Riteish Deshmukh, Genelia's Imagine Meats among winners of PETA India Vegan Food Awards

Bollywood couple Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia are co-founders of the startup Imagine Meats which aims to provide plant-based meat products to people.

Pic courtesy: Instagram

Mumbai: Bollywood star couple Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh's plant-based 'chicken nuggets', 'the Happy Bugs', have won the accolade for the Best Vegan Meat at the 2021 PETA India Vegan Food Awards.

The Deshmukhs have been developing plant-based meat alternatives under their Imagine Meat label. PETA, a global animal rights organisation, has been campaigning for people to switch over to a vegan diet.

Yummienss !!! Available in Mumbai , Delhi, Hyderabad, Banglore, Pune - adding more cities soon. Order on https://t.co/XQsi7qVHfP now!! https://t.co/H6MkjaU9e9

— Riteish Deshmukh (@Riteishd) October 28, 2021

The other winners ranged from Sofit soy milk (endorsed by John Abraham) to Haldiram's 'soan papdi', besides a vegan cheese, mayonnaise and even ghee. The online store Vegan Dukan was also among the honorees.

PETA announced the awards ahead of World Vegan Day (November 1) and World Vegan Month. In a statement, it stated that 63 per cent of Indians are inclined to replace meats with plant-based options and 75 per cent are unable to digest milk properly.

"From creamy, dairy-free chocolate ice-cream to meat-free chicken, all these innovative foods are making it easy for people to pamper their taste buds without harming animals," says PETA India`s vegan foods and nutrition specialist, Dr Kiran Ahuja