People usually take up a vegan diet to improve their health, for animal welfare reasons, and to lessen their impact on the planet.
Whether you’re a long-term vegan or a newbie, one of the obstacles to sticking to this lifestyle is being able to access good quality vegan products. Even though the growth in the popularity of the vegan diet has resulted in a multitude of vegan products coming onto the market, some of these products are not healthy food choices.
To help you make sure you’re getting the best quality vegan products available in Canberra, we’ve done some research and put together a list of things to look out for when buying vegan products.
What Makes a Quality Vegan Product?
Let’s talk about what makes a good vegan product. Here are some things to consider:
- Healthy. The most obvious and arguably most important quality you are looking for in a vegan product is that it is healthy – for you and the planet. Even if you are a vegan for ethical reasons, you should still be concerned about the quality of the food you are eating and products you are using. Read ingredient lists and remember vegan doesn’t necessarily mean chemical-free.
- Ethical. Of course, a large part of being vegan is avoiding anything that uses animal products. From food to clothing, you should always check with the producer that there were no animals harmed in the production of the product you are purchasing.
- Price. Just because it’s vegan doesn’t mean it should cost more than the non-vegan alternative. Some unscrupulous producers will try and charge high prices for vegan products just because they happen to be trendy.
- Reputation and expertise. Try and buy from suppliers that have a history of providing good quality vegan products over a long period of time in your community. A vegan product producer or supplier should be knowledgeable about the products they sell, and have a passion for veganism and all that it represents.
Top 3 Places to Source Vegan Products in Canberra
Let’s take a look at some of the great places to get vegan products in Canberra, from awesome restaurants and cafes to convenient food stores. Here are our top three picks.
1. Muse Canberra
Muse Canberra is a unique space that combines excellent food, award winning drinks, second hand books and intriguing events. Muse boasts an incredible and thoughtful menu, including many vegetarian and vegan options like Vegan Ma-Po Tofu. They also cater to events and are happy to work with you to meet any dietary requests including vegan options.
Fully licensed and located in the East Hotel, Muse is a great asset to the Canberra culinary scene.
2. The Cruelty Free Shop
The Cruelty Free Shop is located in Braddon and stocks a huge range of vegan products. In fact, they aim to “bring you the widest range of vegan products, including food, health, fashion, beauty, and household items.” It is a well known and respected business that operates in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and, of course, our very own Canberra. If you can’t find the product you are looking for in store, you can always order their products online.
The Cruelty Free Shop is committed to only selling items that support animal welfare, the health of the planet and the health of you.
3. The Food Co-op
The Food Co-op on Kingsley Street in Canberra is a long-standing co-op that provides not only vegan food and products, but also a great place to hang out and relax, listen to music, and enjoy free Wi-Fi. A combination of organic food store and wholefood café, The Co-op serves a wonderful vegan, gluten-free lunch, Monday though Friday.
The food is amazing and the price is unbeatable at only $6 for members and students and $8 for the general public. What’s not to love?
Your Experience with Vegan Products in Canberra
Do you have a favourite vegan restaurant or shop in Canberra? We would love to know about it so feel free to comment below.
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