Veganuary claims the “plant-based revolution is unstoppable” as they pass a million sign-ups since launching in 2014.
Global campaign Veganuary, which encourages the masses to try eating vegan for a month is celebrating a million sign-ups since it began in 2014.
Founders Matthew Glover and wife Jane Land started Veganuary from their kitchen in York, with the hope of encouraging just a few people to go vegan.
In the space of six years, Veganuary has taken the media by storm and is now regarded as bigger in the retail calendar than Christmas, with huge soars in vegan product launches in January year on year.
This January, KFC sold one million vegan burgers in the first month alone – the equivalent to one being sold every three seconds. Moreover, the number of customers ordering Pizza Hut’s vegan option almost doubled, and according to Deliveroo, orders of vegan dishes skyrocketed by 187% in 2020.
Even supermarket giant Asda revealed that the searches for ‘vegan’ soared to the top of the website in January this year with an increase of 400%.
ADVERTISEMENT
Celebrities such as comedian Romesh Ranganathan, oscar-winner Joaquin Phoenix and ex-Beatle Paul McCartney have all plugged Veganuary, urging people to try veganism for the month.
Official participant numbers have been growing exponentially, from just over 3,000 in 2014 to over 400,000 in 2020. However, research suggests that the number of people who have ‘done Veganuary’ without actually signing up could be ten times greater.
Matthew Glover said: “When my wife Jane and I decided to launch a new year’s vegan pledge in 2014 we expected only 1,000 people to take part. More than 3,000 signed-up and we were blown away. Now Veganuary is a bigger feature in the retail calendar than Christmas, reflecting the ever-increasing number of people choosing plant-based food.”
He added: “One million official Veganuary participants in just seven years is a huge achievement, but the momentum behind the plant-based revolution will see us hit two million in no time.”
Toni Vernelli, Veganuary’s International Head of Communications, said: Most participants say it’s much easier and more enjoyable than expected, and on average half decide to stay vegan while others permanently cut back on animal products. And that is the real impact of our campaign – creating a long-term demand for plant-based food and an incentive for businesses to change. Last year many struggled to keep up with the huge demand for vegan options and this year looks set to be even bigger.
“At a time when many feel helpless about the state of the world, Veganuary offers people a way to take positive action. Reaching the one million milestone in the middle of this pandemic shows it’s exactly what many people need right now.”
Did you begin your vegan journey by participating in Veganuary?
Find out about all the new vegan launches planned for Veganuary 2021 by reading all the latest vegan News, and following our Instagram page.
