Is 2019 The Year of the Vegan?

We are only six days in to 2019 and it would appear that Veganism has already been one of the most heavily discussed topics of the year so far. This is down to the incredible amount of media attention it has received due to recent events which have helped expose the plant based lifestyle. These include the release of new vegan ranges at many well-known high street food outlets (including Greggs, M&S and McDonalds); exposure from the Channel 4 documentary “The Truth About Vegans”; and the thousands of people that have committed to going the entire month of January without animal products due to the return of the “Veganuary” campaign (which more people have signed up to this year than ever before!)

Unfortunately, not everyone was pleased with such progressive changes for the vegan lifestyle. This was clear to see as the release of these new vegan ranges sparked outrage on twitter as many non-vegans vented their anger at the sheer idea of food products not containing cruelty. Such individuals specifically targeted Greggs, accusing the high-street chain of ‘pandering’ to vegans. Despite not all of this attention being positive, we must acknowledge that it has exposed so many more people to the concept of veganism and sparked debates that will plant seeds in the minds of many people to begin their journey towards cruelty-free living (which so far it does appear to have done!) It is also important to recognise the amount of vegan and non-vegan individuals that united together in trying to educate those complaining about the implementation of plant-based products. These same individuals also expressed nothing but happiness for the increase in food options and a genuine liking of the new vegan products (even if they are not vegan). This should definitely be seen as a win for veganism!

For anyone who has been concerned about the backlash that vegan products and activists (due to the Channel 4 documentary) have faced in the last few days, please don’t worry. This is possibly the most Veganism has ever been so widely discussed and in my eyes, all publicity is good publicity! The media are actually (indirectly) helping create opportunities for us to educate and raise awareness about veganism. We have been able to use these topics and debates to promote the benefits of cutting out animal products from our diets for our own health, for the environment and most importantly for the animals. It honestly feels like the vegan movement is unstoppable right now! If this is the amount of progress and exposure that can be made for veganism within a mere 6 days of the new year then I am filled with nothing but hope and excitement about what can be achieved by the end of 365 of them.