Cold turkey on meat and dairy in ‘Veganuary’
Supermarkets report surging sales of vegan food as campaign claims 120,000 more converts
‘VEGANUARY’ has become the latesttrend for those looking to follow the New Year with a detox after a surge in demand for meat and dairy-free food.
The number of people committing to eat a vegan diet this month has risen from 1,500 in 2014 to 52,000 in 2018, making the UK the biggest market in the world for the challenge, followed by the US.
Waitrose reported a five-fold increase in searches for vegan food on their website in the days running up to New Year, while other supermarkets are also investing in vegan ranges.
Sainsbury’s announced a new range to be released today, and Aldi will be
‘The stereotype of people who were vegan… and the life that they had to live has now just totally vanished’
releasing new lines later this week, describing the decision as ““More of what you want!”
Stars including Lewis Hamilton, the Formula 1 driver, Woody Harrelson, the actor, and Ariana Grande and Miley Cyrus, the pop singers, are among many well-known vegans as the lifestyle choice grows in popularity.
The ‘Veganuary’ campaign, which is being promoted by an international charity of the same name and has seen 120,000 people around the world commit to go vegan, comes after the success of Dry January, a public health campaign prompting people to stop drinking for a month.
Scott Mcculloch, co-founder of The Vegan Kind, the biggest vegan supermarket in the UK which has partnered with Veganuary, said that in the four years since it opened there had not been a month that did not surpass the last in terms of sales, but December had been “literally astronomical”.
He said that concerns over health, the planet, and cruelty to animals were at the forefront of people’s minds, fuelled by a number of documentaries on the topic.
Many restaurants and big name pizza companies now have a vegan option on the menu, so people do not need to change their lifestyle to give up meat and dairy, Mr Mcculloch said.
He added: “There is definitely the stereotype of people who were vegan and why they were vegan and the life that they had to live which has now just totally vanished.”
According to the Vegan Society there are now 542,000 vegans in the UK, more than three times as many as a decade ago. Almost half are aged between 15 and 34.