Except the major increase in demand isn’t coming from vegan diets? It is coming from the popularity of the nuts as a snack in the Asia-Pacific region, with India being the largest consumer nation. These countries have been and are still the largest importers and consumers of the nuts, and their demand has been steadily increasing over the last few years. While some demand comes from alternative milks and cheeses, the overwhelming majority is strictly for traditional foods and snacks.
We can call out human rights abuses without demonizing a group that is more likely to buy from reputable sources that don’t participate in human rights violations. I see a lot of people quick to blame vegans for any increase in demand for a plant product, even when it is factually untrue or at best heavily biased.
Sources for my claim, btw:
https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/global-cashew-market
https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/processed-cashew-market
Dо уоu еvеn rеаd thе ѕоurсеѕ уоu сіtе ?
Оnе mеntіоnѕ а саѕhеw bаѕеd mіlk аltеrnаtіvе whіlе а quісk оvеrvіеw оf thе оthеr оnе dоеѕ nоt соnfіrm оr dеnу іf vеgаnѕ аrе thе саuѕе оf аn іnсrеаѕеd dеmаnd frоm whаt І саn ѕее
Yes I did. Mentioning the existence of a cashew product does not prove the claim that vegans are the reason for the increase in demand. Maybe you should read the sections that talk about the largest increases in demand, the largest markets for cashew products, and maybe look at the demographics of the countries that lead in demand.
Edit: Here are the major points for anyone who can’t access the pages or is too lazy to read, btw:
From the first source: An increasing number of cashew-infused product manufacturers have attracted young and old consumers with the launch of new and innovative products, such as cashew-butter yogurt in the United States and roasted spice-coated cashew kernels in India. However, the application of cashew kernels in consumers’ diets has been steady in South America, with multinational manufacturers penetrating the market with assorted cashew products, suiting the healthier diet regime across the country.
Asia-Pacific is the largest consumer of cashew nuts in the world. In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the use of cashew nuts in regular diets and healthy ready-to-eat snacks. The rising number of manufacturers producing innovative cashew-based consumables has taken both young and geriatric consumers by stride. For example, roasted and spice-coated cashew nuts that appeal to the local palate were introduced in India. The demand for cashews in Asia has persistently increased as the imports for shelled cashews increased exponentially by over 700% from 4,321 metric tons in 2017 to 30,688 metric tons in 2021 in China, with Vietnam being the major import partner according to the ITC trade map. China leads the region in cashew import, followed by Japan, Thailand, and India, respectively.
From the second source, which talks specifically about the sales trends of processes cashew products, which are what vegans are being solely blamed for the increase in demand of in the article OP posted:
Based on product type, coated or flavored cashew is expected to be the leading product type in the global processed cashew market. Consumers’ preference to eat salted cashew or various flavors is fueling the growth in the segment.
Processed cashew are widely used in the food and beverages industry in various products such as protein bars and powder, cereals and muesli, dairy products, beverages, bakeries & confectionery. Amongst all, bakery & confectionery holds a dominant market share in this segment as processed cashews are widely used in cookies and biscuits.
In other words, while there has been an increase in some products made with cashews that are solely eaten by vegans, the vast majority of demand and the vast majority of the increase in that demand comes from traditional uses and traditional markets, not from vegan dairy alternatives.
