Veganuary Predicts Biggest Year As Covid Lockdown Inspires Regime Overhaul | Life and style

Organizers of Veganuary are bracing for their biggest year on record next month since launching the Meatless Pledge seven years ago, thanks to an increase in consumers consuming more plant-based foods during the lockdown and greater concern for health and the environment.

The UK-based campaign, which since 2014 has asked people to commit to an animal-free diet in January, has set a target of 500,000 signatories worldwide and is expected to reach 350,000 by Tuesday.

A record 400,000 people signed up for the campaign last year, compared to 250,000 participants in 2019 and 170,000 in 2018.

This year, the bosses of major UK and multinational companies – including Nestlé – are supporting the campaign on health grounds and urging their workforce to do the same.

Marco Settembri, Managing Director of Nestlé (Europe, Middle East and North Africa) said: “A well-planned plant-based diet can meet nutritional needs at all stages of life, while also providing health benefits. environment and health.

“This year, I’m handing over the baton and encouraging all employees to participate in Veganuary and register for the challenge. I am happy to be a part of this movement as it grows across Europe and beyond.

Other big companies whose management teams are supporting the campaign include leading accounting firms PwC and EY, media company Bloomberg, Marks & Spencer and Britain’s biggest meatless brand, Quorn.

Philip Watson, Quorn UK & Europe Commercial Director, said: “Our goal is to deliver healthy food to people and the planet and, by supporting Veganuary 2021, we aim to move closer to our goal 2030 of 8 billion servings without meat per year in the world. “

April Preston, director of product development at Marks & Spencer, said the retailer will further expand its vegan Plant Kitchen line.

“The M&S Food management team is fully involved and will create a series of fun weekly videos that we will share internally, comparing the different Plant Kitchen products and their meat equivalents and finding out which one is better,” he said. she declared.

Even before the pandemic, UK manufacturers, supermarkets, restaurants and pub chains were scrambling to tap not only the burgeoning vegan market, but also the large number adopting ‘flexitarian’ diets – people who love meat. and dairy products but want to eat less.

The lockdown has forced consumers to cook more from scratch due to restaurant closings and to pay more attention to their diet.

On Friday, vegan sausage rolls and steaks from bakery chain Greggs will be on sale exclusively in frozen cabinets in Iceland, while chain Domino’s Pizza is set to add its first pizza alternative to meat – the Chick-Ain’t – and southern fried vegan nuggets at its vegan range.

Plant-based meat company Moving Mountains is launching vegan fish sticks made from white soybeans, with a fish-like flaky texture that aims to replicate reality.

Meanwhile, convenience store chain Co-op, named by Kantar as the fastest growing UK retailer for sales of plant-based foods and drinks, will double the number of pies and meals in its range. GRO.

The Veganuary charity started small six years ago in York at the kitchen table of its founders, Jane Land and Matthew Glover, and initially attracted just 3,300 supporters.

Teaming up with York chef and restaurateur Adam Lyons, Glover this month provocatively unveiled a vegan fried chick business called VFC, which he hopes will expose mass production of meat and ” a system that has brought us climate change, environmental destruction, factory breeding and slaughterhouses ”.