GHT Companies has introduced Vegan Life Nutrition (VLN), to provide nutritional supplements that are completely free of animal products.
 
A Harris Poll conducted in 2016 found that approximately 3% of the U.S. population eats a strictly vegetarian diet, and about a half of those are vegan. The bigger revelation was that 36% opt for at least some vegetarian meals on a regular basis. All of this points to an emerging trend toward a decreasing reliance on animal-based nutrition. 
 
Some of the main factors driving the decrease in consumption of meat products are the desire for a healthier diet, concern for animals, and awareness of the impact that farm animals have on the environment. Concurrently, the over-consumption of artificial ingredients and chemicals in the food supply is a major cause for concern. 
 
Choosing to move away from a meat-heavy diet may result in numerous health benefits such as weight loss and a decrease in blood cholesterol, the company claimed. But research has also uncovered a prevalence of potential nutritional deficiencies associated with a plant-based diet. Vitamin B12 and D3 are both included in this category. VLN’s D3 products are derived from lichen, an all-natural, unique plant source; and the B12 products use cyanocobalamin, the optimal source of vitamin B12.
 
According to a study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, two thirds of people who ate a vegetarian diet and 92% of those who followed the stricter vegan guidelines were found to be deficient in vitamin B12. This same publication reports that vitamin D deficiency is now considered a pandemic, among people who follow all dietary regimens. 
 
The VLN line is available online and through partnerships with medical providers and currently offers a number of B12 and D3 vegan supplements, including a combination of the two. Plans to expand the product line to offer more vital nutrients in vegan form are already in the works.