VEGAN WORLD: Veganuary takes world by storm with participants in nearly every country
For the first time, more people signed up in the US than any other country, with the UK a close second. Also in the top ten countries for 2022 were India, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Colombia.
FIONA BRIGGS: Veganuary, the global organisation encouraging people to try vegan in January and beyond, has this year welcomed participants from nearly every country in the world with only Tajikistan and North Korea (where the internet is banned) missing from the official list of sign-ups. More than 629,000 people from 228 countries and territories officially signed up to try vegan for 31 days, making this the biggest Veganuary ever.
Founded in the UK in 2014, Veganuary has been increasing its global reach for several years; opening offices in the US, Germany and Chile in 2019; Argentina and Brazil in 2020; and India in 2021. This year – for the first time – more people signed up in the US than any other country, with the UK a close second. Also in the top ten countries for 2022 were India, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Colombia – making Latin America the region with the most Veganuary participants just a few years after the charity began working there.
Reflecting on the success of the 2022 campaign, Veganuary’s Head of Communications Toni Vernelli says: “It is incredibly inspiring to see Veganuary taking hold around the world, especially in countries such as Argentina, Brazil and the US where per capita meat consumption is amongst the highest in the world. As more people become aware of the incredible impact our food choices have on the health of our planet, attitudes towards veganism are changing everywhere and Veganuary’s growing global popularity reflects this shift”…
The global accessibility of veganism has also increased with the launch of new plant-based products and menu items for Veganuary in all of its flagship countries. In the UK alone, at least 682 new vegan products and menu items were launched last month… Veganuary also sparked a big increase in demand for vegan options on Deliveroo with a massive 117% growth in vegan food orders in the UK and a 153% rise in searched for vegan food on the app in January compared to December.
But for many businesses it is more than just a commercial endeavour as over 89 organisations – including Harrods, Volkswagen Group UK, Superdrug, Sky, Adept Carehomes, Papa John’s, PWC, EY, M&S, Higgidy, Aveda and Quorn – took part in the Veganuary Workplace Challenge in its flagship countries, encouraging their employees to try vegan in January and providing more vegan options in the workplace.
On top of all this, Veganuary launched its first-ever cinema ad which aired in more than 500 UK cinemas from Boxing Day. Oscar-nominated actor James Cromwell – star of Netflix’s Succession – provided the voice of Bigfoot in the animated ad which also aired on several streaming platforms in the US. SOURCE…
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