Not so long ago, vegetarianism was a fringe lifestyle choice in North America. Meat was long considered to be a central part of a healthy diet, and the working assumption was that some kind of meat would be at the centre of every meal. But in the 21st century, however, this is rapidly changing, and Millennials in particular are leading a massive shift toward plant-based diet. As the way people eat changes, food culture is quickly changing as well, and this can sometimes be the source of conflict.
Vegetarians and vegans are pioneering new types of cooking based on meat alternatives like tofu, seitan, and tempeh, but many live in mixed households where their partners, parents, or children have more meat-heavy diets. Most meat eaters are aware of the restrictions that vegetarians and vegans face, and are happy to accommodate them — they tend to be much less willing to make significant changes in their own diet to do so, and this often means that vegetarians must be able to cook both for themselves and for their meat-eating friends.
This can cause difficulties when it comes time to shop for family meals, as vegetarians may be put into a position where they are expected to provide meat they don’t necessarily know how to shop for, and may be uncomfortable handling.
An increasingly popular solution to this problem lies in grocery delivery services that specialize in fresh meat. Grocery delivery in general has become extremely popular in recent years, and as the hunger for ordering groceries online grows, bespoke options dedicated to particular foods are carving out an ever-larger share of the market.
For example, businesses like truLOCAL have turned delivering sustainable, high-quality meat in convenient and affordable ways into a booming business, attracting customers across major markets like Ontario. The option to order meat online at truLOCAL is appealing because it offers a wide range of choice (customers can purchase everything from grass fed beef burgers to whole, free-run chickens and wild-caught salmon) and a great deal of flexibility when it comes to the delivery itself. Interested customers can have monthly fresh meat boxes delivered to their houses, apartments, and offices, and because the meat comes refrigerated, they don’t need to be home to receive the order. Of particular interest to vegetarians and vegans is the fact that all cuts come pre-packaged, so only minimal contact with the meat is necessary.
Recent data shows that the number of Americans who identify as vegan has grown by 500% since 2014, with 6% of the population now describing themselves this way. Clearly, those who choose not to eat meat are still a minority of the overall population, but as the number of people moving toward a more plant-based diet grows, many families are looking for ways to meet the various dietary needs of their different members. Grocery delivery services that make it easy to have premium fresh meat delivered in an easy-to-handle way are one way that vegetarians and vegans can accommodate their meat-eating family members without having to leave their own comfort zone.
