Businesses promote Veganuary in their 2021 initiatives to encourage more people to try vegan in the new year
(United States – January 13, 2021) – In an effort to encourage more people to try vegan restaurants, recipes, and food in 2021, both Yelp and Costco have created unique initiatives to make plant-based options more accessible this year by promoting Veganuary, the global organization that’s already encouraged over 1 million people to try vegan in January and beyond.
Yelp’s Vegan Voyage is a tantalizing vegan-focused promotion throughout January and February. In announcing Veganuary as its official partner in this expedition, Yelp will feature—and celebrate with—exceptional vegan-friendly businesses across North America in a variety of virtual events. Whether you want to learn how to make an Egyptian feast worthy of a pharaoh or chat over biscuits with a vegan entrepreneur and recording artist, there’s something for the vegan-curious and vegan vets alike. Their event landing page shows the full list of events nationwide (which is still growing). In addition, Yelp has made it easier than ever to find vegan options when dining out. When searching for local eats on Yelp, if the “vegan” icon shows up on a business page, they’ve been confirmed to have excellent vegan options. Plus, people across the country can visit Yelp’s Top Vegan Restaurants in each state. Some of the featured restaurants may not be 100% vegan but have been determined by Yelp as the top-reviewed vegan/plant-based option in that state.
Of the partnership, Yelp said, “We chose Veganuary as our partner for this promo because they are an authentic force in the vegan movement! We appreciate Veganuary’s dedication to inspiring people all over the world to get started on their vegan journey by providing an array of free and valuable resources.”
Costco promoted Veganuary in a two-page spread in their Costco Connection magazine this month, mailed each month to 15 million Costco members.The article highlights the benefits of trying vegan, offers easy recipes featuring ingredients from their stores, and cites excellent tips to make transitioning to a plant-based diet easy.
“The introduction of Veganuary—where you take a pledge to give up meat, dairy and eggs during January—provides one way to make a significant change that not only benefits your health but also has a positive impact on animal welfare and the environment,” states Costco Connection magazine.
Veganuary aims to help consumers who are curious about eating vegan by providing free recipes, shopping tips, restaurant guides, and meal plans. The organization also works with restaurants, retailers, and other businesses to help them create and market exciting Veganuary specials and initiatives, outlined in the Veganuary Business Support Toolkit. Major national and regional brands, retailers, and restaurants, including Yelp, Costco, Aveda, Albertsons, Hellmann’s, Mendocino Farms, Veggie Grill, Tofurky, Follow Your Heart, Beyond Meat, Violife, and dozens more, have joined Veganuary by offering promotions, giveaways, and special menu items, viewable on Veganuary’s Special Offers page, while creating specialized marketing campaigns for plant-based products. Major UK businesses have reported that Veganuary is now a bigger feature in the retail calendar than Christmas; based on the growth Veganuary has already experienced in its first two years in the US, the organization expects to mirror that success as the campaign continues to gain momentum nationwide.
Seizing this momentum, Hellmann’s is offering free online resources for Veganuary participants. Matt Rosen, Associate Brand Manager for Hellmann’s US, said, “Hellmann’s has been participating in Veganuary in the UK for years with new vegan product launches, and now we’re so excited to support US Veganuary participants on their journey with our new Vegan for a Month Shopping List.”
More than 550,000 people worldwide have officially signed-up to take part in Veganuary, exceeding the campaign’s goal of 500,000 participants in 2021.
About Veganuary
Veganuary is a non-profit organization that encourages people worldwide to try vegan for January and beyond. It was founded in the UK in 2014 and since then more than 1 million people have taken the 31-day plant-based pledge to help the planet, reduce animal suffering, and to benefit people, too. This New Year’s revolution has also been embraced by businesses, with more than 600 companies taking part in Veganuary last year, launching more than 1200 new vegan products and menu items. More than 400,000 people from 192 countries took part in Veganuary last year, including rock legends Brian May and Meat Loaf. It is thought that 10 times more people take part in Veganuary than sign up on the website, coining the term the ‘Veganuary Effect’.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Jessie Lingenfelter
Veganuary US Media
[email protected]
803-730-2869
