January is a special time for vegans, and for those intending to experiment with veganism. Since January 2014, a British non-profit organisation called Veganuary has been inviting people to take a voluntary online pledge to become vegan, at least for the month of January, and ideally for much longer. This campaign is now an international one, having extended to as many as 193 countries worldwide since its inception. This month has, as a direct result of Veganuary, seen the introduction of many exciting new plant-based food options, as well as of other non-food products that are not derived from animals.
Pubs and restaurants are currently providing many innovative vegan concoctions, including meatless sausages, mince and burgers, which may even ‘bleed’ when cut into. Many of these products are proving to be popular. Thus last year, Veganuary 2019 saw the introduction by the bakery chain Gregg’s of a vegan sausage roll, which became its biggest product launch in five years. Veganism continues to grow rapidly, suitably endorsed by fast food chains, supermarkets, high street restaurants, pubs, global corporate brands, celebrities, as well as many high-profile fitness gurus and other advocates of healthy living. Cosmetics and clothing companies are also adapting their products to avoid those that are derived from, or tested on, animals. As much as one per cent of the UK population (around 600,000 people) were estimated to be vegans in 2019, according to the Vegan Society’s figures. This spreading veganism has led to a decline in sales of meat, alongside increasing sales of meat substitutes that are based on vegetable protein. It may also be possible, in the future, to grow “meat” in the laboratory for mass consumption.
So, what exactly is veganism? The term refers to an entire lifestyle, and not merely to dietary preferences. Vegans abhor animal cruelty and exploitation for human benefit in all its forms. Thus, animal-derived foods (meat, fish, shellfish, eggs, dairy products, insects and honey) are forbidden, along with products made from animals, such as leather and woollen goods, and products (especially cosmetics) that have been tested on animals. The proscription does not extend to life-saving medicines that have been derived from, or tested on, animals and for which there are no suitable alternatives. After all, a living vegan is far preferable to one that is dead! Vegans also avoid zoos and aquariums, and will not attend horse- and dog-racing events, nor circuses and shows that make use of live animal entertainers.
Vegans live off a plant-based diet, and partake freely of leaves, stalks, flowers, roots, tubers, fruits, berries, nuts, grains, seeds, beans and pulses. They differ significantly from certain other types of vegetarians, who may permit either milk and dairy products (lacto-vegetarians) or eggs (ovo-vegetarians), as well as part-time vegetarians, such as flexitarians or reducetarians, who can also be considered as “meat-reducers”. The good news is that it possible to have a reasonably balanced diet as a vegan, with some caveats. Vegan diets are high in dietary fibre and rich in folic acid, iron, vitamins C and E, magnesium and phytochemicals, while tending to be lower in calories, saturated fats, omega-3 fatty acids, calcium, zinc, and vitamins D and B12. This means that while a vegan diet is overall healthier, it must be planned in a way such that sufficient intakes of calcium, zinc, vitamin D and vitamin B12, in particular, are ensured, through the consumption of either fortified foods or dietary supplements.
The question then arises as to whether humans were meant to be vegans at all. Our Stone Age ancestors, who had little in the way of resources, started out as hunter-gatherers, killing animals for food using crude stone implements, as well as gathering berries and collecting eggs and honey. But, with food, as always, choices and preferences change. In due course, nomadic hunter-gatherers became farmers, settling down to cultivate lands and grow crops. Most societies thus became collections of mainly omnivorous people, with a mixed diet of animal and plant origin. More recently, as human conscience continues to evolve, factors other than ready availability and preferences based on taste have come to the fore. Veganism is but one manifestation of a greater awareness of, and concern, for animal welfare and rights, as well as a desire for a more sustainable environment. Intensive animal agriculture has been linked to deforestation as well as increased greenhouse gas emission from the production of methane, thereby providing justification for the cause.
Veganism has become more than just a lifestyle choice. On January 3, 2020, Judge Robin Postle ruled, during the course of an employment tribunal hearing in Norwich, that “ethical veganism” is actually a philosophical or religious belief that is entitled to be legally protected from discrimination in the workplace, much in the same way as the nine characteristics that are already recognised under the Equality Act 2010, such as age, disability and sexual orientation.
While veganism is not for everyone, people may still opt to reduce their meat intake, and to experiment with plant-based alternatives as they opt for a better balance between animal and plant sources of food. The environmental and health benefits of a largely plant-based diet cannot be readily ignored.
Ashis Banerjee (flexitarian)