Veganuary, the 1-month Veganism challenge, exceeds a half-million participants so far
A record-breaking 537,000 participants have signed up so far in January 2021, compared to 400,000 people in 2020, 250,000 participants in 2019, and 170,000 in 2018.
KATHERINE MARTINKO: Veganuary is an annual challenge to eat vegan food exclusively for the month of January. It first launched in the UK in 2014, with 3,300 people pledging to give up all animal food products for 31 days. In the years since, Veganuary has grown rapidly, and 2021 is the biggest one to date.
A record-breaking 537,000 participants have signed up so far, surpassing the organizers’ goal of reaching a half-million this year. For comparison,… a record 400,000 people signed up to the campaign last year, compared with 250,000 participants in 2019 and 170,000 in 2018.
Major retail brands got on board for the 2021 campaign, which spread word even further. For the first time British supermarket Tesco has run TV and radio ads promoting Veganuary, and grocers Aldi, Asda, and Iceland have dedicated pages of information and resources to people who have signed up for the challenge. Marks & Spencer even produced a 31-day Veganuary meal plan. A Nestlé CEO encouraged all employees to sign up, too.
The movement has caught on in the United States, where there were 80,000 sign-ups as of January 5, with many American food brands offering discounts and promotions to participants. Toni Vernelli, Veganuary’s international head of communications and marketing, told Treehugger that the involvement of these US companies “is a great achievement, considering we have only been active in the US for two years”. SOURCE…
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