Veganuary hits ‘astronomical heights’ with tenth campaign
Organizers of the Veganuary campaign report that the tenth anniversary edition reached ‘astronomical heights’ with a new official chapter opening in Spain and the Veganuary flag being sent to the International Space Station, where it orbited the Earth 4,400 times.
Globally, 1.8 million citizens committed to trying vegan for a month or beyond, helped by a suite of free resources, including: 31 daily support emails; a series of YouTube coaching videos; a weekly podcast; social media channels in English, German, Spanish and Portuguese; and retail products such as the new Official Veganuary Cookbook and the Vegan Kit – a card deck featuring ‘everything you need to start exploring a vegan diet’.
The organization notes that the official number of participants is likely to be significantly higher than the official tally suggests; commissioned YouGov research suggests that 25 million would be a more realistic global figure, when accounting for survey results and current population estimations for each country.
Part of British culture
75% of British adults have heard of Veganuary
1.8m people requested access to Veganuary’s free resources in 2024
#Veganuary has been viewed on TikTok more than 1.1 billion times
117 UK organizations took place in the Veganuary Workplace Challenge, including Claire’s Accessories and Salesforce
Confirming Veganuary’s position as a ‘well-established part of British culture’, the YouGov poll reveals that 75% of UK respondents have heard of Veganuary, regardless of whether they have participated, largely thanks to a robust social media campaign in which the hashtag #Veganuary has been viewed on TikTok more than 1.1 billion times. Continued celebrity endorsement has also helped Veganuary widen its public appeal, with high-profile supporters including Billie Eilish, Chris Packham, Bimini Bon Boulash, Paul McCartney and Deborah Meaden.
Major companies were also keen to board the Veganuary train in 2024: Hard Rock Café launched a fully vegan menu in all outlets worldwide and sold official Veganuary merchandise in flagship locations; and retailer Claire’s Accessories and software giant Salesforce joined Veganuary’s Workplace Challenge.
Toni Vernelli, head of communications, Veganuary, reflects on 2024’s success: “It is incredibly inspiring to see Veganuary’s participation and influence continue to grow around the world. As people become more aware of the incredible impact our food choices have on the health of our planet, attitudes towards veganism are changing everywhere and Veganuary’s friendly, non-judgmental, just-give-it-a-go-for-a-month-and-see-what-you-think approach has undoubtedly played an instrumental role in this shift.”
Health store highlight: iChoc — the vegan gamechanger
Meet Billie Eilish’s favourite vegan chocolate: “I want people to know how good vegan goods can be! I love iChoc for doing this with me; what a dream!”
The ethical dairy-free chocolate brand is Fairtrade, certified organic and plastic-free, and boasts ‘amazing mouthfeel and melt’.
Its recipes feature a unique blend of organic ingredients not commonly found in vegan chocolate — buckwheat, tiger nut flour and almond oil — and never include emulsifiers or palm oil.
The revamped range comprises Classic Style, Super Nut, White Vanilla, White Nougat Crisp, Almond Orange, Choco Cookie, Salty Pretzel and White Barista Art.
By Rosie Greenaway, editor