250,000 people have tried vegan with Veganuary this year, making the current campaign the most popular since the charity was launched in 2014.
In fact, ‘Veganuary 2019’, which culminates today, saw Veganuary match the total number of pledges that the charity achieved in the previous four years combined, highlighting how far veganism has come in the space of just a few years.
500,000 people across the world have now taken the ‘Veganuary pledge’, and judging by what past participants have said, for every 10 who took part in the challenge, 6 will stay vegan. A full analysis and breakdown of 2019 participants is now underway and the findings will be released in the spring.
This year’s Veganuary campaign was, for the first time, helped by 13 overseas partnerships. Veganuary extended its global reach by running localised campaigns in India, Sweden, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, South Africa, Japan, Iceland and Russia. The rise of veganism is not just a UK phenomenon, but is advancing at an incredible rate even in some of the most meat and dairy-loving countries on the planet.
Veganuary’s work has also been responsible for the booming ‘Veganuary effect’ amongst food producers. Countless retailers, food brands and chain restaurants have launched new vegan products during January to meet consumer demand from vegans, and the millions choosing to reduce their consumption of animal products.
During January, Parliament also heard the voice of Veganuary for the first time. Several politicians took part in Veganuary, including Andrea Jenkyns, Jenny Jones and Richard Burgon, while others supported the campaign, including Kerry McCarthy, Darren Jones, Chris Williamson, Christina Rees, David Drew, Thangam Debbonaire and Caroline Lucas. With Veganuary speaking at an All Party Parliamentary Group event in January, their call on Parliament to go plant-based is off to a strong start.
Rich Hardy, Head of Campaigns at Veganuary, said: “With a quarter of a million participants this year, Veganuary is finishing on an all-time high. I think Veganuary has reached critical mass now – vegan living is growing, it’s here to stay, it’s part of the national conversation, and it has credibility. That’s great news for people, animals, and the planet.”
Did you participate in Veganuary this year? If so, are you intending to stick to your plantbased diet?
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