ProVeg International
Evaluated Charity
ProVeg International engages in strategic efforts to promote global dietary change, reform the global food system, and reduce animal product consumption, thereby reducing the immense suffering endured by the billions of animals who are exploited for food production. ProVeg is involved in various initiatives, such as promoting menu changes in institutions, policy work, supporting new plant-based food start-ups, veggie challenges, and engaging with retailers. We were much more confident about the impact of some of their programs and activities than others. After assessing their body of work, we are less confident that ProVeg is currently as good a giving opportunity as the charities we recommended this year. However, we positively note that ProVeg’s School Plates U.K. program seems particularly impactful and cost-effective. Additionally, their policy work at both national and international levels seems to be resulting in positive policy changes.
| Primary area of work: | Cultured and Plant-Based Food Tech |
| Review Published: | 2024 |
Appetite for a better world
What does ProVeg International do?
ProVeg International is a food awareness organization with offices in 14 countries across five continents. They work to transform the global food system by replacing 50% of animal products globally with plant-based and cultivated foods by 2040. ProVeg engages with all relevant stakeholders to create a food system where everyone chooses delicious and healthy food that is good for all humans, animals, and our planet.
2023 revenue: $15,736,711
Staff size: 272 (95 full-time, 108 part-time, 69 contractors)
Year founded: 2018
How is ProVeg’s organizational health?
Our assessment indicates ProVeg has positive staff engagement (average staff engagement survey score = 4.4/5) and is operating in ways that support their effectiveness and stability. They administer regular staff engagement surveys, have formal internal policies in place that are shared with all staff, and have a dedicated reserves fund and a sustainable proportion of recurring revenue. ProVeg’s operations could benefit from reviewing their org-wide compensation and support systems, and they could implement further measures to ensure all staff feel empowered and mission-aligned. The vast majority of comments provided in the staff survey were positive. Staff noted their appreciation for the trust and autonomy they receive, and they work within a skilled, diverse team that fosters an inclusive work culture. ProVeg also has established a worker’s council and whistleblower system.
How does ProVeg create change for animals?
By promoting plant-based diets, ProVeg aims to help the billions of animals trapped in the industrial factory farming system. These animals suffer immensely, from their births to their premature deaths. ProVeg engages in a wide range of mutually reinforcing activities and programs that promote global diet change. Their policy work seems effective at both international and national levels. Their retailer and corporate engagement efforts are comprehensive and evidence-based. Their existing grants program and their new Kickstarting for Good Program (partially) address priority funding and talent gaps in the movement, respectively. ProVeg also contributes to the broader animal advocacy movement. However, their Start-up Incubator, Food Innovation Challenge, and Veggie Challenge programs do not seem to be as promising as their other programs. We positively note that their School Plates U.K. campaign seems highly cost effective, but it represents only a small fraction of ProVeg’s expenditures, so our cost-effectiveness analysis played a limited role in our recommendation decision for ProVeg.
See more details on ProVeg’s theory of change.
See our How We Evaluate Charities web page for information about our charity selection, evaluation methods, and decision-making process.
ProVeg’s Recent Achievements
- The ProVeg School Plates Program is on track to grow to 90 catering partners by the end of 2024. This year alone, the program has swapped 12.5 million meals from meat-based to meat-free or plant-based.
- ProVeg gained observer status at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and has been actively advocating for plant-based solutions at the Bonn Climate Change Conference, UN events in New York, and Climate Week.
- ProVeg successfully implemented the Protein Tracker in eight of the largest retailers in the Netherlands, enabling them to track and shift the ratio of plant-based versus animal-based proteins sold.
