9th December 2021 – Veganuary – the global pledge to try vegan for 31 days – has officially launched in India. The movement was born in 2014 and is now observed in 200+ countries and territories across the world. Every January, lakhs of people try a vegan lifestyle to improve their health, to reduce animal suffering and to reduce the climate impact of industrial animal farming.
With today’s official launch, India joins the UK, US, Germany, Chile, Brazil and Argentina as a campaign hub. Declaring the #Veganuary2022 campaign open, actor and Veganuary Ambassador Soundarya Sharma said: ‘In these testing times, eating vegan is the best way to take care of yourself and your family. If all Indians adopt a plant-based diet, we will be healthier and reduce national mortality by 23%. Shifting to a vegan diet is also the single biggest way to address the climate emergency, as it helps cut your carbon footprint up to 73%.’
Mountaineer and long-time vegan Kuntal Joisher, Actor Sneha Ullal, singer Anushka Manchanda, actor Sadaa Sayed, actor and pro 3×3 basketballer Arvind Krishna and pro tennis player Vishwajeet Sangle have joined the star cast of Veganuary Ambassadors, with heartfelt messages of encouragement for people to try vegan.
View and download Veganuary’s new 2022 campaign ads here.
Prashanth Vishwanath, Country Manager for Veganuary in India said ‘Our health and the climate emergency is at the forefront of everyone’s mind. One key solution to address both is eating vegan. Indians have shown great interest in plant-based nutrition in recent years. We are thrilled to officially launch Veganuary in India and help people explore this interest. Signing up to Veganuary makes transitioning to vegan much easier as our free pledge is full of helpful tips, advice, and useful material.’
The celebrity cookbook is one of the free materials people signing up for Veganuary receive. Sneha Ullal, who has donated her favourite recipe – Tofu Makhani – to the cookbook says, ‘I don’t need animals harmed to live my life. Veganism is that simple.’
A recent survey* found that six months after completing their one-month Veganuary challenge, 82% of those participants who were not vegan when they signed up had maintained a dramatic reduction in their animal product consumption. Thirty per cent were still eating a fully vegan diet. Participants also reported significant health improvements – 60% of participants reported increased energy, 59% reported improved mood and 52% reported better skin.
Summing up Veganuary for India, Anushka Manchanda says ‘We are the culture that gave the world Ahimsa. The planet, with all its beings, needs us to practice it now more than ever. Together, we have the power to bring positive change. Try vegan today.‘
To sign up for Veganuary or find out more visit the Veganuary website.
Media contact
Prashanth Vishwanath, Country Manager India, Veganuary
E: [email protected]
*The survey was sent by Veganuary to 65% of the 582,000 people who signed up during the 2021 campaign. 8,690 people responded.
