Cheese is the most favorite food for almost 90% of Worlds population. The milk derived dairy product has won hearts of all age people be it kids to elderly family members and therefore its really hard to substitute cheese. This became one of the greatest reasons due to which many people couldnt completely commit to veganism. People at max converted to complete vegetarian but because of their love for cheese, couldnt fully become vegan.

Now the whole idea of veganism is to promote animal love and to prevent animal torture as well as protecting our environment. Therefore, in order to keep the idea intact and to help people accept veganism Vegan Cheese or plant based cheese was produced. The first vegan cheese was made using fermented tofu in China. Just like Vegan milk now the plant based dairy production companies also discovered new ways of substituting the regular cheese.

During the first few centuries the taste and the quality of this Vegan Cheese werent good enough to compete with the dairy cheese market. The reason was considered to be the raw materials soy rice milk were used during that time and the process which made it less desired. The price of the Vegan cheeses during the 19th century were also doubles of that the normal dairy cheese which made it harder to create a market desire.

In around 2018, the vegan cheese market flourished as the raw materials used were almonds, cashews, different oils etc. making it more tasteful as well as healthy. This made the demand for the plant based cheese reached higher than the normal dairy cheese all around the world. Europe became the country with the largest share of Vegan cheese production and sales accompanied by North America and other western countries. The total market value of this Vegan Cheese product is around$2.6 billion as of 2019 and is expected to increase up to $3.9 by the end of 2023.

Talking about India, our country has been considered has a largest vegetarian nation in the world wide but that isnt true. According to the statistics only 1.16% of the total population became vegan in the year of 2019. This was also possible due to the Indian plant based dairy companies which came up with new Vegan Cheese concept with all the different varieties of flavours like cheddar, mozzarella, cheese spread etc.

Now as this concept of vegan cheese is very new and also the consumers are bit hesitant with these new experiment it becomes difficult to open up to such options. Therefore, answers for many questions like the taste, quality and benefits of this cheese needs to be highlighted. Following are some Indian companies which have their Vegan cheese products in the market for exploration.

1. Urban Platter: This Company is the biggest producer of vegan dairy products in India. It had already flourished its Vegan milk business and also has many varieties of Vegan cheese. There cheeses are all made with cashews, almonds and coconut oil. This makes there cheeses cholesterol free, low in calories and high in nutritional value. This company provides with all the different kinds of cheese options like vegan mozzarella, cheddar, smoked cheese, parmesan, mild and cheese spread. The products priced around Rs. 440 per 200gm of every cheese. The taste value of all these cheeses were provided with very good reviews by the consumers and hence these cheeses are worth the try.

2. Bombay Cheese Company: This company was formed by Ms Anuradha Sawhney an ex CEO of PETA India. This company is also another plant based dairy products producing companies specially cheese. The first product launched by this company was the famous Cheddar cheese block. The cheeses here are made up of potatoes and healthy oils and are cholesterol free, cruelty free and rich in taste. The company hasnt produced any other variety of cheese except the Cheddar cheese block. The one plus point for this company is that there cheese are quite affordable compared to other companies. It cost around Rs. 199 for 150gm.

3. Live yum: Founded by a female entrepreneur Taanya Ravi, this company believes to serve both animals and consumers. The plant based company provides with three main cheese varieties like cheddar cheese, cream cheese and mozzarella cheese and all these are made with allergen free raw materials and zero percent cholesterol oils. This cost around Rs. 250 to Rs. 300 per 200gm. The taste and quality as marked by the consumers are quite good.

Conclusion: The whole idea of Veganism in India and the other parts of the world was made possible because of such initiative taken by many Vegan owners. All of this cheese must have high amount of nutrients as all of them are plant based and some of them are even allergen free too. The brands and the raw materials might make the choosing of the brands or products bit easy.

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Is India ready for Vegan Cheese? Heres the Answer - Krishi Jagran