Covid-19 boosts consumption of vegan foods

By Liz Wells in Industry News 27th August 2020

A third of former participants of Veganuary – the event which encourages people to go vegan in January and beyond – are eating more vegan food as a result of Covid-19, a new survey reveals.

The poll of more than 10,000 people shows 7% of former Veganuary participants are eating less vegan food and 61% said their consumption was unchanged.

The respondents said they are eating more vegan food during the pandemic because it is healthier (73%), they had more time to cook (43%), and due to the link between animal agriculture and pandemics (41%).

Other responses included: vegan foods are cheaper (11%) and animal products were sold out in the shop (1%).

The small number of people eating less vegan food due to Covid-19 cited having more meals with family (46%), craving comfort foods (47%), and difficulty getting vegan products (46%) as the main reasons.

Toni Vernelli, head of communications at Veganuary, said: “Although the Covid-19 pandemic has caused much heartbreak and hardship, these results offer hope that we will embrace this opportunity to change and build a better future.”