In celebration of National Ice Cream Month, PETA is urging Dairy Queen to make its menu more chill with vegans.
This week, Tony Award–winning vegan actor Alan Cumming sent a letter on PETA’s behalf to CEO John P. Gainor Jr. asking the Minneapolis-based company to join other leading dessert chains — such as TCBY, Ben & Jerry’s, and Pinkberry — in offering nondairy items.
“Given the increased global demand from people who suffer from dairy allergies and lactose intolerance as well as those concerned about their health, the environment, and animal welfare, it’s no surprise that the dairy alternatives market is expected to reach $19.5 billion in value by 2020,” he writes.
“Dairy Queen has the opportunity to broaden its appeal by offering healthier, “greener,” animal-friendly vegan treats.
“When TCBY added a chocolate almond-milk frozen yogurt, the company noted that the product was “so popular in the first week that TCBY locations are reporting as much as an 80 percent increase in sales.” In less than a week, some stores were already sold out. Pinkberry then launched its first dairy-free soft serve, joining other brands with popular vegan frozen desserts, such as Red Mango and Tutti Frutti. Now, to tremendous fanfare, Ben & Jerry’s has introduced a lineup of vegan ice creams for retail shelves and its scoop shops. I hope Dairy Queen will be next."
Alan, who just wrapped the final season of The Good Wife, also stars in a new Not a Dairy Queen vegan outreach campaign for PETA — whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat.” The campaign image is being featured at gay-pride events across the country this summer.
