Mexican food was the most popular cuisine ordered in 2019 with a spike of 314% compared to the previous year.
However, fast-forward a month into 2020 and people have swapped their beef tacos for tofu, nuts and legumes as ever-changing palates have taken on Veganuary.
For those not au fait with the term – Veganuary is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products in the diet such as meat, fish, dairy and eggs throughout January.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he wants to lose weight in 2020 but won’t go vegan because it means giving up cheese.
In an interview with the BBC he said that it “requires so much concentration and that, while he takes his hat off to vegans who can handle it”, “avoiding animal products is a crime against cheese lovers.”
According to a Vegan Society survey sign ups for the Veganuary campaign nearly doubled in 2019 with 250,000 people (87% of which were women).
In comparison, there were 168,500 participants in 2018, 59,500 in 2017, 23,000 in 2016, 12,800 in 2015 and 3,300 in 2014.
So why are vegan diets on the rise?
Vegans choose their diet for a variety of reasons. Many abstain from animal products because they find factory farming cruel and inhumane. It can help you slim down and become more energised and it is better for the environment.
Spokesperson for the Vegan Society Sam Calvert attributed the rise to many things such as peaceful activists educating the public, documentaries on animal agriculture and society becoming more health conscious.
“The image of veganism is undergoing the most radical change in its history, while shedding some tired, old stereotypes. People now closely associate it with health, fitness and wellbeing.
“It’s no longer portrayed as an unusual lifestyle, it’s easy and accessible – you can walk into any supermarket and be greeted by a huge range of plant-based products or walk into any restaurant and be presented with an exciting vegan menu. There has never been a better time to be vegan.
“Some people may think being vegan is difficult but as with any lifestyle change, it only takes some time getting used to it. The biggest challenge is simply deciding to give vegan eating a go! After a few weeks it will feel as natural as anything and you will start experiencing amazing benefits.
“There are some great resources out there, such as The Vegan Society’s app VeGuide which is free to download on Android and iOS devices. Its users receive a combination of daily informational videos, motivational quotes, quizzes, recipes and discounts, all of which aim to help them ease into vegan living.”
According to google trends interest in veganism increased seven-fold in the five years between 2014 and 2019 with almost four times more interest than vegetarian and gluten free searches.
Orders of vegan meals grew 388% between 2016 and 2018 and are now the UK’s fastest growing takeaway choice.
The number of vegan residents in UK care homes has almost trebled in the five years to 2019 with a total of 7,000 vegans and vegetarians within 11,000 care homes.
In 2018 the UK launched more vegan products than any other nation. Almost half (42%) of UK vegans made the change which shows veganism has been growing exponentially.
With over £740 million sales of meat free foods in 2018 as one in three Brits have stopped or reduced their meat consumption, traders have also had to adapt to this growing trend – most notably Greggs vegan sausage roll which courted ‘marmite’ reactions from the public.
Since December Waterstones have 9,030 book titles with the word ‘vegan’ as of December compared to 944 in August 2018.
If you’re committing to Veganuary for the first time Contiki’s new Vegan Food Europe Explorer has also jumped on the popular bandwagon with an eight-day food odyssey that will showcase the plant-based highlights of some of Europe’s biggest vegan hotspots including Berlin, Prague, Vienna and Budapest.
Brighton was the most popular city for veganism in 2019 according to google trends followed by Bristol, Norwich and Cardiff.
But will veganism still be the ‘in-thing’ by 2021 or will consumers have swapped their tofu for a new, yet-to-be unearthed.
