Celebrating 30 Years of Boston Veg Food Fest!
Saturday, October 18, 2025
Join us on Saturday as we mark three decades of food, inspiration, information, and community.
The speaker room is on the second floor.
How Not to Age
11:00 AM • Michael Greger, MD
Best-selling author of How Not to Die and How Not to Age, internationally celebrated speaker Dr. Greger brings his trademark energy, humor, and evidence-based insights back to Boston Veg Food Fest, sharing the latest science on nutrition and healthy living. Dr. Greger has been a favorite festival speaker since our earliest years; we couldn’t have a 30th year celebration without him!
Dr. Greger’s science-based nonprofit, NutritionFacts.org, hosts more than 2,000 videos and articles on myriad health topics, offered free. A graduate of Cornell University School of Agriculture and Tufts University School of Medicine, Dr. Greger has earned international acclaim as a speaker and author. His books How Not to Die, The How Not to Die Cookbook, How Not to Diet, and How Not to Age became instant New York Times best sellers. His latest book, Ultra-Processed Foods: Concerns, Controversies, and Exceptions, will be released January 21, 2026.
In today’s presentation, Dr. Greger will discuss nonpharmacological means to target the Hallmarks of Aging, common denominators of the diets and lifestyles of healthy, long-lived populations, and dietary approaches to preserve organ function as we age, along with bone and muscle mass, as well as tips to combat skin aging, and more.
Dr. Greger’s presentation will be followed by Q&A, then a book signing.
The Omnivore’s Deception: What We Get Wrong About Meat, Animals, and Ourselves
1:00 PM • John Sanbonmatsu, PhD
Professor of Philosophy and author of the new, widely acclaimed The Omnivore’s Deception: What We Get Wrong About Meat, Animals, and Ourselves, Sanbonmatsu takes on the myths of “humane” and “sustainable” meat and explores what justice and compassion really demand of us in the 21st century.
He reframes the question of animal agriculture from one of “sustainability” to one of existential and moral purpose, presenting a powerful case for the total abolition of the animal economy.
Dr. Sanbonmatsu’s talk will be followed by Q&A, then a book signing.
Here are snippets from some of his book’s many authoritative reviewers:
“Stunning and brilliantly written. He digs to new layers of the crisis and also enables us to see the wider positives that arise as we embrace a plant-and-planet-centered diet.” ― Frances Moore Lappé
“This is perhaps the single best book ever written about animal suffering and why the world needs to go vegan. Yet rarely does reading a book of this depth give such pleasure. There is hardly a sentence that is not deep, surprising, important, and with the capacity to change our lives. It is a work not only of immense moral significance, but a masterpiece.”
― Jeffrey Moussaief Masson
“This riveting and thought-provoking book…is the rare work that engages our sympathies and our intellect in equal measure. A dazzling achievement.” ― Carol Adams
“Sanbonmatsu’s masterpiece is a must read for the unconverted and the converted. It is that compelling.” ― Marc Bekoff
“This book should be read by everyone…for it will fruitfully challenge how they think about human-animal relations, spurring them to imagine a new society predicated on compassion and reason. I cannot recommend this book highly enough…” ― Troy Vettese
“…urging us to question whether consuming animal products is an ethical way of inhabiting our worlds. Everyone who believes in justice for all should read this brilliant book.― Angela Davis
Food Demo: Making Watermelon Seed Mozzarella
2:30 PM • Miyoko Schinner
with a Q&A with Boston Globe writer Juliet Pennington
Beloved award-winning chef, pioneer vegan cheese entrepreneur, PBS vegan cooking show co-host, and multi-cookbook author Miyoko Schinner brings us her brand-new release, The Vegan Creamery. Don’t miss her live cooking demo (with tasting samples!) showcasing the future of plant-based cheese and more. She has worked for over thirty years to reimagine a food system built on sustainability, equity, and compassion.
Named a “Gamechanger” by Food & Wine and featured on the Forbes 50 over 50 list, she is the founder and former CEO of Miyoko’s Creamery, a company with products distributed in more than 20,000 stores in North America, and is often credited with having helped to create a new category of food. Miyoko is also the founder of Rancho Compasión, a nonprofit farmed-animal sanctuary and education hub for school children regarding the food system, located in Northern California.
Following the food demo with tasting samples, Juliet Pennington of The Boston Globe will do a Q&A with Miyoko. A book signing will follow.
Why Fish Don’t Belong on Your Dish
4:00 PM • Mary Finelli
Addressing the fascinating and often overlooked topic of fish sentience, and the eye-opening devastation to the oceans brought by the fishing industry, Finelli brings her decades of animal advocacy and her degree in Animal Science to these topics. She is President and Founder of Fish Feel, the first organization focusing on respect and compassion for fishes as sentient beings. She contributed a chapter on industrial fishing to the 2025 Elgar Concise Encyclopedia of Animal Law, and produced Farmed Animal Watch, a weekly online news digest. She contributed a chapter to Vegan Voices and co-wrote a chapter of In Defense of Animals: The Second Wave.
Finelli will discuss how fish and fish oil, often touted as healthful, are actually a health hazard. Fishes are admirable, sentient beings yet they suffer some of the worst abuses and receive the least protection or concern. She will show how industrial fishing is egregiously inhumane—including to the humans bound in the industry—and environmentally devastating. Fish farming, lauded as a solution to overfishing, is actually a huge contributor to the problem. Finelli will share how the nutrients derived from fish can be obtained from plant sources, and will explore the options.
Sunday
Our focus will be entirely on the exhibitor room—savoring flavors and cuisines, learning from nonprofit educators, exploring new vegan personal care and lifestyle products, doing your gift shopping, and stocking up on favorites!
ARCHIVE
Food Fest Speaker Archive
See a complete list of speakers going back to 2005.