Leonardo DiCaprio Appointed Sustainability Advisor For Vegan Startup Perfect Day

Vegan startup Perfect Day announced it welcomed eight founding members, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Dariush Mozaffarian, and former United States Secretary of Agriculture Ann M. Veneman, to its Sustainability & Health Advisory Council.

The Perfect Day Sustainability & Health Advisory Council includes experts across agriculture, health and wellness, food policy, sustainability, and nutrition. Advising the company on its roadmap to tackle the most significant food and environmental issues with the greatest impact.

The Council members will guide Perfect Day on matters of health and wellness and the environment, all to help the company maximise the good it can do through its impact-driven business model. 

Commenting on the news, Leonardo DiCaprio said: "A full-fledged response to climate change must bring innovation to all aspects of our daily lives – including to the foods we consume. Perfect Day's forward-looking vision offers a new model for reducing the impact that our diets have on the planet. I'm pleased to be part of their advisory council and work together to support our shared urgent environmental mission."

Perfect Day CEO and co-founder Ryan Pandya added: "We began Perfect Day with a mission to create a kinder, greener tomorrow. Our mission is urgent, and the direction of this group will help us maximize our impact. Leonardo DiCaprio and our other Council members share our passion and hunger to combat the climate crisis and foster a global food system that prioritizes nutrition equity. Together, we'll work to bring more nutritious, scalable, and sustainable options to people around the world."

In keeping with this mission, Perfect Day commissioned a comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA, an evaluation of environmental impact measured by inputs along a supply chain) on its hallmark non-animal whey protein. According to the report, Perfect Day's whey protein production generates at least 85% and up to 97% fewer greenhouse gas emissions than conventional production methods. The company will further quantify its environmental impact beyond greenhouse gas in future studies, choosing to initially focus on these emissions since this is where traditional production methods have the greatest negative impact on the planet.

Ann M. Veneman, former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and UNICEF executive director, said: "Feeding our growing world population requires technology and products that are healthy, nutritious and sustainable. I look forward to working with Perfect Day on solutions to address these intersecting issues."

Dariush Mozaffarian, Tufts University Friedman School professor, added: "We need to scale innovative solutions that address global nutrition inequities and health challenges across our food system. I hope this Council will help guide the company's work to contribute to a global food system that is more nutritious, equitable, and sustainable."

The Council and report findings come on the heels of an exciting period for Perfect Day. Last year, the company launched its first commercial products in the ice cream category, partnering with consumer brands to create the dairy products people love in a kinder, greener way. Innovations in the cheese category and beyond are slated for this year.

Perfect Day partners Brave Robot, Graeter's, and N!ck's are making kinder, greener, delicious ice cream. Each of these partners has an exciting way for consumers to enjoy a sustainable treat, made using Perfect Day, this week to celebrate Earth Day: Brave Robot will be giving out free prints, Graeter's will offer free scoops of Perfect Indulgence in shops, N!ck's Swedish-Style Ice Cream will give customers a chance to win a year's supply of N!ck's ice cream made with Perfect Day. 

Founded in 2014 by Ryan Pandya and Perumal Gandhi, Perfect Day is on a mission to create a kinder, greener tomorrow by developing new ways to make the foods you love today — starting in the dairy aisle. Instead of relying on cows, Perfect Day uses fermentation to create proprietary 'flora-made' dairy protein. 

Perfect Day's animal-free protein can be used across a range of products — from ice cream and milk to cheese and butter — to deliver the same taste and texture of dairy without the environmental, animal welfare, or food safety concerns. 

Foods made with Perfect Day protein are naturally lactose- and cholesterol-free, and are coming soon to a fridge near you as the company expands its network of food and dairy manufacturing and foodservice partners.