On this day in vegan history · January 1, 2014
Veganuary Begins With 3,325 People
A British couple bet that a one-month pledge could outlast January, and every year since, more people have shown up to try it.
The facts
- Founded
- January 2014, by Jane Land and Matthew Glover
- First-year sign-ups
- 3,325
- By 2020
- 400,000 sign-ups
- By 2026
- 30 million people took part
In January 2014, Jane Land and Matthew Glover launched Veganuary, a British nonprofit challenge inviting people to eat vegan for the month. The first year drew 3,325 sign-ups, a modest number for an idea with no marketing budget and no guarantee anyone outside their own circles would care. It worked anyway: participation grew every single year afterward, first by word of mouth, then through partnerships with restaurants and food brands eager to court a January audience already thinking about what to eat. By 2020 the campaign counted 400,000 sign-ups; by 2026 Veganuary said 30 million people had taken part.
In their words
The day in the words of the people who were there. Every quote is verbatim, and every source links out so you can check it.
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Veganuary is an annual challenge run by a British nonprofit organisation that promotes the vegan lifestyle by encouraging people to follow a vegan diet for the month of January.
Wikipedia, Veganuary entry
Source: Wikipedia -
Since it began in 2014 with only 3,325 people who joined to the challenge, participation has increased each year.
Wikipedia, Veganuary entry
Source: Wikipedia
Why it still matters
Veganuary turned a personal choice into a shared, time-boxed experiment that food companies now plan product launches around, which is a big part of how vegan options went from niche to expected on menus every January.
Sources
This history is still being written.
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