With one person every 2.4 seconds signing up to the pledge, Veganuary 2023 may hit its highest number of participants
Veganuary 2023 is off to a booming start, with a record-breaking sign-up rate of one person taking on the challenge every 2.4 seconds on 1st January.
The 10th annual Veganuary pledge – which sees people abstain from animal products for the whole month of January – has also attracted a slew of potential new vegan celebrities.
Amongst them are Motherland star Diane Morgan, 90s pop star Peter Andre, ITV chef Juliet Sear, and Coronation Street‘s Alexandra Mardell.
Peter Andre takes on Veganuary 2023
In a statement sent to Vegan Food & Living, Andre said: “I’m excited to be taking part in Veganuary.
“It is incredibly easy to live a flexitarian lifestyle, something which I’m a huge believer in.”
‘Please help me’
Diane Morgan, aka BBC’s Philomena Cunk, says she has also taken the pledge as she “really loves animals and wants to end their suffering.”
The star asked for help to curb her love for cheese though, adding: “I’d be fully vegan if I could only stop adding cheese to everything! Please help me!”
Alexandra Madell, fresh from her win on Strictly Come Dancing’s Christmas Special, says: “This is our third year doing Veganuary and I’m really looking forward to it. It’s a nice fresh start to the year trying different recipes and new foods. We still have a few vegan alternatives in our regular diet throughout the year as well since trying it out. Hoping we can find some more this year!”
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Veganuary 2023
Now on its 10th year, Veganuary has come on leaps and bounds since its humble beginnings, with previous years attracting stars to sign up including Queen’s Brian May and Deborah Meaden.
New research also shows that more than 70 per cent of GB adults have heard of the pledge – and 9 per cent have taken part in it, that’s around 6 million people!
Veganuary’s impact reaches much further than just 31 days – with 85 per cent of non-vegan past participants having reduced their consumption of animal products since taking part.
The majority of past participants cited animal welfare as motivation for taking part, with other factors including the environment and global health.
‘Positive action for a better world’
“Having been vegan myself for more than 30 years, it’s amazing how the conversation around veganism has changed in recent years,” said Veganuary’s Dr Toni Vernelli.
“I know Veganuary’s friendly, non-judgemental, just-give-it-a-go-for-a-month-and-see-what-you-think approach has played an instrumental role in this shift.
“To everyone who took their first step towards a vegan diet with us in January 2014 – Happy 10th Veganniversary! To everyone taking their first step with us today – welcome to a growing global movement taking positive action for a better world.”
Are you taking part in Veganuary for the first time? Check out our round-up of 31 of the best easy Veganuary recipes that make dinner time a breeze
