The availability of plant-based meals in catering establishments has grown significantly over the past decade, and the era of French fries and boring salads as the only plant-based options is over. Plant-based nutrition is gaining more and more importance in people's lives, and restaurants are taking this into account. In the major cities of the country, the choice is plentiful - here you can order vegan snacks, sandwiches, kebabs, Buddha bowls, stews, sushi, cakes, donuts or try plant-based dishes in restaurants representing various world cuisines. From now on, it will be easier to find places offering plant-based food - useful information about them will be available on the website of the Čia Gali campaign.
From menu reviews to an interactive map, it's all on one site
In the spring of this year, the "Čia gali" campaign of the "Gyvi gali" organization was successfully launched. The aim of the campaign is to help the public discover plant-based dishes in restaurants and to encourage catering establishments to include plant-based dishes in their menus. The increased demand for plant-based food may have also raised the bar for restaurants. Consumers want quality, varied and tasty food, so it is no longer enough for restaurants to have only one vegan dish on their menu or to simply offer to remove animal products from the dish.
Currently, the campaign unites as many as 23 cafes and restaurants and the number of members is constantly increasing. Although there are only four fully vegetarian restaurants in Lithuania, other restaurants are not far behind in the abundance and variety of vegetarian dishes. Their range includes dishes such as pancakes, Asian cuisine, various plant-based burgers, pizzas, desserts or simply healthy and comfortable plant-based food.
So far, the campaign has only spread plant-based restaurant news through social networks such as Instagram or Facebook, help But the website has more advantages, with an interactive map, restaurants organized by city, and useful food-related reviews and news. Each restaurant also has a short but informative description that can help people choose a place closer to them.
"People don't always know where to find plant-based meals, so we're excited about each of our members and being able to introduce them to the public." We are constantly looking for ways to better communicate and promote plant-based nutrition. Currently, there is no other tool for posting up-to-date information about plant-based restaurants besides the international HappyCow app. It's nice to be able to present a local and carefully curated analogue. We hope that our campaign has created a website ciagali.lt will become a convenient tool for discovering new restaurants", says Aistė Aužbikavičiūtė, manager of "Čia gali"
The offer of plant-based dishes in cafes is relevant not only for vegans
Based on various public surveys, it cannot be said that the number of vegans and vegetarians in Lithuania is growing rapidly. However, during a recent survey, initiated by the organization "Gyvi gali" and partners "Orkla Foods Lietuva", it became clear that about a third of Lithuanians claim to have reduced their meat consumption in the last three years. Global concern for health, planet and animal welfare may have contributed to the changes.
However, even after giving up meat or other animal products, people remain loyal to good taste and quality, so they start looking for alternatives that are similar in taste and appearance to their favorite dishes.
Another part of society for whom plant-based dishes in the country's restaurants are also relevant are people with allergies to animal products. Cow's milk, eggs, fish or shellfish are among the most allergenic ingredients. Thus, when choosing plant-based dishes, people with allergies can enjoy their food without worrying about harming their health.
"In order to include plant-based dishes in our diet, we don't always know how to make them tasty, but public catering establishments can do it for us perfectly. We hope that the website created by our campaign (www.ciagali.lt) will become a convenient tool for discovering new restaurants for both residents and guests", says A. Aužbikavičiūtė"
