Veganism is a philosophy, lifestyle and socio-economic commitment that seeks to exclude all forms of animal exploitation for food or any other product such as clothing, leather or make-up.
The movement is growing rapidly in developed nations, where socially conscious consumers have the luxury of being selective in their sources of nutrition and clothing. It is further driven by concerns about the environmental impact of the meat industry.
Strictly speaking, the philosophy should also apply to a vegan’s investment portfolio, which means no meat or dairy commodities and only the stocks of animal-free companies. However, investors do not have to be a vegan to cash in on this fast-growing industry.
The rise of veganism has resulted in the proliferation of animal-free alternatives to all kinds of products, which is now a multi billion-dollar industry. The global vegan food market was valued at $15.4 billion in 2020 and is projected to grow by 9.6 per cent from 2019 to 2025, according to market research.
North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific have the largest percentage of vegan populations. From 2012 to 2017, the demand for meat-free food jumped by 987 per cent as global awareness of animal and environmental issues increased, according to the Vegan Society.
So it is safe to say that the trend remains bullish and new innovations in the production of plant-based alternatives to meat are likely to keep coming.
The vegan food products market is divided into egg and dairy alternatives, meat alternatives, vegan bakery and plant-based snacks.
While the Middle East market is still lagging behind other regions, it is gradually catching up, with growth likely to increase by 4 per cent to 5 per cent over the next five years. In 2019, the Middle East vegan market accounted for $176 million of the almost $16bn industry globally.
One option is to invest in start-ups with potential as an angel investor, taking on more risk for the opportunity of bigger rewards
Chaddy Kirbaj,
Swissquote Bank
Investors should consider exposure to this market as part of their diversification and sustainable investment strategies, with a broad portfolio encompassing different products and stocks from various meat substitute companies, dairy alternative manufacturers and plant-based snack producers.
In general, investors could consider two options. The easy option includes buying publicly listed stocks and equities in China, Europe and the US. A good example would be the California-based meat substitute company Beyond Meat, which has a market cap of $8.4bn after its shares jumped 35 per cent in a single year.
Another example is UK-based vegan food products company Nomad Foods, with revenues of $3bn in 2020. One of the best-performing stocks, Nomad’s shares surged 41.5 per cent in a year.
The second option is to invest in start-ups with potential as an angel investor, taking on more risk for the opportunity of bigger rewards.
Investors could also consider focusing on the distribution channels of vegan food products that include speciality stores and online shops. For a broader exposure, there are many thematic exchange-traded funds (ETFs) focused on animal-free products.
A good place to start would be the Vegan Climate ETF that specialises in investments in environmentally friendly and cruelty-free companies, with $18m in assets.
On the other hand, there are many ETFs that focus on a broader environmental, social and governance (ESG) theme that usually includes ethical treatment of animals, among other elements such as green tech and fair trade. Fidelity, Vanguard and BlackRock have ESG-themed ETFs to choose from.
As usual, due diligence is key. Thorough research will enable you to choose companies that translate growth potential into share price performance and avoid ones that speak the language of ESG but are unable to materialise their commitments.
Chaddy Kirbaj is vice director at Swissquote Bank’s Dubai representative office
Scorebox
Sharjah Wanderers 20-25 Dubai Tigers (After extra-time)
Wanderers
Tries Gormley, Penalty
Cons Flaherty
Pens Flaherty 2
Tigers
Tries O’Donnell, Gibbons, Kelly
Cons Caldwell 2
Pens Caldwell, Cross
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Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
How to vote in the UAE
1) Download your ballot https://www.fvap.gov/
2) Take it to the US Embassy
3) Deadline is October 15
4) The embassy will ensure all ballots reach the US in time for the November 3 poll
Results
ATP Dubai Championships on Monday (x indicates seed):
First round
Roger Federer (SUI x2) bt Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) 6-4, 3-6, 6-1
Fernando Verdasco (ESP) bt Thomas Fabbiano (ITA) 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
Marton Fucsovics (HUN) bt Damir Dzumhur (BIH) 6-1, 7-6 (7/5)
Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO) bt Karen Khachanov (RUS x4) 6-4, 6-1
Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) bt Milos Raonic (CAN x7) 6-4, 5-7, 6-4
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
Fixtures
Opening day Premier League fixtures for August 9-11
August 9
Liverpool v Norwich 11pm
August 10
West Ham v Man City 3.30pm
Bournemouth v Sheffield Utd 6pm
Burnley v Southampton 6pm
C Palace v Everton 6pm
Leicester v Wolves 6pm
Watford v Brighton 6pm
Tottenham v Aston Villa 8.30pm
August 11
Newcastle v Arsenal 5pm
Man United v Chelsea 7.30pm
ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
Types of fraud
Phishing: Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
Smishing: The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
Vishing: The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
SIM swap: Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
* Nada El Sawy
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
'Manmarziyaan' (Colour Yellow Productions, Phantom Films)
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal
Rating: 3.5/5
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