San Francisco gourmands can barely turn a corner without stumbling across the city’s plethora of meat-centric offerings, including bacon-infused lattes, duck fat French fries and late-night bacon-wrapped hot dogs.
But when it comes to vegetarian- and vegan-friendly options, San Francisco ranks equally as high, according to animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
San Francisco snagged seventh-place honors among large cities – those with a population of 300,000 or more – in PETA’s 2010 survey of the most vegetarian- and vegan-friendly cities in North America, PETA announced Monday.
Local restaurants Ananda Fuara, Herbivore and Golden Era helped San Francisco beat out Los Angeles, New York and Toronto. Washington, D.C. took top honors in the big cities category, with Portland, Ore. and Albuquerque, N.M. placing second and third.
“San Francisco residents should be proud that their hometown is on the cutting edge of healthy cuisine that is Earth- and animal-friendly,” PETA executive vice president Tracy Reiman said in a prepared statement.
Recent actions by the Board of Supervisors also reflect the eating trends observed by PETA.
In April, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a non-binding resolution proposed by Supervisor Sophie Maxwell that designated every Monday as “Vegetarian Day,” also referred to as “meatless Mondays.”
That resolution aimed to improve the health of San Francisco residents by urging “all restaurants, grocery stores and schools to offer a variety of plant based options,” according to the document.
When considering each city, PETA took into account the number of vegetarian restaurants and vegetarian-friendly eateries per capita.
Mayor Gavin Newsom and the city’s tourism bureau will receive a framed certificate and letter of congratulations from PETA.
