Mark Bittman Joins Vegan Startup

Former New York Times food columnist Mark Bittman announced yesterday that he is joining a vegan meal kit startup called Purple Carrot as the company’s Chief Innovation Officer. Prior to joining the company, Bittman popularized plant-based eating through his newspaper column, addressing topics such as the almond’s relatively low drought impact when compared to animal agriculture, the flaws in American food safety laws, and the future of vegan fast food—as well as promoting veganism through appearances on NPR radio, MSNBC, and the Today Show. To explain his career shift, Bittman says, “Short of my going into someone’s home each night myself to help them make dinner, this is about as direct a way as I can imagine to help them answer the question; ‘What are we going to eat tonight?’” At Purple Carrot, Bittman will use his extensive knowledge of plant-based food to create weekly recipes and connect his network of chefs, restaurateurs, and farmers to the company in order to drive its mission to increase accessibility to vegan food nationwide. The startup raised $1 million in funding, launched a new subscription service, and will soon expand to the west coast, which increases its services across more than 70 percent of the country.