Every year, a barrage of new year’s resolutions are dutifully selected by those who are determined to better themselves in the upcoming year. Inevitably, becoming vegan for a month is fairly high up on lots of people’s resolutions, alongside a month of sobriety, joining the gym, or any other health-related goal which generally falls off after about a week.
Veganuary is actually a registered charity in England and Wales, which promotes going Vegan for January and beyond. However, the term ‘Veganuary’ is used much more widely to generally refer to the challenge of going one month without animal products, and is frequently used by supermarkets, food outlets, and their advertising teams to promote their Vegan products in January.
As a vegetarian for the last 5 years (ironically beginning in January 2020), I think it’s great to try to reduce our consumption of meat and animal-based products, both for the environment and the welfare of the animals. Since becoming vegetarian, I’ve noticed a huge increase in the amount and variety of vegan and vegetarian options in shops, cafes, and restaurants, which is fantastic.
However, every January, brands release a myriad of meat-free products exclusively for ‘Veganuary’. On the surface, this is great; it makes vegan alternatives more accessible to consumers, and encourages people to try meat-free options. In reality, these products feel more like a cash-grab so these companies can capitalise on the short-lived eagerness of vegan-resolution-setters, and discontinue their vegan lines once January is over.
For example, in December, budget supermarket Aldi announced their ‘biggest vegan range yet’ for January 2025, including ‘No Smoked Salmon’, ‘No Chicken Smash Burgers’, and ‘Salt and Pepper No Chicken Kebabs’. Likewise, all vegan frozen products in Sainsbury’s are all on a 3 for 2 deal at the time of writing, making them significantly cheaper. Only one month prior, the vegan sections in these shops offered a comparatively sparse selection. Come February 1st, I’m sure the vegan sections will return to their minimal offerings, but for one sacred month, the shelves are stocked full of Vegan delights for everyone partaking in Veganuary.
How can these companies, if they truly cared about the cause of Veganuary, expect their customers to commit to a vegan diet when they cannot commit to a consistent, varied range of vegan products which would make the diet more accessible? It’s even ineffective for those who want to simply reduce their meat consumption, as it promotes an unrealistic selection of meat-free options which are not available year-round.
Instead, the cause of Veganuary seems to have become a profit-making gimmick for supermarkets and food companies. Stopping the production and sale of Veganuary-marketed products after January makes a vegan diet unsustainable for those who only find it do-able when meat-free alternatives are readily available in stores. Clearly, making profit and preying on the determination of new-year’s-resolution-makers is paramount for these companies. For those wanting to reduce or even eradicate their meat and animal produce consumption, perhaps trying a more gradual, incremental approach, such as trying to make a meat-free meal once a week or trying new recipes with vegan substitutes, may be more manageable.
With that being said, the Veganuary challenge can be really exciting, and is a great way to try out new foods! However, the way Veganuary is commercialised diminishes its original purpose and allows companies to profit from individuals’ vegan attempts, as opposed to actively promoting a sustainable vegan diet which the Veganuary charity promotes.