April 26, 2017:

Dear Sir/Madam, SUB: RESOLUTION OF COMMITTEE OF DIRECTORS FOR SECURITIES ALLOTMENT Pursuant to the provisions of the SEBI (Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2015, we wish to inform you that the Committee of Directors in its meeting held on April 26, 2017 have allotted 10,20,000 Equity Shares on exercise of vested Employee Stock Options by certain employees as per details given below : - 7,70,000 equity shares of the Company of face value of Rs. 2/- each at a Price of Rs. 2/- per equity share under third grant of ESOP 2005; - 2,50,000 equity shares of the Company of face value of Rs. 2/- each at a price of Rs. 2/- per equity share under seventh grant of ESOP 2006 The above is for your information and record.

Pdf Link: Allotment Of 1020000 Equity Shares Pursuant Excercise Of Vested Esops

Source : BSE - http://www.bseindia.com

(This article was published on April 26, 2017)

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Allotment Of 1020000 Equity Shares Pursuant Excercise Of Vested Esops - Hindu Business Line

Edo state government is to commence immediate renovation of its Central Medical Stores in Benin City, in preparation for the receipt of about 2.6 million insecticide treated mosquito nets to be distributed to in the 192 wards across the 18 local government areas of the state.

According to the deputy governor, Rt. Hon Comrade Philip Shaibu, the move is in furtherance of the states health policy to collaborate with the World Health Organization, WHO on the roll back malaria campaign.

The Deputy Governor made this known while inspecting facilities at the state owned medical stores, in Benin, yesterday. According to him, the visit was to carry out on the spot assessment on the facility to know whether the medical stores has the capacity to keep the expected 2.6 million nets before distribution.

Comrade Shaibu noted that despite the short time frame, the state Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki has directed that all modalities must be in place before the arrival of the third and fourth tranches of the treated nets, adding that the governor also directed that the beneficiaries across the 192 wards in the local government must be properly sensitized towards the use of the insecticide treated nets before distribution.

Comrade Shiuabu assured that the state health committee being headed by himself will be thorough in the supervision and monitoring of the distribution process ,explaining that the state government would not leave anything to chance as it was ready to collaborate with all surporting agencies and the none governmental organizations to ensure equitable distribution to the 192 wards in the state, especially the rural communities.

On the issue of ensuring that the nets get to the rural areas, where they are needed most,we will ensure that proper monitoring is done across all the local governments and we are collaborating with non-governmental organizations so as to ensure that the right people get the nets. He emphasized.

Meanwhile, the deputy governor has said that his committee which has the Chief of Staff, Mr Taiwo Akerele, Chief Security Officer,Government House, Mr Haruna Yusuf and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Peter Ugbodaga members will soon carry out sensitisation exercise to educate the people before the distribution of the nets.

Dr Peter Ugbodaga, who conducted the deputy governor and his team round the facility, said the state has already taken delivery of the first and second tranches of about 36 trucks of the nets while about 34 trucks are being expected in June this year, adding that the excercise is a result of the collaborative efforts between the state government and the Catholic Relief Services, CRS, sponsored by the World Bank through the Federal Ministry of Health.

He expressed the states readiness to receive the consignment, assuring that the medical stores have the capacity to accommodate the 2.6 million treated nets.

Ugbodaga explained that the distribution of the insecticide treated nets would be done in July and August this year across the 192 wards of the state, being the thick of the rainy season when the cases of malaria are more rampant.

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Edo Govt set to receive 2.6m treated mosquito nets, as Deputy Gov Inspects Medical Stores - Nigerian Observer

Vinod Khanna met Osho in the 1970s. Influenced by Osho, Khanna soon started to wear orange robe, normally worn by the spiritual gurus disciples

The year was 1980. Actor Vinod Khanna was riding high on the success of his films The Burning Train and Qurbani. While Khannas fans expected him to increase the momentum, the actor had something else on his mind all of a sudden, he stopped all his projects and started to return producers money.

Amid confusion and rumours, Khanna addressed a press conference with his first wife Geetanjali to announce his plan to go to the United States to be with his guru Rajnish, popularly known as Osho, Indian mystic and spiritual leader who practised meditation.

The actor met Osho in the 1970s, when the latter was in Mumbai. That was a time, when many from the film fraternity followed Osho.

When Osho established his ashram in Pune, the actor started frequenting it. He used to finish his shooting assignments from Monday to Friday and come to the ashram every Saturday, said Sadhana Amrit, spokesperson of Osho commune.

Influenced by Osho, Khanna soon started to wear an orange robe, normally worn by the spiritual gurus disciples. There are stories of how he would insist that directors let him wear the orange attire even on sets.

When Rajnish went to Oregon in the US in 1980, he invited Khanna there, said Sadhana. Without thinking twice, Khanna went to Oshos Oregon ashram, where he turned took up the responsibility of gardening.

After returning from the US in mid-1980s, Khannas career witnessed a decline. His association with Osho and the Pune ashram, too, ended over some differences.

A few years later, Khanna reconnected with Osho, their association lasting till Oshos death in 1990.

Khannas contemporaries had it not been for the Osho stint, Khanna could have become the next Amitabh Bachchan.

Seven years later, Khanna joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and contested the Lok Sabha election from Gurudaspur in Punjab.

Three years later, he was made the chairman of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune.

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When actor Vinod Khanna gave up films, glamour at the peak of his career to join Osho - Hindustan Times

The Gujarat High Court today dismissed a petition filed by the Sant Asaram Ashram challenging an I-T Department notice about special audit of alleged shell companies owned by it.

A division bench of justices M R Shah and B N Karia allowed the I-T Department to go ahead with special audit of the group of companies owned by the controversial 'godman' asaram, and his institution, Sant Asaram Ashram.

The ashram floated several shell companies which indulge in money laundering, the notice alleged.

With the court dismissing the petition, the department will be able to carry out a special audit as provided under section 142 (2)(A) of the Income Tax Act.

Asaram was arrested by Jodhpur police on August 31, 2013 in a case of rape filed by a minor girl. Later, two sisters from Surat also levelled allegations of rape against Asaram and his son.

The self-styled godman is in jail, facing trials in the two cases.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)

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HC rejects Asaram ashram's plea against special IT audit - Daily News & Analysis

Members of the community during an aerobics session at Sam Hlalele Community Hall.

Professional dancer and fitness instructor Tebogo Malunga offers aerobics classes for youth, adults and veterans at Sam Hlalele Community Hall next to Tembisa Plaza from Monday to Thursday.

The classes are held from 5pm to 6pm.

Malunga, the founder of Bodycom Fitness Club, started the aerobics classes in an effort to help locals keep fit and lose weight.

He said his club strives to encourage members of the community, churches and schools to live a healthy lifestyle through exercising and eating healthy.

Malunga said he started the club in 2014, hoping to change lives in the community by fighting drugs, alcohol and chronic diseases.

I enjoy giving lessons to the community and most people who come and join us push themselves hard to get used to the idea of exercising. Eventually they make it a point not to miss a session. I am proud of them because they give me courage and they are eager to try new routines, said Malunga.

Malunga is encouraging locals to join the class, as he says staying active is vital.

Regular exercise helps seniors with blood circulation, mental health and physical strength, especially as they are more prone to get diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure, as well as obesity. Keeping fit should be part of everyones daily routine. I encourage people to eat healthy as this also plays a major role in physical health, added Mr Malunga.

Bodycom Fitness Club is targeting young people from 18 to 35 years, adults and elderly people.

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Aerobics to keep fit - Tembisan

A plant-based diet is increasingly becoming recognized as a healthier alternative to a diet laden with meat. In recent years veganism has become one of the most popular diets, endorsed by many celebrities and members of the medical community. Going vegan has many benefits for us and our environment.

Here are 20 of the most important health benefits of going vegan:

Scientists have been talking for years about the effects of greenhouse gas emissions on our atmosphere and planet. Now, more than ever, the need to find solutions for these problems has become urgent.

One of the ways in which we can help is by switching to a plant based diet. A study conducted by Oxford Martin School concluded that by switching to diets that rely on on vegetables rather than meat, up to 8 million lives could be saved by 2050, and greenhouse gas emission could be reduced by two thirds.

To assess the health and environmental impacts of imbalanced diets, researchers modeled four different dietary scenarios for the year 2050. These included a scenario based on the way we eat today; another scenario based on global dietary guidelines which include minimum amounts of fruit and vegetables and limits the amount of red meat, sugar and calories; and a vegan and vegetarian scenario conforming to dietary guidelines.

They found that adopting a vegan diet could reduce the number of annual deaths by 8.1 million per year by 2050. This was greater than a vegetarian diet, which reduced the number of deaths by 7.3 million, and the global dietary guidelines which reduced deaths by 5.1 million annually.

A vegan diet doesnt only benefit individuals, it also benefits the planet. The study projects that by 2050, following vegan diet guidelines could reduce food related greenhouse gas emissions by 70%.

Bottom Line: A vegan diet helps you live longer and benefits the planet too.

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20 Health Benefits of Going Vegan (+6 Delicious Vegan Recipes) - South Florida Reporter

Sometimes, the mistakes we make in the kitchen lead to our biggest successes. Most stories regarding the history of fudge, for example, allude to the fact that it resulted from a caramel-making accident. Similarly, plant-based company Louisville Vegan Jerky Company happened by accident. According to a feature onVice, six years ago, founder of Louisville Vegan Jerky Company, Stanley Chase III was working out of his vegan food truck when a mishap lead to most of his plant-based meats getting burnt to a crisp. Rather than toss the batch, Chase tasted it and he discovered that the flavor had not changed much, but the texture was similar to the crisp, savory, and smoky combination of flavors that he missed since cutting meat out of his diet. From this one mistake, Chases hand-crafted vegan jerky company was born. Today, you can find bags of the companys vegan jerky in stores across the country.

The company has been so successful, Chase told Insider Louisville we get emails every week asking where our storefront is. He continued,Thats where the conversation started. What if we had a storefront? Once I get an idea in my head, I cant stop thinking about it, and obsessing about it, and writing stuff out, and drawing it, and planning it. Chases dream of opening up a brick-and-mortar location will soon berealized and on May 2, 2017, when Morels Cafe, a restaurant that may never have happened if not for one little mistake, opens its doors.

The cafe will feature a deli case where you can order options like Buffalo chicken dip by the pound as well as comfort food sandwich options like plant-based Philly cheesesteaks, muffulettas, and other vegan comfort food options that Chase believes Louisville is lacking compared to other cities. In addition to that, Chase hopes to elevate other brands that are making waves in the plant-based food space with innovative products. I wanna feature something Beyond Meatis making, I wanna feature something Tofurky is making, I wanna feature something Miyoko is making. These are people whoare putting all their energy into one thing and doing it really, really well, said Chase.

The cafe will also feature store-exclusive jerky flavors from Louisville Vegan Jerky Company, so it might be time to start planning your trip to Derby City for the vegan food.

Of course, if you cant make it to Louisville, you can make your own vegan comfort food with the help of theFood Monster App(available for bothiPhone and Android). This recipe app featuresover 8,000 vegan recipes, has plenty of options for classics like Sloppy Joes, Philly cheesesteaks, pulled pork sandwiches, and more. Making vegan food delicious has never been easier!

Lead image source: Morels Cafe/Facebook

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Restauranteur Who Created Vegan Jerky by Accident Will Open a Droolworthy Plant-Based Cafe! - One Green Planet

Cashews have changed the game for vegan cheeses. They add a creamy, decadent flavor that cookbook authors and chefs have adopted in almost every new recipe I come across.

Vegan brands like Miyoko's Kitchen offer up artisanal flavors like Mt. Vesuvius Black Ash and Aged English Smoked Farmhouse as cashew-based options.

Unfortunately, if you have a sensitive gut or suffer from irritable bowel syndrome you may have a hard time digesting these nuts. Those who can't tolerate cashews are often sensitive to FODMAPS sugars and fibers that aren't digested by the small intestines. (If you find you also have a problem with onions and garlic, low-FODMAP options might be worth a try.)

My other irritation with cashews is they have to be soaked sometimes up to two hours before they can blend into a cheese sauce.

Extensive prep time is fine on a Saturday afternoon but not on nights when both my husband and I work late. Or, let's be honest, when I've decided we're having nachos for dinner and I forgot to soak the nuts in the first place.

Thankfully, there are nut-free recipes out there that are simple, healthy and delicious. "America's Test Kitchen" the Emmy-award winning cooking show includes a nacho cheese recipe in its new book, "Vegan for Everybody" (America's Test Kitchen, $29.95).

I was dubious when I looked at the ingredients alongside the picture in the book. I thought there was no way a mixture that blended boiled potatoes and carrots along with vinegar and nutritional yeast would come out anything like nacho cheese. Plus, the vinegar sounded gross.

I was completely wrong. The sauce came out smooth, tangy and with an unmistakable nacho cheese flavor and texture. Processing the potatoes released starch that gave it a gluey, stretchy consistency. Sauteed adobo peppers and onions added a Tex-Mex kick.

Use it as a chip dip or a topping on your taco salad. Reheat on the stovetop, or microwave in 30-second spurts, adding water when needed.

If you're in the mood for a mac-and-cheese style topping, check out the velvety cheez sauce in "Vegan Vittles," by Jo Stepaniak (Book Publishing Co., $19.95).

I got the original version of this cookbook in 2000 my first year as a vegan. I remember flipping through the pages on multiple trips to the college bookstore, trying to justify the $13 purchase on my 19-year-old budget.

This is still my go-to topping for macaroni almost 20 years later. Like the nacho recipe, it has a potato and carrot base that you blend after boiling. But this one adds firm silken tofu and lemon sauce to give it a creamier texture.

Be cautious when blending the potato, carrot and water mixture in both recipes. If the liquid is still hot, it can force the lid on the blender or food processor to pop open. I know this from experience. If you want to blend while the ingredients are still hot, only fill up the container halfway.

For a tangy salad topper or sandwich filling, try the Greek tofu feta recipe in Stepaniak's latest book, "Low-FODMAP and Vegan" (Book Publishing Co., $17.95).

The brine which mixes apple cider vinegar, water, miso and oregano takes about 3 minutes to make. Cut some extra-firm tofu into cubes and let it soak overnight. I ate the cubes solo, but crumble and toss on top of pasta to get a more realistic feta feel.

kwiginton@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @keriphoto

Nacho dip

Prep: 25 minutes

Cook: 5 minutes

Makes: 2 cups

From "Vegan for Everybody," by America's Test Kitchen, which suggests serving with corn chips or crudites. To rewarm cooled nacho dip, microwave, covered, in 30-second bursts, whisking at each interval and thinning with water as needed, or rewarm on the stovetop, whisking occasionally and thinning with water as needed.

12 ounces russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 small carrot, peeled, cut into -inch pieces (1/3 cup)

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 1/2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar

2 teaspoons salt

1/3 cup finely chopped onion

1/3 cup minced poblano chile

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon minced canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce

1/8 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon mustard powder

1 Bring 2 quarts water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Add potatoes and carrot, and cook until tender, about 12 minutes; drain in a colander.

2 Combine cooked vegetables, 1/3 cup water, 2 tablespoons oil, nutritional yeast, vinegar and salt in a blender. Pulse until chopped and combined, about 10 pulses, stopping to scrape down sides of blender jar as needed. Process mixture on high speed until very smooth, about 2 minutes.

3 Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and poblano, and cook until softened and lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, chipotle, cumin and mustard; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds; remove from heat.

4 Stir potato mixture into onion-poblano mixture in saucepan and bring to brief simmer over medium heat to heat through. Transfer to bowl and serve immediately.

Nutrition information per tablespoon: 25 calories, 1 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 3 g carbohydrates, 0 g sugar, 0 g protein, 208 mg sodium, 0 g fiber

Greek tofu feta

Prep: 20 minutes

Brine: 24 hours

Makes: 4 servings

From Jo Stepaniak's latest book, "Low-FODMAP and Vegan: What to Eat When You Can't Eat Anything."

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tablespoons light miso

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon garlic-infused olive oil

1 teaspoon sea salt

12 ounces superfirm or extra-firm tofu pressed and cubed

1 For the brine, put the water, vinegar, lemon juice, miso, oregano, oil and salt in a large bowl, and whisk until well combined and the miso is fully incorporated. Add the tofu and gently toss, using your hands, until each piece is well coated with the brine. Take care not to break the cubes.

2 Transfer the tofu and brine to a glass storage container, cover and refrigerate for 24-48 hours before using. If all the cubes aren't submerged in the brine, gently tilt the container every few hours to ensure all pieces stay well coated. Store the tofu feta in the brine in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

Nutrition information per serving: 76 calories, 5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 2 g carbohydrates, 1 g sugar, 9 g protein, 184 mg sodium, 1 g fiber

Velvety cheez sauce

Prep: 25 minutes

Cook: 12-15 minutes

Makes: 2 1/2 cups

From "Vegan Vittles," by Jo Stepaniak. Pour this velvety, cheddar-style sauce over vegetables, pasta, rice or toast points.

1 medium potato, peeled, coarsely chopped

3/4 cup water

1/2 cup chopped carrot

1/2 cup chopped onion

3/4 cup mashed silken tofu

1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1 Put the potato, water, carrot and onion in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to medium, cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.

2 Transfer the vegetables and the cooking liquid to a blender. Add the remaining ingredients, and process until completely smooth. Depending on the size of your blender, this may need to be done in several batches.

3 Rinse out the saucepan, and pour the blended mixture into it. Warm over low heat, stirring frequently, until the sauce is hot. Stored in a covered container in the refrigerator; leftover sauce will keep for about 3 days.

Nutrition information per tablespoon: 14 calories, 0 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 2 g carbohydrates, 0 g sugar, 1 g protein, 61 mg sodium, 1 g fiber

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Love vegan cheese but can't eat cashews? Nut-free recipes come to rescue - Chicago Tribune

While mouth-watering plant-based proteins, milks, and even ice creams have long been delicious enough to satisfy omnivores and vegans alike, vegan cheese is another matter.

Just ten years ago, there were perhaps no two words more disappointing than vegan cheese. They made most people, vegan or not, cringe at the thought. The greasy, waxy foodlike stuff did not melt even if Daeneryss dragons were to mouth breathe on it. You could blast it under the fire of ten suns, or cast your very best magic spell upon any brand of vegan cheese. It didnt matter. It. Would. Not. Melt.

Beyond the unmeltable factor, most vegan cheese products tasted less like the creamy, tangy richness associated with dairy cheese, and more like old American cheese slices left in the sun. For a few years. Some nondairy cheeses even contained dairy milk proteins to help the cheese melt, defeating the purpose for vegans entirely. Others were so loaded with unhealthy trans fats and other processed ingredients that health-seekers wouldnt touch them. Many vegans, myself included, just learned to live without cheese, defending the saucy goodness of cheese-less pizza and the many functions of nutritional yeast (which makes an excellent mac and cheese sauce, by the way). We learned to just smile and bite our tongues when our non-vegan friends and family members would inevitably utter that infamous lament while we quietly ate our cheeseless nachos: Id go vegan but I could never give up cheese!

But for the committed vegans, the how-can-you-live-without-cheese query was never as strong as the realities of dairy farming. While vegetarianism, which permits dairy and eggs, was popular in the 1960s and 70s as an ethical diet choice, the reality of dairy farming the constant impregnation of cows, the tearing of newborn babies away from their mothers, male cows suffering to becomeveal, and the constant infections, pains, and problems dairy cows experience in their udders, not to mention the environmental issues makes abstaining from cheese a no-brainer. No matter its flavor, texture, or cultural relevance, cheese is notworth the price of animal suffering, environmental degradation, and the human health risks.

Fortunately, going withoutvegan cheese turned out to be only a minor glitch in the big scheme of things.

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes of unmelted casein-tainted sludge, there came Daiya Foods. The Canadian-born vegan cheese company hit the market in 2008 with products that tasted and melted like real cheese in what seemed like a miraculous anomaly. How had they finally done it?

With tapioca flour, a blend of oils, the ever-popular pea protein, and a few other ingredients, Daiya redefined the vegan cheese market. But it was no small task.

Its incredibly difficult to have the smooth rich creamy texture of cold cheese and still have the same product melt or pool under typical heating conditions, Daiya co-founder Andre Kroecher told me via email. If you achieve that, its even harder to have it brown on top, and have the chew and stretch of a milk protein based cheese.

Its why even so-called dairy-free cheeses often included casein, the milk protein that helps it melt and stretch.

Daiya, says Kroecher, has been able to create a dairy-like experience both in flavor and texture that satisfies the cravings of meat and cheese eaters alike, while still being a vegan product. The brand even took its name, which comes from the Sanskrit language for loving kindness and compassion, because it sounds so much like the word dairy even though its routinely mispronounced as dye-uh ( the correct pronunciation is day-uh).

We wanted a name that sounded like dairy but that could become a household brand synonymous with great tasting dairy alternatives,Kroecher says about the name and the founders dont mind if you mispronounce it, either.

Kroecher grew up vegetarian, turning to veganism as he got older. His experience echoes that of most vegans, there was very little available as far as dairy free cheese went, he says. I always felt like I was missing out when Id see others indulging in great tasting foods made with fine cheeses. Id try every new dairy free cheese offering that came out but they were so terrible that Id usually have to throw them out.

It was this repeated experience that turned Kroecher, and Daiya co-founder Greg Blake, both musicians and entrepreneurs,into vegan cheese gurus.

Kroecher experimented for years on his own, eventually creating prototypes that would become the foundation of Daiya. They were so convincing, says Blake.

It took more than a year to create the mozzarella and cheddar products that launched Daiya into the U.S. market, revolutionizing the vegan cheese category.

We originally just planned to sell in food service as we had been told by experts that it would take millions of dollars to break into retail, Kroecher says. We spent a long time developing the technology and then sent it to various restaurants for testing. Virtually every restaurant we sent it to immediately followed up saying they were ready to place an order even though they didnt even know the price!

Daiya had succeeded in doing what no other vegan cheese company had done before it. While nondairy milk options and veggie burgers were widespread in mainstream outlets, vegan cheese didnt exist in restaurants often not even in entirely vegan restaurants. Daiya was all of a sudden finding placement in thousands of retail locations: pizza shops, college cafeterias, restaurants, and in the prepared food section at Whole Foods Market, where customers could find the cheese melted onto the house pizzas, but not yet for sale in the store.

There was actually a small scale black market forming for our shreds, says Kroecher. We had them packed in 5 pound bags but pizzerias and retail stores like Whole Foods were repackaging into smaller bags and trays and re-selling the product like crazy. We needed to keep quality control and capture Daiya branding so when Whole Foods told us we needed a retail product ASAP, we listened. Then they offered us a national listing if we could make the product in retail bags in short order.

The rest, as they say, is history. Already with a dedicated following, Daiyas cheeses began appearing and quickly disappearing from store shelves across the country.

There was just massive pent up demand and we had the good fortune of having a product that could deliver on unmet needs at a time when people could learn about it almost virally, says Kroecher. It was like people were discovering Daiya and then couldnt wait to tell all of their friends, and now they had the tools to tell them instantly and where it could be purchased. Pictures, reviews, emails, blogs, tweets, texts,all word of mouth and spreading the Daiya word for us it was amazing!

Timing, of course, couldnt have been better. Interest in plant-based foods is at an all-time high with people making the switch for health, environmental, and ethical reasons. Sales of plant-based foods hit $5 billion last year, and theyre outpacing growth of traditional meat and dairy categories in some cases.

Daiyas customers follow the trends of other plant-based categories. While theres certainly a dedicated vegan following who helped to launch the brands initial success, many of the companys core customers fall into the flexitarian category (or balanceatarian, as vegan meal kit Purple Carrot founder calls it).

Today, with placement in more than 25,000 locations, Daiya is just one of many successful vegan cheese brands. Kite Hill, Miyokos, and Follow Your Heart are three well-loved national vegan cheese brands, and theres another phenomenon that can be accredited to Daiyas success: Small-batch vegan cheesemakers are popping up all over the country. Here in Los Angeles we have a handful of artisan cheesemakers all with different specialties and focuses. But its hard to imagine them even attempting to do it had Daiya not broken the vegan cheese barrier and removing the taboo.

At the recent Natural Products Expo held in Anaheim, Calif., Daiya, which now makes its own frozen pizzas, yogurts, salad dressings, and several shelf-stable mac and cheese products, launched the Cutting Board Collection, a new line of cheeses Kroecher says are exceptionally authentic tasting and capable of holding their own against its signature products and traditional dairy-based cheese.

Theyre smoother than the original Daiya shreds, more passable as real cheese, and true to Daiya form, they melt and stretch like its other products.

Taste is such a subjective concept that we simply cant have just a few styles of cheese to satisfy what is currently serviced by hundreds of varieties of dairy based cheeses, he explains. The cutting Board Collection is aimed at providing enhanced and highly distinguished product diversity.

As the category leader, theres nothing but ooey-gooey opportunity for the brand.

The growing awareness of the relationship between what we put in our mouths and how we feel emotionally and physically represents a massive trend in the food business, says Kroecher. These new concepts of health, environment and resource consumption, allergies, food sensitivities and compassion towards animals is quickly becoming mainstream.

Todays market is like a gold rush for plant-based foods, says Kroecher, as manufacturers, restaurants, and retailers are making every effort to satisfy the demand in all categories.

Its where almost all the growth is, he says.

[We]dream of a Subway sandwich with plant-based meat options and dairy-free cheese options, Kroecher says enthusiastically, or even a Dominos pizza that can be ordered with plant-based meat and cheese topping options.

And making that happen is not a stretch. For Daiya, its inevitable.

Find Jill on Twitter and Instagram

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All images courtesy of Daiya Foods

Jill Ettinger is a Los Angeles-based journalist and editor focused on the global food system and how it intersects with our cultural traditions, diet preferences, health, and politics. She is the senior editor for sister websites OrganicAuthority.com and EcoSalon.com, and works as a research associate and editor with the Cornucopia Institute, the organic industry watchdog group. Jill has been featured in The Huffington Post, MTV, Reality Sandwich, and Eat Drink Better. http://www.jillettinger.com.

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Meet the Vegan Cheese Brand That Changed the World - Organic Authority

Any night-owl can attest to the pains of those summernights with friends where youre craving something greasy and delicious but, alas, the Taco Bell down the road is only open until 2 A.M. Well, those days may soon be over if you happen to live in Ontario, Canada. This June, Canada will be home to the worlds first 24-hour all-vegan fast food establishment. Looks like its time for us to start planning thatsvacation to Canada The drive-thru will be the second brick-and-mortar location of

The drive-thru will be the second brick-and-mortar location of Globally Local, a restaurant that serves vegan versions of fast food favorites with items such as the Famous Burger, a vegan version of the Big Mac, and other options like French toast, gyros, burritos, and grilled cheese, all for an affordable price.

Like New York-based restaurant The Cinnamon Snail, Globally Locals founderJames McInnes started off by selling his vegan fast food creations out of a food truck. With one brick-and-mortar location under his belt and the 24-hour drive-thru coming this summer, McInnes success is a true testament to the growing popularity of plant-based food.

Even if you dont live in Canada, you can still get your vegan fast food fix on with the help of theFood Monster App(available for bothiPhone and Android). This recipe app featuresover 8,000 vegan recipes, has plenty of options for burgers, loaded fries, and crispy, crunchy meat-free nuggets!

Lead image source: Globally Local/Facebook

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The World's First 24-Hour Vegan Drive Thru is Opening This ... - One Green Planet