Veganuary takes off in India, hits two million participants worldwide

Veganuary’s global success shows the plant-based revolution is unstoppable

New Delhi (India), January 5: Veganuary, the global pledge to try vegan for 31 days, is today celebrating a huge milestone – a total of 2 million people have officially signed up globally since the pledge began in 2014. The charity launched officially in India in December and has already gathered more than 50,000 signups from India alone for its January 2022 campaign. It has created India centric material, meal plans, shopping guidance and cookbook to support people transition to a vegan diet.

Famous supporters of the charity include international stars Joaquin Phoenix, Paul McCartney, Indian actors Soundarya Sharma, Arvind Krishna, Sadaa Sayed, Sneha Ullal, mountaineer Kuntal Joisher, singer Anushka Manchanda, and pro tennis player Vishwajeet Sangle.

A new survey conducted by YouGovreports that a whopping 65% of Indians plan to eat more plant-based/vegan foods in the new year. In addition to supporting participants, Veganuary has also got more than 40 Indian businesses to release new products and declare special offers to make vegan foods more accessible. These include Dr. Oetker, Milkin Oats, BlueTribe foods, Hello Tempayy, Vezlay, Good Dot to name a few.

Expressing happiness at the landmark, Soundarya Sharma said: “I feel very proud and very privileged to have been with Veganuary from its official launch in India and I’m hopeful we will make healthy vegan lifestyle even more popular in our country.”

 The recent YouGov survey* also reports that health and environment were the top concerns for which people wanted to shift to a vegan diet.

Kuntal Joisher welcomed this finding and said, “Taking part in Veganuary helps you improve how you eat, in a way that is the best for your health, the animals, and the planet. If the global health and climate crisis, animal suffering or the loss of wild spaces concerns you, sign up, take part and make a positive difference to the world.”

Started on a kitchen table in the UK by a husband-and-wife team, Veganuary has made newspaper and TV headlines around the world. The organisation now has campaign hubs in seven countries – UK, US, Germany, Chile, Argentina, Brazil and India – and has welcomed participants from every country in the world except North Korea and Vatican City. For some, the experience was life-changing – including a woman who lost 45kg and went from couch potato to triathlete.

YouGov says more than 60% of Indians have a more positive perception of plant-based/vegan diets compared to 2 years ago. Sadaa Sayed welcomed the growing awareness and shared, “The wonderful thing about Veganuary is that there is no pressure/ judgment. You can try eating vegan for January and get all the support, advice and materials curated especially for Indians, all for free.”

Noting the significance of the two million milestones, Prashanth Vishwanath, Country head Veganuary India said: “We are thrilled at the response Veganuary has received globally and in India. Veganuary is creating a new wave of vegan consumers and shoppers with a big appetite in 2022. Indians have shown that they are willing to change how they eat for better health and a better planet, and businesses are responding to this demand.”

Veganuary is free to join, and people can sign-up at veganuary.com to receive 31 daily emails packed with nutritional info, delicious recipes, easy meal plans and helpful advice.

*All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc.  Total sample size was 1033 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 28th – 31st December 2021.  The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all Indian adults (aged 18+).