New Year, New Life: Veganuary 2024
'Veganuary'.
A recognised name and event …
A gamechanger.
Timed expertly to encourage sustainable change, Veganuary joins Dry January as a first-month-of-the-new-year detox challenge focused on radically overhauling diet (with a view to becoming long term, preferably) for body and mind benefits - including healthier organs, higher energy and even a lighter, brighter conscience.
Below, we take a look at how Veganuary inspires brands to bring exiting new offers to a heavily influenced market, working as a major player to motivate wider dietary change:
Q - How does Veganuary continue to influence the market, now 10 years in?
Q - How is Veganuary leading a wider, intake-conscious movement?
Modest Origins to Marketplace Behemoth
Back in 2014, Veganuary came to life in a Yorkshire kitchen, with just 3000 participants pledging to go plant-based and proud during the month of January …
Ten years on, Veganuary.com reports a massive 700,000 officially signed up to take part in 2023*, boasts celebrities such as Billie Eilish, Joaquin Phoenix and Paul McCartney as event ambassadors and holds incredible influence across the world as a dietary and cultural event … only North Korea and The Vatican reported zero sign ups!
- *2.3 million people visited the website looking for tips and tricks regarding the vegan lifestyle during the month - indicating the number participating unofficially could be much, much higher -
This rocketing popularity continues to command major marketplace recognition, with high street brands & household names offering everything from limited-edition menus, to priority products, big-budget campaign material and everything in between.
The home cooking market is also fully on-board (including an official Veganuary cookbook which can be found here), with the OOH and travel industries exploring new culinary ground every year.
Veganuary 2024 - What’s New?
Following some iconic highstreet releases from Starbucks, Subway and Gregs in past years, 2024 might just take the biscuit …
… or should we say the pie?
Pukka Pies expand their Vegan offer this month by reworking one of their best-selling fan favourites, Pukka Steak Pie. Along with Pukka's No Steak Slice, the No Steak Pie is available in Sainsbury's, ASDA & Tesco's now.
Walkers Crisps just pulled three new flavours out of the (Walkers Unbelievable!) bag, aimed to satisfy those meaty, cheesy cravings for their vegan consumer base.
Also launching, Vegan H*ney by Better Foodie uses an extracted plant blend to perfectly match bee honey on a molecular level, confidently confronting one of veganism's entry hurdles. Vegan H*ney offers an exciting alternative to enjoy in the morning, making those Veganuary breakfasts just a little sweeter.
Topping off Veganuary 2024 launches on the sweeter side, Magnum expand their vegan ice cream lolly selection this month with a gorgeous new flavour, Chill Blueberry Cookie, while ALDI launch two new (budget-friendly) flavours of vegan ice cream cone, Strawberry Cheesecake and Chocolate & Hazelnut.
OOH & Onboard
Outside supermarkets, we move on from pies to OOH pizzas - both Pizza Hut and Papa Johns release plant-based pizza toppings (a pepperoni alternative from Pizza Hut, BBQ chicken for Papa Johns) this Veganuary, available across their menus. Wagamama's and Wetherspoons too take the opportunity this year to bring brilliant vegan offers to the table, with Burger King happily reissuing their 'most requested product ever', the Ultimate Bean Burger.
In travel, we're pleased to announce our bestselling Jacq Out the Box Sweet & Savoury (Vegan & Gluten Free) Ambient Snack Box is confirmed to launch Summer 2024 with a new content showstopper: Urban Fruit Gently Baked Mango (15g).
Set to fly on both easyJet and Jet2, this snack box is a 100% animal product-free, small-meal option recognised by bodies like Hospitality Onboard Awards and Peta for flying vegans.
We curate our boxes to offer full-bodied delight, and the new addition from Urban Fruit works beautifully with the crunchier snacks included to bring an uplifting experience in-seat.
An exciting development for one of our most-loved snack boxes.
Airlines continue to develop their plant-based long and short haul menus, with most operators now offering a confident selection of hot and cold vegetarian meals that can be revised (in advance) as vegan. Standing apart, airlines including Emirates, SWISS, easyJet and Jet2 offer fully vegan options as standard, blazing the trail.
Lastly, the world waits for more news on the estimated 2024 launch of EcoJet - the first all-electric airline in the UK - set to prioritise plant-based food onboard.
A bigger movement?
Alcohol Change UK reports 175,000 people undertook Dry January in 2023 , with 30% of men and 26% of women wanting to reduce their alcohol consumption in 2024.
Considering the even bigger popularity of Veganuary, does this indicate a wider shift in attitude towards diet, health and wellbeing accountability in general?
It would seem so. The fitness industry saw huge growth between 2012 -2020 (before the pandemic affected figures) and complimentary cultures - such as supplement, eco/sustainable, biohacking and soft seltzers - are gaining heavy marketplace momentum. Biohacking, for example, is predicted to achieve a global growth rate of 16% from 2021to reach an estimated 18170 million USD in 2027.
In this MSN article, clean eating is encouraged to help ease the transition into Dry January from a craving perspective, showing how symbiotic new habits can be. Alongside, shows such as Amazon Prime's ‘The Magic Pill’ heavily highlight the life-changing effects of conscientious intake.
The UK market is seeing consumers seriously seeking to better their wellbeing, both in body and mind. Specific detoxes are more popular than ever before, along with regular intermittent fasting, mindfulness and physical exercize - here are nine wider health and wellbeing trends set to be big in 2024.
Conclusion
Initially a month-long oath, Veganuary has radically altered the perception of veganism over the past decade, from niche lifestyle choice to a heavily encouraged (and perhaps even glamorous) mainstream detox.
And it's not going anywhere. Not only does Veganuary.com report 78% of 2023 participants intended to make significant dietary changes, but peer initiatives like the Workplace Challenge motivate us even in our professional lives, away from websites and supermarket shelves.
Beyond (but intrinsic to) this challenge, consumers look to better their futures in mind, body and spirit - abstaining, avoiding and conscientiously consuming.
There's no doubt Veganuary, then, has radically influenced the modern market.
It is the market.
At least for the month of January, with the challenge-aspect clearly inspiring wider, positive change.
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• Vegan • Free-from • Economy • Industry • Gluten-Free • Product
A comprehesive breakdown of Veganuary.com 2023 impact can be downloaded here.
More Info on Veganuary 2024 launches:
