More and more people are switching to a plant-based diet, which means they don’t eat dairy products like cheese. However, some people struggle to give up cheese and look for good replacements. That’s where businesses like Willicroft and I Am Nut Ok come in. They create vegan cheese substitutes that imitate popular cheeses like gouda and parmesan. These substitutes are made from beans, nuts, or coconut starch instead of dairy. Vegan cheese is a growing market around the world and is predicted to be worth $7 billion by 2030. However, some businesses are facing challenges due to Brexit and rising costs of production. Retailers like Tesco are increasing their focus on offering more plant-based cheeses to meet the demand of customers. While vegan cheese substitutes need to deliver on taste and experience, and be affordable enough for people to buy regularly.
Original news source: Vegan ‘cheese’ market booms as demand grows (BBC)
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Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– Brainstorming Activity
Instructions: Ask the students what they think about a plant-based diet and vegan cheese substitutes. Write down their ideas on the whiteboard. Encourage them to speak in English and help them with any vocabulary they might need.
– Role-Playing Activity
Instructions: Divide the class into pairs. One student will be the customer, and the other will be the shopkeeper. The customer will ask for different types of vegan cheese substitutes, and the shopkeeper will recommend some based on their taste and experience. Encourage the students to use English phrases like “Can I help you?” and “What can I get for you?”
– Opinion Writing
Instructions: Ask the students to write a short paragraph expressing their opinion about vegan cheese substitutes. Encourage them to use English phrases like “In my opinion” and “I think that.” This activity will help them practice writing in English and expressing their opinions.
– Table Filling
Instructions: Prepare a table on the whiteboard with the names of different vegan cheese substitutes and their prices. Ask the students to fill in the missing information based on the article. This activity will help them practice reading comprehension and learning vocabulary related to prices and numbers.
Comprehension Questions:
1. What does it mean to have a plant-based diet?
2. What are some businesses that make vegan cheese?
3. What are vegan cheese substitutes made of instead of dairy?
4. Why is vegan cheese becoming more popular around the world?
5. What challenges are some businesses facing when making vegan cheese?
6. What is Tesco doing to meet the demand for plant-based cheese?
7. What do vegan cheese substitutes need to be to be successful?
8. Do people who switch to a plant-based diet eat dairy products?
Go to answers ⇩
Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
More and more people are switching to a (1)________ diet, which means they don’t eat dairy products like cheese. However, some people struggle to give up cheese and look for good (2)________. That’s where businesses like Willicroft and I Am Nut Ok come in. They create vegan cheese (3)________ that imitate popular cheeses like gouda and parmesan. These substitutes are made from beans, (4)________, or coconut starch instead of dairy. Vegan cheese is a growing market around the world and is predicted to be (5)________ $7 billion by 2030. However, some businesses are facing (6)________ due to Brexit and rising costs of production. Retailers like Tesco are increasing their focus on offering more plant-based cheeses to meet the (7)________ of customers. While vegan cheese substitutes need to deliver on taste and experience, and be (8)________ enough for people to buy regularly.
Go to answers ⇩
Discussion Questions:
Students can ask a partner these questions, or discuss them as a group.
1. Do you like cheese?
2. Have you ever tried vegan cheese?
3. What is vegan cheese made from?
4. Why are more people switching to a plant-based diet?
5. Do you think vegan cheese tastes like real cheese?
6. Are vegan cheese substitutes expensive?
7. What challenges are businesses facing when making vegan cheese?
8. Do you think vegan cheese will be more popular in the future?
9. Have you ever tried gouda or parmesan cheese?
10. Do you think it’s important for retailers to offer plant-based cheeses?
11. What do you think is the most important thing about vegan cheese substitutes?
12. Do you think you would ever try a vegan cheese substitute?
13. Why do you think people struggle to give up cheese?
14. What are some other dairy products people might give up for a plant-based diet?
15. Do you think you could ever be a vegan? Why or why not?
Individual Activities
Vocabulary Meanings:
Match each word to its meaning.
Words:
1. vegan
2. cheese
3. substitutes
4. dairy
5. gouda
6. parmesan
7. market
8. retailers
Meanings:
A) A type of cheese made from cow’s milk
B) Stores that sell products to customers
C) Products that replace something else
D) Food that does not come from animals
E) A type of cheese that is often used in sandwiches
F) A type of cheese that is often used on pasta
G) A place where products are sold
H) The demand for a particular product or service
Go to answers ⇩
Multiple Choice Questions:
1. What is a plant-based diet?
(a) a diet where people only eat meat
(b) a diet where people only eat vegetables
(c) a diet where people don’t eat dairy products
(d) a diet where people only eat sugar
2. What is a vegan cheese substitute made of?
(a) beans, nuts, or coconut starch
(b) meat and cheese
(c) sugar and flour
(d) fish and rice
3. Why are people switching to plant-based diets?
(a) because they hate the taste of meat
(b) because they love vegetables
(c) because they want to be healthier
(d) because they want to eat more candy
4. What are some popular cheeses that vegan substitutes imitate?
(a) mozzarella and cheddar
(b) chocolate and caramel
(c) gouda and parmesan
(d) fried chicken and steak
5. What is the predicted value of the vegan cheese market by 2030?
(a) $7 million
(b) $7 billion
(c) $7 trillion
(d) $7 quadrillion
6. What are some challenges that vegan cheese businesses face?
(a) Brexit and rising production costs
(b) too much demand for their products
(c) too many sales
(d) not enough customers
7. What is Tesco doing to meet the demand for plant-based cheeses?
(a) they’re increasing their focus on offering more options
(b) they’re only selling meat products
(c) they’re closing down
(d) they’re not doing anything
8. What do vegan cheese substitutes need to deliver on?
(a) taste and experience
(b) affordability and convenience
(c) color and texture
(d) smell and packaging
Go to answers ⇩
True or False Questions:
1. Many people are eating less dairy and choosing plant-based diets.
2. People find it easy to stop eating cheese and want alternatives.
3. Willicroft and I Am Nut Ok make vegan cheese substitutes.
4. Vegan cheese is made from beans, nuts, or coconut starch instead of dairy.
5. Vegan cheese is not popular around the world and not expected to grow.
6. Brexit and production costs are causing problems for some businesses making vegan cheese.
7. Tesco is starting to sell more plant-based cheese because customers want it.
8. Vegan cheese substitutes should taste bad and be too expensive for people to buy.
Go to answers ⇩
Write a Summary:
Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
Writing Questions:
Answer the following questions. Write as much as you can for each answer.
1. What is a plant-based diet?
2. Why do some people struggle to give up cheese?
3. What are Willicroft and I Am Nut Ok?
4. What are vegan cheese substitutes made from?
5. Why are some businesses facing challenges with vegan cheese production?
Answers
Comprehension Question Answers:
1. What does it mean to have a plant-based diet?
– A plant-based diet means you eat mostly plant foods like fruits, vegetables, and grains, and you don’t eat a lot of meat or dairy products.
2. What are some businesses that make vegan cheese?
– Willicroft and I Am Nut Ok are businesses that make vegan cheese substitutes.
3. What are vegan cheese substitutes made of instead of dairy?
– Vegan cheese substitutes are made from things like beans, nuts, or coconut starch instead of using milk or cheese.
4. Why is vegan cheese becoming more popular around the world?
– More people are switching to a plant-based diet, and vegan cheese substitutes are a good replacement for real cheese.
5. What challenges are some businesses facing when making vegan cheese?
– Some businesses are facing challenges because of Brexit and rising costs of production.
6. What is Tesco doing to meet the demand for plant-based cheese?
– Tesco is increasing their focus on offering more plant-based cheeses to meet the demand of customers.
7. What do vegan cheese substitutes need to be to be successful?
– Vegan cheese substitutes need to taste good, be enjoyable to eat, and be affordable enough for people to buy regularly.
8. Do people who switch to a plant-based diet eat dairy products?
– No, people who switch to a plant-based diet don’t eat dairy products like cheese.
Go back to questions ⇧
Listen and Fill in the Gaps Answers:
1. plant-based
2. replacements
3. substitutes
4. nuts
5. worth
6. challenges
7. demand
8. affordable
Go back to questions ⇧
Vocabulary Meanings Answers:
1. vegan
Answer: D) Food that does not come from animals
2. cheese
Answer: A) A type of cheese made from cow’s milk
3. substitutes
Answer: C) Products that replace something else
4. dairy
Answer: A) A type of cheese made from cow’s milk
5. gouda
Answer: E) A type of cheese that is often used in sandwiches
6. parmesan
Answer: F) A type of cheese that is often used on pasta
7. market
Answer: H) The demand for a particular product or service
8. retailers
Answer: G) A place where products are sold
Go back to questions ⇧
Multiple Choice Answers:
1. What is a plant-based diet?
Answer: (c) a diet where people don’t eat dairy products
2. What is a vegan cheese substitute made of?
Answer: (a) beans, nuts, or coconut starch
3. Why are people switching to plant-based diets?
Answer: (c) because they want to be healthier
4. What are some popular cheeses that vegan substitutes imitate?
Answer: (c) gouda and parmesan
5. What is the predicted value of the vegan cheese market by 2030?
Answer: (b) $7 billion
6. What are some challenges that vegan cheese businesses face?
Answer: (a) Brexit and rising production costs
7. What is Tesco doing to meet the demand for plant-based cheeses?
Answer: (a) they’re increasing their focus on offering more options
8. What do vegan cheese substitutes need to deliver on?
Answer: (a) taste and experience
Go back to questions ⇧
True or False Answers:
1. Many people are eating less dairy and choosing plant-based diets.
Answer: True
2. People find it easy to stop eating cheese and want alternatives.
Answer: False
3. Willicroft and I Am Nut Ok make vegan cheese substitutes.
Answer: True
4. Vegan cheese is made from beans, nuts, or coconut starch instead of dairy.
Answer: True
5. Vegan cheese is not popular around the world and not expected to grow.
Answer: False
6. Brexit and production costs are causing problems for some businesses making vegan cheese.
Answer: True
7. Tesco is starting to sell more plant-based cheese because customers want it.
Answer: True
8. Vegan cheese substitutes should taste bad and be too expensive for people to buy.
Answer: False
Go back to questions ⇧
