2022 biggest year ever with over 629,000 sign-ups and growing global popularity
1st February 2022 — Veganuary, the global organisation encouraging people to try vegan in January and beyond, has this year welcomed participants from nearly every country in the world with only Tajikistan and North Korea (where the internet is banned) missing from the official list of sign-ups. More than 629,000 people from 228 countries and territories officially signed up to try vegan for 31 days, making this the biggest Veganuary ever.
Founded in the UK in 2014, Veganuary has been increasing its global reach for several years; opening offices in the US, Germany and Chile in 2019; Argentina and Brazil in 2020; and India in 2021. This year – for the first time – more people signed up in the US than any other country, with the UK a close second. Also in the top ten countries for 2022 were India, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Colombia – making Latin America the region with the most Veganuary participants just a few years after the charity began working there.
Reflecting on the success of the 2022 campaign, Veganuary’s Head of Communications Toni Vernelli says: “It is incredibly inspiring to see Veganuary taking hold around the world, especially in countries such as Argentina, Brazil and the US where per capita meat consumption is amongst the highest in the world.
As more people become aware of the incredible impact our food choices have on the health of our planet, attitudes towards veganism are changing everywhere and Veganuary’s growing global popularity reflects this shift.”
The global accessibility of veganism has also increased with the launch of new plant-based products and menu items for Veganuary in all of its flagship countries. In the UK alone, at least 682 new vegan products and menu items were launched last month. The highlights included vegan versions of Babybel and Philidelphia 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 Cafe Nero – with Starbucks also dropping its surcharge on plant milks permanently.
Tesco saw sales of its Wicked Kitchen plant-based range grow 127% in volume this Veganuary compared to last Veganuary. Chef Derek Sarno, Co-Founder of Wicked Kitchen, said:
“Hats off to Veganuary for making 2022 their biggest year yet! It’s amazing that this movement has inspired more than 2 million people to try eating vegan for a month since it began. Wicked Kitchen is proud to support and partner with such an influential group of game-changers. To those of you who gave 100% plant-based eating a chance this year: Thank you. Keep going!”
Other meat-free lines also saw increased sales last month. Richmond Foods saw a 42% uplift in sales across the Richmond meat-free portfolio compared to Veganuary 2021 with their meat-free burgers seeing a whopping 82% uplift in sales. Meatless Farm saw its mince sales increase +21% this Veganuary compared to last year. They also launched a range of five frozen products into Morrisons which sold at a rate of one product every 35 seconds during store opening hours.
High-street restaurant chain Las Iguanas saw a huge increase in plant-based demand during Veganuary. Katrina McGrath, Head of Marketing for Big Table Group, said: “Veganuary just keeps getting bigger at Las Iguanas and this year we’ve seen a huge 400% increase in uptake of our promotion. Our OGGS sticky toffee pudding has been an instant success on the special Veganuary hotlist menu and another winner has been our spicy as anything All Plant No Goat Curry, made with jackfruit.”
Restaurant chain Wagamama also launched a Veganuary promotion with great success. CEO Thomas Heier, said: “At Wagamama, Veganuary is always a special time. Not only do we believe we could all do with eating more plants to help our planet, but we’re also passionate about proving vegan dishes can be just as delicious, nourishing, and soulful as any other dish on our menu. We created a Japanese take on British classic F-ish and Chips, available only for Veganuary. The response has been astounding and it’s now one of our most popular vegan mains, and has helped us raise participation of plant-based dishes by +3.4% in Veganuary vs. December*. A real nod to the power of Veganuary and the momentum of the vegan movement.”
Veganuary also sparked a big increase in demand for vegan options on Deliveroo with a massive 117% growth in vegan food orders in the UK and a 153% rise in searches for vegan food on the app in January compared to December.
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, Higgidy, Aveda and Quorn – took part in the Veganuary Workplace Challenge, encouraging their employees to try vegan in January and providing more vegan options in the workplace.
On top of all this, Veganuary launched its first-ever cinema ad which aired in more than 500 UK cinemas from Boxing Day. Oscar-nominated actor James Cromwell – star of Netflix’s Succession – provided the voice of Bigfoot in the animated ad which also aired on several streaming platforms in the US.
Note to editors
Veganuary is free to join, and people can sign-up any time of the year 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. More information about what Veganuary is can be found here.
Media contact
Toni Vernelli, International Head of Communications, Veganuary
T: 07505 866 548
