Meet the UK’s Vegan change-makers taking over Instagram and TikTok

Growing media coverage, documentaries and books on the negative impacts of the meat and dairy industries, along with social media influencers are making Veganism more accessible.

CHANTAL DA SILVA: Many people get their first taste of veganism through Veganuary, a campaign challenging participants to embrace a plant-based diet for at least the month of January each year. This year, the campaign has seen record-breaking sign-ups, with more than 560,000 people from around the world joining the initiative, compared with the roughly 400,000 who signed up last year. “We’re just blown away, to be honest,” says Toni Vernelli, head of communications at Veganuary. “People keep signing up right through the month, so we’ll end up with even higher than that.”

Beyond Veganuary, research conducted by Kantar found that more than 800,000 people cut back on eating animal products in 2019. Data released by Nielsen, and published by The Grocer, also revealed sales of supermarket beef and pork fell by £185m in 2019, with health concerns and other objections to red meat helping drive the decrease. Meanwhile, plant-based products emerged as the fastest-growing category in the Top Products Survey, surging up 18 per cent to be worth over £400m.

Vernelli attributes the rise to several factors, including a growing awareness of the impact of factory farming on animals and on the environment. Growing media coverage, documentaries and books on the negative impacts of the meat and dairy industries have helped expedite awareness, but celebrity backing from the likes of David Attenborough and Leonardo DiCaprio has also likely played a major role, along with social media influencers, who make veganism accessible, often at zero cost to their followers. SOURCE…

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