It could be because the country eats kosher, and many people strictly avoid pizza with both cheese and meat.
Or it could be because Tel Aviv seems to be becoming the vegan capitol of the world. But Domino’s pizza chain is rolling with it and delivering what Israeli customer’s want: a vegan pizza.
The dairy and meat free pizza for about $20 comes in family size and is served topped with vegetables and soy cheese. This bucks the trend in fat-frenzy North America where the cheesiest pizza is always forefront in commercials and advertising. Some pizzerias even stuff cheese into the crust.
The story with Israel’s vegan pizza started with the group we’ve reported on, Vegan Friendly, which claims to have a community of about 30,000 vegans in Israel. They wanted a good pizza and approached Domino’s to see if they could get it. It’s common for global food brands to adapt locally. That’s why you’ll find Asian-themed meals in McDonald’s locations in Thailand or meaty schwarma versions or kebabs in McDonald’s in the Middle East.
We like that an American food chain is adapting to a local environmental ethos.
Consider that Americans eat about 31 pounds of cheese a year. That’s a lot of cheese. Israelis like their cheese too but tend to stick to the low-fat fresh cheese, like cottage or light cream cheese at 5 to 10 percent fat. Israelis love low-fat yogurt too.
“Israel is leading the vegan revolution around the world, and this is another indication,” Omri Paz, the director of Vegan Friendly, told Haaretz newspaper.
Now Israeli vegans can eat good pizza with a good conscience. There are 50 branches of Domino’s in Israel. A good reason to visit Tel Aviv? Perhaps.
Author: Karin Kloosterman
Karin Kloosterman is an award-winning journalist, innovation strategist, and founder of Green Prophet, one of the Middle East’s pioneering sustainability platforms. She has ranked in the Top 10 of Verizon innovation competitions, participated in NASA-linked challenges, and spoken worldwide on climate, food security, and future resilience. With an IoT technology patent, features in Canada’s National Post, and leadership inside teams building next-generation agricultural and planetary systems — including Mars-farming concepts — Karin operates at the intersection of storytelling, science, and systems change. She doesn’t report on the future – she helps design it. Reach out directly to [email protected]
