Nearly two-thirds of Veganuary 2024 participants struggled to find vegan desserts in high-street restaurants
1st NOVEMBER, 2024 — Veganuary, the global organisation encouraging people to try vegan in January and beyond, is calling on restaurants to improve their plant-based offerings ahead of its 2025 campaign. With just two months to go until Veganuary 2025 begins, now is the time for businesses to get on board.
Data from surveyed Veganuary 2024 participants revealed 30% of participants found dining out the biggest challenge,* with plant-based dessert options being a particular barrier. The Veganuary campaign is a real opportunity for brands, retailers and restaurants to improve, expand and promote their plant-based offerings to a bigger audience.
Here’s what Veganuary 2024 participants also told us**:
- 64% said high-street chain restaurants do not offer a variety of plant-based desserts
- 56% said high-street chain restaurants do not offer a variety of plant-based starters
- 57% said high-street chain restaurants do not offer a variety of plant-based mains
- Taste was the number one motivator cited for choosing a plant-based option, followed by price and then health credentials
- Cheese was the product they missed the most, followed by eggs and seafood
Veganuary 2024 was by far the biggest and best January yet, with roughly 25 million people participating worldwide*** and the campaign is the perfect post-Christmas opportunity to connect with conscious consumers.
With climate change making headlines more frequently than ever, we expect more and more people to take part in Veganuary as they work to reduce their meat and dairy consumption. Veganuary can help businesses capitalise on this switch.
We know from our bi-annual participant surveys that most people (consistently over 80%) plan to permanently reduce their consumption of animal products by at least 50% after their Veganuary pledge. This is one of the biggest drivers in the market for plant-based options.
What do we want to see from restaurants and brands in 2025?
- TASTE – We need plant-based options to taste the same if not BETTER than the animal alternative so that even the most dedicated of meat-eaters will enjoy them
- AVAILABILITY – We want the plant-based options to be accessible and available – not hiding in the free-from section or on a separate menu. All demographics need to be able to find them – especially meat-reducers
- PRICE – We need to entice new customers with promotions and lower the prices overall. We don’t want a tax on climate-friendly choices; prices need to be on par with the animal-based versions
Toni Vernelli, International Head of Communications at Veganuary, says: “World Vegan Day is the perfect moment for restaurants and brands to recognise the potential of the plant-based market. By preparing now for Veganuary 2025, brands can position themselves at the forefront of the planet-friendly revolution, meeting the needs of conscious consumers who are looking for tasty plant-based dishes and desserts.”
We encourage all businesses to make the most of this exciting marketing opportunity by downloading the Veganuary Business Support Toolkit for inspiration and advice.
Contact:
Toni Vernelli, International Head of Communications
07505 866 548
Notes
*The Official Veganuary 2024 Participant Survey was sent to participants who opted to receive Veganuary’s support through our 31-day tailored email series. At the end of the 31 days, we asked them about their experience. 18,129 people responded. The full results can be found here.
**In addition to our standard participant survey, we asked UK participants who opted to receive our 31 daily support emails questions about their shopping habits.1,851 people responded to these questions. The full results can be found here.
***Based on YouGov surveys in Veganuary’s core campaign countries and population estimates for those countries. Read more here.
