#Tech4Good: New Browser Extension Automatically Filters For Vegan Products Online

The Vegan Filter, a Chrome browser extension developed by British tech startup Xarista, is now running on over 20 retail sites. The free extension is designed to help users find plant-based groceries, vegan fashion and cosmetic products faster by automatically filtering out all the other products that don’t fit the criteria. While it’s only currently running within the United Kingdom, the company hopes the browser can be extended to other locations and on more websites in the future. 

A vegan browser extension, dubbed The Vegan Filter, is now available on a host of new large shopping sites since its initial launch in June this year. Developed by London-based tech startup Xarista, the extension sets up automatic vegan filters to eliminate non-vegan items when you shop on select stores online, helping users save time and effort when it comes to searching through long lists of products.

In addition to the first batch of retailers working with the free browser, which include Topshop, Sainsbury’s and Holland & Barrett, more supermarkets and stores have been added. Among the 20-strong list are more big names like Tesco, The Body Shop, Superdrug, Amazon, Marks & Spencers and Deliveroo. 

When creating the extension, developers were hoping to help transitioning vegans with their short-cut concept for plant-based and cruelty-free shopping. “Being presented with vegan-only products lends long-time vegans a hand as well. Never before have there been more vegan products introduced to the UK retail market than in 2019,” said Isabella Aberle, the creator of The Vegan Filter. 

In order to ensure that users can trust the platform for accurate information, the extension has sought endorsements from key animal rights and vegan organisations. To date, 4 organisations and campaigns have supported the filter, including Animal Aid, Viva!, Retreat Animal Rescue Farm Sanctuary and ProVeg. 

On the day of its debut, The Vegan Filter scored second on Product Hunt, a daily leaderboard for the best products launched globally – reflecting the jump in popularity in veganism in recent years. Instead of being considered a radical alternative lifestyle, since the mountain of evidence showcasing the environmental, ethical and health advantages of plant-based, veganism has gone mainstream. Globally, Google searches for veganism have skyrocketed 550% over the past 5 years.

We are seeing more tech startups working on solutions for the growing plant-based and environmentally aware population. Here in Asia, a group of Singaporean university students have developed an app called Makan to deal with food waste in the city, for instance. Another app, PRAISE-HK, created by the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology (HKUST), aims to help city-dwellers predict which zones to avoid to reduce their exposure to polluted air.

Lead image courtesy of Freepik.