Have you heard the term ‘Veganuary’ in January and wondered what it means? Are you also questioning why vegan food is more visible in supermarkets and restaurants across the UK during this time? This is because Veganuary is an international campaign that encourages people to try vegan for the whole month of January.

HISTORY

Jane Land and Matthew Glover started the movement as a crowd-funded campaign in 2014 and only hoped 100 people might take part. Little did they know that Veganuary would grow rapidly year after year, with over 580,000 people from 209 countries taking part worldwide in 2021. Additionally, over 600 restaurants and supermarkets promote the Veganuray campaign and have launched over 1200 products in the UK. The campaign has four main aims including:

• Increasing participation
• Corporate outreach
• Growing the global movement
• Increasing awareness

IMPACT OF VEGANUARY

So what are the impacts of all of this on the planet? By removing meat from our diets, we could remove 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions that livestock creates. The 2020 Veganuary campaign has saved the CO2 equivalent of 450,000 flights and the lives of more than one million animals.

Since it began in 2014, According to Dr Helen Harwatt from Harvard University’s Animal Law and Policy program, the collective impact of the campaign has been huge:

• 103,840 tonnes of CO2eq saved, equivalent to driving around the world almost 15,000 time
• 405 tonnes of PO43-eq (eutrophication) saved, the same as 1,645 tonnes of sewage
• 6.2 million litres of water saved, the same as flushing the toilet almost half a million times
• More than 3.4 million animals were saved according to the Vegan Society’s Veganalyser calculations
  
  

Besides the positive impacts on the planet, Veganuary also offers people a way to take positive action to protect their health. A plant-based diet packed with various fruits and vegetables has been linked to reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.

VEGANUARY & COVID-19

Did you know that there was a massive surge of people trying a more plant-based diet during lockdown? There was also an increase in vegan orders on Deliveroo, which shot up by 115% from November 2019 to November 2020.

One possibility of the increase in veganism during lockdown is due to the rumour the covid-19 started because of a wet market in China. Popular Musicians such as Brian May and Paolo Cavalieri believed that the pandemic resulted from animal consumption and has influenced people to re-examine their relationship with meat.

Another reason for the increase in participation of the Veganuary is that people want to take more command of their eating habits when confronted with an uncontrollable virus. The impact of Covid-19 has made the vegan lifestyle more appealing as people pay more attention to their health and want to strengthen their immune systems.

HOW TO GET STARTED

If you want to get involved in Veganuary, you can sign up on their website here and find out more about the campaign. Additionally, if you’re ready to try Veganuary and you don’t know where to start, here are some tips:

• Plan - research and prepare what you might eat ahead of time.
• You’re already doing it – you might not know, but there are so many everyday food items that might already be vegan, so make sure and check.
• Take it slow – You don’t have to try anything exotic; stick to your eating habits but switch it out with the vegan alternative.
• When you’re ready, try something new – Try out some brand recipes or order off the vegan menu at your favourite restaurant; you never know you might find a new favourite.
• Socialise with others – the vegan community will welcome you open arms, so don’t hesitate to find local and online groups.
  
  

We hope you enjoyed learning about Veganuary, and if you are planning to get involved, we wish you the best! If you’re a Cardiff local, check out our previous post of the Top 7 Vegan Restaurants in Cardiff.