Joanna Lumley, Deborah Meaden, Jane Goodall & more help drive 600,000 sign-ups
18th January 2022 — Veganuary, a global organisation encouraging people to try vegan in January and beyond, has today hit a new landmark with more than 600,000 people officially taking part in 2022, surpassing last year’s total of 580,000 participants. Sign-ups remain strong right through to the end of January so this number will continue to rise.
The campaign has been given a huge boost this year by Joanna Lumley, Deborah Meaden, Venus Williams, Dr Jane Goodall, NYC Mayor Eric Adams and Benjamin Zephaniah who are encouraging people to sign-up and have shared their favourite vegan recipe. Oscar-nominated actor James Cromwell – star of Netflix’s Succession – also joined the campaign this year as the voice of Bigfoot in Veganuary’s first-ever cinema ad.
Joining as a Veganuary Ambassador for 2022 after taking part in 2020, Deborah Meaden says: “Taking part in Veganuary helped me change how I eat, and now my diet is the best for animals, the planet and for me. If the climate crisis, animal suffering or the loss of wild places and species concerns you, sign up, take part and let Veganuary help you, too.”
Hundreds of new plant-based products and menu items have also been launched this month including vegan versions of Babybel and Philadelphia cream cheese; three new vegan Krispy Kreme donuts; new vegan offerings at McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC and Nando’s; new vegan pizzas at Domino’s, Papa John’s, Pizza Hut and Pizza Express; vegan fish and chips at Wagamama; new vegan sandwiches at Costa, Starbucks and Caffe Nero – with Starbucks also dropping its surcharge on plant milks permanently; and much, much more!
But for many businesses it is more than just a commercial endeavour as over 75 organisations – including Harrods, Volkswagen Group UK, Superdrug, Sky, Adept Carehomes, Papa John’s, PWC, EY, M&S, Aveda and Quorn – are taking part in the Veganuary Workplace Challenge, encouraging their employees to try vegan in January and providing more vegan options in the workplace.
This support from employers comes at a perfect time as a study conducted by YouGov* last month showed one-third (34%) of UK adults are either interested in trying or plan to try a vegan/plant-based diet while 8% of UK adults are already on a vegan/plant-based diet. The survey also revealed that 35% of Brits say their perceptions of a plant-based/vegan diet has changed for the better in the past two years and 36% think eating a vegan/plant-based diet is an admirable thing to do.
Reflecting on the 2022 campaign so far, Veganuary’s Head of Communications Toni Vernelli says:
“It is incredibly exciting to be marking the biggest Veganuary on record with two weeks of January still to go, but it is not surprising. As more people become aware of the incredible impact our food choices have on the health of our planet, attitudes towards eating vegan are changing and so are our diets.”
She added: “Making planet-friendly food choices is also becoming much easier thanks to the businesses embracing Veganuary and providing delicious and accessible plant-based alternatives to familiar foods. Together we are making an enormous difference for animals and the planet.”
Note to editors
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. With campaign hubs now in the UK, US, Germany, Argentina, Chile, Brazil and India, Veganuary is truly a global phenomenon.
*All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2079 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 21st – 22nd December 2021. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).
Media contact
Toni Vernelli, International Head of Communications, Veganuary
T: 07505 866 548
E: [email protected]
