A lot of us have grown up with Drew Barrymore, who first began acting when she was only 5 years old (Drew's debut was in Altered States in 1980). She's the kind of star who makes it easy to feel like you already know her; her interviews are relatable, she's been in at least one movie that you love, and her talk show regularly brings Drew into the living rooms of people all over the world.
Drew was raised vegetarian (these days she calls herself a flexitarian, meaning she eats fish every so often), and her recent partnership with meat-free brand Quorn makes more than enough sense. Drew spoke to LittleThings about her new role as Quorn's "chief mom officer," how to find healthy vegetarian options for kids, and why mycoprotein should matter to all of us.
First things first: Let me be the person to tell you that Drew Barrymore is just as nice as you think she is. In fact, she might be even nicer! Our interview began after I explained that my dog Ron Weasley has a chronic cough that Drew might hear, and she immediately wanted to know more before she showed me a video of her own cat, who has a similar cough going on. She didn't have to care about my dog, and a lot of people do not (I make this announcement at the beginning of most interviews because he's always nearby), but she did care, and it completely changed the vibe of the interview.
As a former vegetarian turned flexitarian myself, I was super interested in Drew's partnership with Quorn. When my own son was born 13 years ago, it was a little tough to find an abundance of vegetarian food options out there for him, especially finding options that didn't contain a ton of soy. Quorn is completely different, and the brand's meatless chicken products in particular are so close to the real thing that kids might even like them more.
Drew explained that her partnership with Quorn is a natural extension of her own beliefs and principles. As she put it, Quorn is a legacy brand — the company dates back to the 1960s but is currently at the head of the pack when it comes to making healthy meat-free alternatives for vegetarians and vegans.
Quorn's products are made of mycoprotein, which Drew says could be "the next great resource" for food, clothing, and more. As Quorn explains, mycoprotein begins as a fungus that is then fermented (just like yogurt and bread). Mycoprotein requires 95% less carbon dioxide to produce than beef does, which also makes it a planet-friendly dietary option for people.
To make things easy to understand, Drew and Quorn put together their own animation that explains exactly what mycoprotein is. The animation is cute — Drew is basically a modern-day vegetarian Ms. Frizzle!
Part of Drew's work with Quorn includes a commercial with ChiQin, a chicken mascot that represents the brand. Drew says she shot the commercial hoping it would help bring warmth and humor to the campaign. As plenty of us know, meat-free alternatives haven't always felt financially or culturally accessible to everyone. Whether it's because the products have been historically expensive or unavailable or they're just something people don't know about, Quorn and Drew are on a mission to change the way we all think about meat-free food.
Drew explains that one thing she especially loves about Quorn is that the company does not carry the judgment that can sometimes feel very prevalent in the vegetarian and vegan community. The team at Quorn just wants people to enjoy their food, no matter what you eat it with.
Drew says, "Being raised a crunchy California girl, I've always loved vegetarian food … but there's nothing like Quorn." And most crucially? Her kids love it, too.
So many children are passionate about environmental concerns, and that includes how what they eat impacts the world around them. Quorn is a great alternative to traditional meat products because making the food has a significantly lower impact on the environment and meat-free products obviously spare the lives of animals.
Drew hasn't eaten chicken in over a decade, and being able to feed her kids (and herself) such a great chicken substitute has been a game changer and gives her an easy dinner option after a long day. Which, if we're being honest, is all most of us are hoping for, anyway.
