Our year began with Veganuary, a campaign that has gained momentum through social media, with hashtags like #veganuary leading to a flood of tweets and posts about veganism.

Veganism has grown sevenfold between 2014 and 2019. However, as we approach the end of the 31-day trend, people are deciding whether they will continue their veganism for the next 11 months and make it a lifestyle, instead of just being part of the veganuary trend.

Veganuary is a fairly new concept introduced by Matthew Glover and his co-founder Jane Land in 2014 to promote and educate people about veganism. Veganuary has over one million participants since its launch and in 2021 there has been a record-breaking 500,000+ sign-ups to the challenge.

Many define Veganism as a form of philosophy. However, some bloggers claim it is simply a quirky trend that people join to be a part of the latest fashionable diet.

Although following a trend like Veganuary is a good way to start trying veganism, it is not always enough of an incentive to stay vegan long-term. Trends die and new diets enter. But veganism is here to stay and if you want to understand the real benefits of veganism, you should know about the negative effects of meat industrialisation.

Animal abuse

As a global economy, we have exploited animals for financial gains. Industrial meat farms are cutting expenses where they can in order to increase profit margins. Although this makes financial sense, the inventory is livestock. The emphasis on the ‘live’ in livestock. This is not an ordinary warehouse full of inanimate materials.

Zero-hectare farms are indoor farms with no land so, in effect, they imitate warehouses. In zero-hectare farms, instead of allowing animals to roam freely, they are imprisoned and kept on a very concentrated diet.

According to Eurostat, between 2013 and 2016 the number of zero-hectare farms in the EU grew by 31 per cent, from 164,000 to 214,000. However, the fact that caged chicken eggs account for 39 per cent of egg production alongside people continuing to consume eggs produced by caged chickens suggests that the quality of animal lives is not of considerable importance to the UK population.

Meat standards

Brexit has led to worries around the quality of meat as UK meat farmers may be forced to reduce standards as meat, fruit and veg are largely imported.

The negative implications of low-quality meat are significant. The UK public cares about the standards of meat quality, and over half of the population believes these standards should be tightened, according to a 2020 survey by Savanta ComRes.

With lower standards looming over the UK to compete in the global market, there is a chance that chlorine-washed chickens and hormone-injected beef may enter our market. Due to this possible decline, meat is looking like a less healthy option.

Environmental impact

Another harmful consequence of eating meat is the strain it puts on our environment. Almost 30 per cent of the earth’s land area is used to feed farm animals. Looking at this in terms of ratios, for every one kg of chicken meat, 3.2 kgs of crops are used in its production. The supply chain would be a lot more direct and less damaging for our environment if we consumed it straight from plants.

Does animal production really have that large of an effect on our environment?

One 75g beef burger contributes to nearly eight kgs of greenhouse gases per serving. By comparison, that’s almost four times the amount of greenhouse gasses produced by fish.

The largest global meat produce, JBS is under scrutiny over allegations about their involvement in the deforestation of the Amazon for production purposes. These allegations were supported by the fact that a JBS van was spotted inside a known deforestation farm.

However, JBS rebutted and claims it is a complex supply-chain system and does not take responsibility. This has led to investors placing companies linked with environmental damage on the investment blacklist.

I think this may have an indirect link to the introduction in firms’ corporate social responsibilities to promote veganism as seen by the participation of over 600 companies in Veganuary in 2020. The increasing participation in protecting our planet has led to a global response, as seen through the Paris Agreement, whereby goals towards net-zero emissions are outlined.

However, the meat farm industry has been largely demonised. “Livestock’s Long Shadow” initially estimated that the greenhouse gas emissions produced by the industry were greater than that of the whole transport sector. But after criticism of the distortion of the data, it concluded that meat production totals to five per cent of global emissions, which is below transport’s level of emission at 14 per cent.

Should you continue Veganuary past January?

The point is I think that not all vegans hate the taste of meat, but rather they don’t like the implications of meat production and consumption. The argument is not simply why you should not eat meat and the negative associations of meat. It’s also about the myriad of reasons why you should go vegan and the positive impacts of it.

Veganism should be more than just a trend; it should be a lifestyle. You may have chosen to participate in Veganuary because everyone else is, which makes sense. We are social animals, so when we see a trend we jump onto it.

However, some research into the benefits of a plant-based diet would help to create a better perspective on the purpose behind veganism. That way you can create a lifestyle out of a so-called trend, because if you don’t believe in the purpose of veganism then why put in the effort to continue it?

Jumping to veganism may be a large step for some, especially because we are creatures of habit. However, reducing the amount of meat you consume makes all the difference. Going vegan for two-thirds of meals could cut food-related carbon emissions by 60 per cent. The aim is to make the meat market obsolete in order to help our environment heal, for our own potential health benefits and to improve the lives of the animals.

With a surge in consumer demand, there are so many vegan options available and meat alternatives don’t have to break the bank. Supermarkets have made more of an effort to support vegan and vegetarian lifestyles. Tesco has launched more than 30 new plant-based products and Ikea, everyone’s favourite furniture shop, is introducing a plant-based option of its Swedish meatballs.

The involvement of larger companies demonstrates the impact of consumer demands and is a strong indication of a future with more innovative options. Now that Veganuary is coming to an end, will you make that trend a lifestyle?