Vancouver, BC – New York Times best-selling author and vegan Kathy Freston, featured Vancouver-based Daiya Foods as her favorite vegan cheese alternative on the Oprah Winfrey Show on Tuesday, February 1st. Daiya Foods, the innovative company that has revived the vegan cheese category over the past year, was featured several times throughout the episode as a delicious animal-free alternative.

Oprah and her 378 staff members committed to a vegan lifestyle for one week, meaning no meat, no dairy, no eggs – nothing that comes from an animal. Freston, who has been a vegan for 7 years, led the challenge, which included a shopping trip to Whole Foods Market where she showed vegan options to common animal-based products.

Taking the spotlight were Daiya Foods products, a line of tapioca-based cheese alternatives that are offered in Mozzarella and Cheddar style shreds with a new Pepperjack addition launching in March. Freston explained it was perfect for melting on your favorite foods such as pizza and grilled sandwiches. The episode also included Oprah enjoying Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds melted on pumpernickel bread as healthy vegan snack.

With an average of 6 million viewers per episode, Daiya Foods has witnessed first-hand what the “Oprah effect” has done for their growing company. Their website alone has seen more than two and a half times their regular traffic. They have received hundreds of phone calls from all over the world, and their Facebook and Twitter accounts have also seen a major increase in followers wanting to learn more about the vegan or “veganish” lifestyle. The company is thrilled by the attention, and feels fortunate to be included in this episode.

Daiya™ Product information
Daiya products are a deliciously dairy free alternative that melt, taste and stretch like dairy based cheese. Daiya is free of many of the common food allergens including; gluten, dairy, (casein and lactose), soy (common to many other non-dairy cheese alternatives), egg, wheat, barley, whey, peanuts and tree nuts (excluding coconut oil). Daiya products are free of animal products, cholesterol, trans fats, and preservatives. To find out more visit www.daiyafoods.com