Thistle, the leading tech-enabled food and nutrition company that delivers delicious, ready-to-eat plant-forward and planet-friendly meals to customer doorsteps, today announces the launch of Thistle meal subscriptions on the East Coast. Customers get access to an ever-changing menu of the best-tasting, freshest, ready-to-eat plant-forward meals, snacks, soups, and organic cold-pressed juices conveniently delivered to their doorstep up to twice per week. Thistle now delivers to Manhattan and Philadelphia residents, and will continue expansion throughout the greater Northeast.
A growing awareness among American consumers of the negative health and environmental impacts of meat-centric diets has fueled the rise of those who identify as “flexitarian” or even “vegan-curious”. However, sticking to a plant-based diet is challenging – it’s difficult and time-consuming to plan, shop for, and cook meals that taste great, provide variety, and are nutritionally optimized. Thistle solves these challenges by delivering a globally-inspired menu of incredibly craveable, ready-to-eat plant-forward breakfasts, lunches, and dinners to customer doorsteps. Thistle meals are designed by nutritionists and chefs using evidence-based dietary principles that lead to better health, with a focus on real, whole, plant-based foods (i.e. fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, and whole grains). Meals are always fresh and free of dairy, gluten, refined white sugars, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, and additives. Above all, Thistle aims to show that eating a healthy, sustainable, plant-forward diet can be the most delicious option on the table.
“There is a transformative shift occurring among consumers who are turning to plant-based food as medicine and embodying a lifestyle centered around health and wellness,” says Ashwin Cheriyan, co-founder and CEO of Thistle. “But with our lives as busy as ever, it’s hard to know how to begin and even harder to maintain a plant-forward diet. Our customers come to Thistle looking for a convenient solution to eat healthier while knowing they are making a positive environmental impact by eating less meat – with none of the sacrifices.”
Eating a diet composed primarily of plants is one of the best ways to reduce your environmental footprint. What you eat – and specifically, the percent of your diet that comes from animal products – is the biggest driver of our food system’s greenhouse gas emissions and other negative environmental impacts. Meat and dairy products have 10-100x the emissions of plant-based foods, and account for about 60% of food system emissions overall. And because animal agriculture is massively resource intensive, it’s a leading driver of deforestation, species extinction, freshwater use, land use, and air and water pollution. Given its devastating environmental impact, scientists say avoiding meat and dairy is the single biggest way for individuals to reduce our overall impact on the planet. A recent study found that phasing out global meat consumption over 15 years would have the same climate benefit as a 68% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions through 2100 and provide more than half of the net emission reductions necessary to limit warming to 2°C.
“We’re working hard to build a more sustainable food system that makes plants accessible and, above all, irresistible,” says Shiri Avnery, PhD, co-founder and President of Thistle. “It’s not about banning meat, but making it obsolete with plant-based food so good you won’t even miss it. We empower people to harness the power of plants to better their health and the health of the planet. Our expansion to the East Coast is an incredibly exciting step in scaling our impact.”
Thistle’s full rotating menu is available on the East Coast, including new dishes and customer favorites such as Za’atar Orzo Salad with Tofu “Feta” and Tahini Mint Dressing, Green Olive Pasta with Crimini Mushrooms, Passion Fruit Colada Smoothie with Toasted Coconut, and Reish Chocolate-Chunk Cookie Dough Balls.
Thistle has delivered over 15 million meals on the West Coast since 2015, and with its rapid growth plans, expects to more than double its customer reach by the end of 2023.
