Veganuary soars in popularity as 1.28 lakh Indians sign up to try vegan

New Delhi: Veganuary, the global organisation encouraging people to try vegan in January and beyond, has continued to see an explosion in popularity among the Indian public. 1.28 lakh Indians signed up to try eating vegan for a month and received Veganuary’s free resources and guidance, including access to special offers from Indian brands. This year also marks Veganuary’s 10th global anniversary. It was celebrated in a unique way with the Veganuary flag being sent up to the International Space Station, where it orbited the Earth 4,400 times- a historical first for a vegan campaign.

Back on Earth, Veganuary supported more than 1.8 million people to try vegan worldwide for a month. To enable people to participate in the campaign in ways that suit their lifestyle in an ever-changing world, Veganuary now offers its support and guidance in multiple formats. This includes 31 daily coaching emails, which people sign up for on the website; a weekly podcast; a series of 31 daily coaching videos on YouTube; social media channels in multiple languages; as well as retail products including the brand new Official Veganuary Cookbook and the Vegan Kit – a card deck with everything you need to start exploring a vegan diet. Globally, more than 1.8 million people chose to actively receive Veganuary’s resources and support via one or more of these channels*.

Veganuary 2024 saw huge brands join the campaign for the first time, including Hard Rock Café which launched a vegan menu in all of its outlets worldwide and Veganuary branded merchandise in flagship locations. The software giant Salesforce joined Veganuary’s Workplace Challenge and encouraged all their staff to try vegan for January. In India, Hilton Hotels launched a Veganuary special menu in 16 different locations. Popular brands like Big Basket, Nature’s Basket, Jio Mart, Milky Mist, Yoga Bar, Blue Tribe, Hatti Kaapi and more joined the campaign with special offers. In all, 122 Indian brands participated in the campaign. 

Sachin Agarwal, COO- Nature's Basket said "We are proud to be associated with Veganuary and we are thrilled to be a part of a cause that protects the planet and also improves the human health! At Nature's Basket, we are happy to have a vast range of Vegan products at our stores and through this great platform, we aim to motivate people to switch to veganism. This is our second year of collaborating with Veganuary and we shall continue to support veganism every year."  

"By participating in Veganuary, we at Hard Rock Cafe hope to raise awareness & inspire more people to adopt to a plant-based lifestyle. We also aim to showcase the creativity and versatility of vegan and vegetarian cuisine, debunking any misconceptions about its limited options." said Adrien Grob, Vice President, Operations at JSM Corporation Pvt Ltd.

Indian celebrities continue to support the campaign’s positive, friendly approach to diet change, with actors Arvind Krishna, Sneha Ullal, mountaineer Kuntal Joisher and musician Anushka Manchanda recording supportive videos for anyone trying vegan. 

Reflecting on the success of the 2024 campaign, Veganuary’s India Head Prashanth Vishwanath says: “It is incredibly inspiring to see Veganuary’s participation and influence continue to grow in India. As people become more aware of the incredible impact our food choices have on our health and the health of our planet, attitudes towards veganism are changing everywhere. Veganuary’s friendly, non-judgmental and enabling approach has undoubtedly played an instrumental role in this shift. Remember, Veganuary is not just for January, and you can sign up to try vegan anytime!”

*This figure encompasses everyone actively choosing to receive resources from Veganuary during the 2024 campaign, including those who signed up for daily coaching emails or watched our daily coaching videos via Veganuary’s 31-day YouTube series, as well as Veganuary podcast listens; people who follow Veganuary’s guidance on social media and people who purchased the Official Veganuary Cookbook or our Vegan Kit for recipes and nutrition information.