2022 biggest year ever with participants in every country
New Delhi (India), February 1: Veganuary, the movement supporting people to try vegan in January and beyond, has proved to be a huge hit in India, which registered the third highest number of participants globally. This year, Veganuary has welcomed participants from every country in the world* for the first time. More than 6,25,000 people from 229 countries and territories officially signed up to try vegan for 31 days, making this the biggest Veganuary ever.
Veganuary was officially launched in India in December 2021, and the campaign immediately received support from popular vegans, influencers and brands alike. See the India launch video here- https://youtu.be/4fHEmANyDNE. The response confirms the findings of a recent YouGov survey** that 65% of Indians plan to eat more plant-based/vegan foods in the new year. India is only behind the US and UK in the global rankings.
Reflecting on the success of the 2022 campaign, Veganuary’s India Head Prashanth Vishwanath says: “It is incredibly inspiring to see Veganuary received so well in India. As more people become aware of the large impact our food choices have on our health and the planet, attitudes towards veganism are changing everywhere, and Veganuary’s growing popularity reflects this shift. We have indeed become a true desi phenomenon.”
Veganuary has also improved the accessibility of veganism by working with more than 40 Indian brands to launch new products and introduce special offers in January. Popular brands like Funfoods by Dr. Oetkar, Good Dot, Axia Foods, Alt foods, Pro Meat, Piperleaf, Bombay Cheese Company, Pilk, Sante Spa Cuisine, Bodhi Greens launched new plant-based products and menu items. Attractive Veganuary deals and bundles were launched by Rare Earth, Vegan Dukaan, Vegan Daily, Vezlay Foods, Hello Tempayy, Blue Tribe Foods, Greend, Vegan World, targeting the increased percentage of Indians now eating more at home.
Good Dot, the popular vegan brand launched Egg Bhurji for Veganuary to support Veganuary participants. Abhishek Sinha, founder of Good Dot said, “GoodDot is proud to partner with Veganuary to encourage people to try going Vegan this January. Towards this, we have offered a flat 20% discount on all purchases made from our website. Veganuary is a great way to encourage people to witness for themselves that going vegan is very easy these days and everyone can contribute to a better planet by trying vegan”.
Siddharth Ramasubramanian, founder and CEO at Hello Tempayy. Which launched special offers for Veganuary, said, “Veganuary has been a great success in India this year, and we, at Hello Tempayy, were thrilled to be a part of it. Our mission is to offer tasty, versatile and nutritious food across cuisines which is critical to delivering the choice that Indian consumers increasingly are looking for.”
Sweta Khandelwal, co-founder Alt Foods, which launched new plant-based beverages for Veganuary says, “Veganuary has absolutely made it a lot easier for people to be more aware of and to try vegan products. Through our mission of creating great-tasting alternatives, alt foods hope to continue supporting the journey of individuals seeking a better diet for themselves and the planet.”
Pointing at increasing interest in plant-based eating in India, the YouGov survey says more than 60% of Indians have a more positive perception of plant-based/vegan diets compared to 2 years ago. Industry projections also confirm this. India’s plant-based meat market, which is at $30-40 million, is estimated to grow to $500 million in the next three years. According to a study by the Good Food Institute, plant-based dairy in India is projected to grow from $21 million presently at a CAGR of 20.7% to reach $63.9 million by 2024. With the growing demand, meat and dairy alternatives are already competing with their animal-derived counterparts, even in price and availability.
This past year, the climate emergency and health were among the top concerns on everyone’s mind. Indians have shown that they are ready to take action where it is most impactful- by changing how they eat.
Vaishnavi Prakash
