With more than half of UK adults being Vegan or in the process of becoming Vegan, and many more welcoming the increasing availability of plant-based products, the question is, why?
What is it about modern society that is pushing this sudden change in our meat-eating society to this challenging but rewarding way of life? As an exceptional outside catering company, we have a wide range of Vegan options and can cater to any dietary requirements, and we are happy to support the rising embrace of the vegan lifestyle.
The Vegan Society carried out a survey recently that concluded that one in five people in the UK are reducing the amount of meat they eat, and are checking whether what they buy is, as much as it can be, cruelty free. What’s more, 30% of people believe that the impact of animal agriculture on the environment, and the health effects of meat-eating, should be taught in UK schools.
With increasing knowledge of the devastating environmental impacts of animal agriculture, as well as other products such as palm oil, thousands of young people are revaluating their dietary choices. We all ‘know’ that an animal has had to die to make its way to our plates, but it is easy to separate yourself from the actual truth of it. However, with activism increasing and knowledge being shared, as well as the increasing availability of plant-based products, more and more people are turning to Veganism as the desirable way of life.
Vegan activists are using social media as a platform to spread awareness of the horrors of the meat industry and, increasingly, the practices in the dairy industry. After the vegan campaign ‘Februdairy’, which aimed at spreading awareness of the dairy industry every day throughout February, the meat industry combatted with ‘Meaty March’, which was quickly overwhelmed by the invasion of ‘Meatless March’, during which activists used their platforms to spread knowledge of the meat industry practices.
The online battle between veganism and anti-veganism still rages, although it does seem as though the former is coming out on top in terms of the moral high-ground. Despite social media being a platform built on subjective opinions, it is a good place to turn to if you’re interested in the pro-vegan arguments circulating through the minds of today’s youth.
Another way in which Veganism is being promoted is through the number of celebrities, especially prominent sports figures, who are openly advocating the plant-based diet for the health, moral and environmental benefits that accompany it.
The common notion of veganism is that it is vastly unhealthy, and this is perhaps based on previous generations that did not have access to the supplements available now, as well as a previous lack of knowledge of how to maintain a healthy vegan diet rather than eating nothing but Quorn ‘chicken’ nuggets (while delicious, they do not offer the full range of dietary needs required by the human body). Cookbooks, videos, and online sites that are dedicated to exploring healthy and delicious plant-based options are vast and in depth, and as caterers we pride ourselves in embracing the new and exciting vegan dishes and nibbles that can be used.
The Vegan society is also launching an app called VNutrition, developed with a dietitian to support vegans in maintaining their nutritional goals, and staying healthy. If you’re interested in veganism but don’t know enough about it, there are deep pools of online information that are interesting to read. Even if veganism would be a drastic change, joining campaigns such as ‘Meat-free Mondays’ is a step in the direction towards a healthy, environmentally conscious way of life.!