movement—but is the company now moving away from the very vegan customers who helped build the brand? In this episode, I dive into Beyond Meat’s new collaboration with Milk Bar, where Beyond products are being used alongside real eggs and dairy cheese. Is this a smart attempt to reach the massive flexitarian market, or does it undermine the ethical and environmental identity Beyond Meat built its brand around? I also talk about ...

This week, I’m digging into some fascinating and occasionally infuriating vegan conversations happening online. First up: Miyoko Creamery. Miyoko Schinner reviews the current Myoko-branded cream cheese and explains why she has nothing to do with the product bearing her name. We get into what happened to the company she founded, how the brand changed, and what it means when a vegan brand becomes disconnected from the person and mission that built it. Then we jump into the increasingly strange ...

Beyond Meat was once the biggest name in plant-based meat. Its stock once traded for nearly $240 a share. Now it’s trading around 41 cents, and the company is taking the dramatic step of a 1-for-30 reverse stock split to avoid being delisted from Nasdaq. So what happened? In this episode, I take a look at Beyond Meat’s financial problems, its attempt to reinvent itself as a broader protein company, and what the company’s current situation says about the plant-based meat industry. But t...

My seitan (aka "homemade meat") video just crossed 2.7 million views on TikTok and gained me over 25,000 new followers but it also brought in over 5,000 comments, and a solid 60-70% of them were... not kind. In this episode, I'm reading through some of the funniest, most confused, most surprisingly thoughtful, and most unhinged comments I got — from people convinced I invented bread, to a self-proclaimed chemistry professor explaining gluten formation, to meat-eaters defending seitan harder t...