Turns out there are a lot of food-related reasons to celebrate in January; almost every day is a “National [Food/Dish] Day” of some kind. My personal favorite? The 31st, National Hot Chocolate Day. By January 31 here in the Northeast, hot chocolate’s not only delicious, but a lifesaver!
Days to celebrate special foods. I get it. But a whole month? That’s where January really takes the (vegan) cake. Every January since 2014, the Veganuary movement has signed up thousands of people around the world who pledge to consume no meat or dairy for the entire month. Since its beginnings, more than half a million people in 178 countries have experienced Veganuary, and many have continued their plant-based eating when February rolled around.
2019: The Biggest Year Yet
The Veganuary organization has announced that 65,000 consumers have signed up for January 2020, and their goal of 350,000 pledges is looking more do-able daily.
Veganuary has also helped increase the number of plant-based food products through its work with related businesses; over 200 new plant-based products have resulted from this effort in 2019.
Toni Vernelli, Head of Communications at Veganuary, says: “The Economist predicted 2019 would be the year of the vegan, but 2020 is going to blow it out of the water! With 65,000 people already pledging to try vegan with Veganuary this January, we are on-course for our biggest year yet. Whether people are doing it to help animals, protect the planet, or improve their health, one thing is certain — veganism is the trend that keeps on trending!”
Toward a Kinder, Healthier World
As you might expect, Veganuary isn’t just about what people eat; it’s also about helping more and more people to understand and share in the passionate personal commitment behind the plant-based movement. According to Veganuary’s US website:
“Our vision is simple; we want a vegan world. A world without animal farms and slaughterhouses. A world where food production does not decimate forests, pollute rivers and oceans, exacerbate climate change, and drive wild animal populations to extinction.”
In other words, the world Veganuary wants is the world we want.
To learn more about Veganuary, visit http://www.us.veganuary.com.
