It’s Time to End the Vegan Tax
No good deed unpunished…
It’s been 15 years since Starbucks started carrying soy milk in its stores in 2004. Since then, we’ve had two new presidents, we found out Pluto wasn’t a planet, and weed became legal in 10 states. So much has happened. But for some reason, we’re still being charged extra for soy.
In 2004, the world was much different for vegans. Often, the only plant milks you could find on grocery shelves were in non-refrigerated tetra packs: likely rice and soy milks found in the baking aisle. Vegan cheeses were pretty much nonexistent unless you lived in a larger city with boutique nutrition-focused stores or were willing to pay a lot in shipping. And when they arrived, you realized they didn’t really resemble cheese at all.
Though the products available that year didn’t hold a candle to the Miyokos of today, I was just as excited to try the brand-new options then as I am now. Giving up dairy meant significantly reducing my carbon footprint, lowering my risk of breast cancer and saving thousands of gallons of water per year. When anyone gives up dairy, vegan or not, they’re doing a favor to their health, society and the planet. Despite having lackluster options, the mere fact that they existed was cause enough to celebrate.
