Veganuary Campaign Hits Record Number of Signups for 2018
Move over, Meatless Monday, the ‘Veganuary’ campaign is proving to be the hottest trend not only in plant-based and vegan eating but in making good on those often ambitious New Year’s resolutions as well. And it’s kicking off 2018 with a record 100,000 sign-ups so far and still growing.
The UK-based campaign started in 2014 with just 1,500 people taking the pledge that first year — a commitment to go vegan for the entire month of January for their health, the planet, and the animals. The campaign aligns with two of the more popular standard New Year’s resolutions: to eat healthier and lose weight. Going vegan delivers both healthier meals via plant-based foods, and when people give up meat, eggs, and dairy products, they often see weight loss happen as well.
Plant-based eating is predicted to be the top food trend in 2018 with the cool factor being raised by companies like Beyond Meat, Hampton Creek, and Miyoko’s Kitchen all revolutionizing traditional animal-based categories: meat, eggs, and cheese.
“It’s the word that has launched millions upon millions of hashtagged Instagram photos – vegan,” writes the BBC’s Caroline Lowbridge.
“The Vegan Society thinks the rise of veganism online is mirrored in the real world, and describes veganism as ‘the fastest growing lifestyle movement’.”
The group has been tracking the rise in veganism in the UK, where numbers have jumped from 150k in 2006 to 550k in 2016.
Millennials are of course still leading the shift to veganism with Generation Z following in earnest, and the market is responding in kind. Sales of plant-based foods from nondairy milk and frozen desserts to vegan meats and cheeses have never been higher, and Whole Foods Market’s top food predictions for 2018 were all strongly plant-forward.
