Some famous previous participants of Veganuary include wildlife presenter Chris Packham, Dragon’s Den entrepreneur Deborah Meaden and TV presenter Jasmine Harman. Nearly three-quarters of British adults have heard of Veganuary according to the poll.
Fifty-three percent of past participants have done Veganuary more than once, with 21% having done it four times or more. In total, 85% of non-vegan past participants have reduced their consumption of animal products since doing Veganuary.
The majority of Veganuary participants cited animal welfare as their motivating factor for taking part (62%) followed by environmental reasons (54%) and personal health (46%).
Veganuary’s head of communications, Dr Toni Vernelli said: “Having been vegan myself for more than 30 years, it’s amazing how the conversation around veganism has changed in recent years and I know Veganuary’s friendly, non-judgemental, just-give-it-a-go-for-a-month-and-see-what-you-think approach has played an instrumental role in this shift.
“To everyone who took their first step towards a vegan diet with us in January 2014 – Happy 10th Veganniversary. To everyone taking their first step – welcome to a growing global movement taking positive action for a better world.”
There has also been an increase in plant-based consumption amongst people who have not taken part in Veganuary, with 37% eating more plant-based food now than ten years ago.