A December 26th New York Times article, entitled “Brazil Is Famous for Its Meat. But Vegetarianism Is Soaring.” details how Brazil, the world’s largest exporter of beef, has seen a major move toward vegan or vegetarian diets in recent years. There has also been a boom in business for plant-based alternatives to meat.

A survey by IBOPE, conducted in April 2018, showed that 30 million people in Brazil, or 14% of the population, call themselves vegetarian. This is an increase of 75% since 2012, when 8% of Brazilians defined themselves as vegetarians. According to the New York Times, this change is largely due to health and environmental concerns.

Interestingly, the New York Times article features a photo of cooks at the Hare Krishna temple in Rio de Janeiro, while Lalita Gopi Dasi (Luiza de Marilac Tavares), a Hare Krishna devotee who runs her own food delivery business, is interviewed and quoted as saying, “There is a shift of consciousness underway.”