Following an unusual year with public health at the very front, more people than ever before pledged to ditch meat and dairy this January through the annual Veganuary campaign, its organisers have confirmed.
The team behind the 31-day vegan eating challenge revealed this week that almost 600,000 people (usually meat and dairy eaters) from around over 180 countries signed up to the campaign last month, a significant increase from 2020, when 400,000 people participated.
Veganuary attributed the record-breaking numbers to the coronavirus pandemic’s spotlight on the risks of industrial meat production and a number of high-profile celebrity endorsements for the campaign.
“With the link between animal farming, the climate crisis and global pandemics making headlines nearly every day, we expected Veganuary 2021 to be the biggest yet but it exceeded all of our expectations,” said Veganuary organisation. “We applaud everyone who took part and encourage them to continue eating vegan food as often as possible.”
Restaurants and supermarkets across the world expanded their meat– and dairy-free ranges last month, Veganuary said, with examples like a new ‘meatless meatball hot wrap’ becoming the first new product at Pret to immediately become a top five best seller for the chain.
Delivery company Deliveroo confirmed it had seen a ‘huge increase’ in demand for plant-based food over the month of January, with order volume from vegan restaurants up 146 percent.
Together we are making an enormous difference for animals, the planet, and human health
If you are choosing a plant-based diet to improve your health, save animals, or even to play your part in protecting the environment — just know that you’re doing the right thing, whatever your reasons, and the list of benefits continues to grow each and every day, all with your health prioritised. 
It’s now estimated there are around 1 billion vegans worldwide. I’ve written extensively about how it’s never been a more important time to eat healthy vegan food amid the Covid-19 pandemic, — we are witnessing to a plant-based foods revolution, and I want to build on that here in Doha, and globally. Plant-based food and drink is set to continue to grow a higher level each and every year, mostly driven by consumer and investor pressure driven by rising concerns over the impact of our food choices on our health, sustainability, and animal welfare. 
Health, provenance, immune resilience, animal welfare and sustainability concerns will continue to take centre stage — and this is worth celebrating. 
 
* The author is an expert in vegan wellbeing and health. Instagram handle: @Ghanim92