March of the vegans

In the same week that Waitrose showed its food magazine editor William Sitwell the door for mocking vegans, they have published a report suggesting that one in eight Britons are now vegetarian or vegan.

The report is based on millions of the supermarket’s transactions in shops and online, backed up with by a poll of 2,000 adults that shop across a range of retailers.

Writing in the Guardian, Waitrose’s head of brand development Natalie Mitchell said: “This year, we’ve seen vegan food go mainstream. Whether cooking at home, buying prepared food or trying the newly vegan-friendly restaurants, people are discovering that it tastes amazing.”   

The report revealed a range of reason why people are choosing to ditch animal foods including animal welfare concerns, health and environmental issues.

The provision of vegan food in supermarkets has never been so good and the options for vegans dining out continues to grow at an unprecedented rate.

If you want to know more about going vegan, try our free 30 Day Vegan meal plan. You can start anytime and we’re here to help www.viva.org.uk/30dayvegan.

About the author
Dr. Justine Butler
Justine joined Viva! in 2005 after graduating from Bristol University with a PhD in molecular biology. After working as a campaigner, then researcher and writer, she is now Viva!’s head of research and her work focuses on animals, the environment and health. Justine’s scientific training helps her research and write both in-depth scientific reports, such as White Lies and the Meat Report, as well as easy-to-read factsheets and myth-busting articles for consumer magazines and updates on the latest research. Justine also recently wrote the Vegan for the Planet guide for Viva!’s Vegan Now campaign.

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