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'Cruelty Free' Convenience Store Debuts

Specialty Food Association

Hangry Planet, a 100 percent plant-based, “cruelty-free” convenience store has opened in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The retailer offers curated snacks, meals, certified organic desserts, and other products that are sourced and vetted to assure that every product in the store is sustainable, animal-product free, and cruelty-free. Additionally, 10 percent of every sale made goes to several different charities supporting both animal and human rights, schools, orphanages, and impoverished communities globally via Moms Against Poverty.

The Hangry Planet is the brainchild of actor, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Bobak Bakhtiari, who has curated and designed every aspect of the market from its products to the customer experience.

"Coming across an undercover investigation into organic dairy farms by Animal Recovery Mission (ARM) and then reviewing the prolific global work of Animal Equality was like being zapped by a truth taser that left me sporadically sobbing for weeks," said Bakhtiari, in a statement. "What I learned of the systematic and fundamentally abusive practices on factory farms, alongside severe environmental consequences, inspired me to transition Hangry Planet to be North America's first fully plant-based convenience store. It's time for retail to robustly advocate for sustainability, animal welfare, and healthy products that aren't derived from abusing animals."

The market's offerings include a Laird's Superfood machine featuring vegan hot cocoa and golden milk, a range of certified organic vegan pastries from Black China Bakery & Kerri Kreations, including Oakland's Donut Farm, Grab & Go meals such as the Hangry Bliss Breakfast sando (featuring Beyond Meat, JUST Egg, and Follow Your Heart Cheese on a Gluten free bagel), hand pies like the Beyond Meat based mushroom-sausage scramble, Daiya burritos and Dr Praeger's veggies burgers, vegan empanadas, Oatly's soft serve,  Annie Chun's noodle bowls, a range of vegan jerky, and other plant-based snacks. 

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