Veganism

Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods,<ref name=":5">Template:Cite journal</ref> and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals.Template:Efn A person who practices veganism is known as a vegan.

The foundations of veganism include ethical, moral, environmental, health and humanitarian arguments. Strict veganism excludes all forms of animal use, whether in agriculture for labour or food (e.g., meat, fish and other animal seafood, eggs, dairy products such as milk or cheese, and honey), in clothing and industry (e.g., leather, wool, fur, and some cosmetics), in entertainment (e.g., zoos, exotic pets, and circuses), or in services (e.g., guide dogs, police dogs, hunting dogs, working animals, and animal testing, including medical experimentation and the use of pharmaceuticals derived from or tested on animals).

A person who practices veganism may do so for personal health benefits or to reduce animal deaths, minimize animal suffering, or minimize their ecological footprint.

Fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, grains and mushrooms are the basic elements of vegan food. Since ancient times individuals have been renouncing the consumption of products of animal origin, but the term "veganism" is modern: it was coined in 1944 by Donald Watson with the aim of differentiating it from vegetarianism, which rejects the consumption of meat but accepts the consumption of other products of animal origin, such as milk, dairy products and eggs.<ref name="VeganSociety2014"/><ref name="Davis2016">Template:Cite web</ref> Interest in veganism increased significantly in the 2010s. Template:TOC limit

Origins

Historical background

Vegetarianism can be traced back to the Indus Valley civilization in 3300–1300 BCE in the Indian subcontinent,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> particularly in northern and western ancient India.<ref name="Singh2008">Template:Cite book</ref> Early vegetarians included Indian philosophers such as Parshavnatha, Mahavira, Acharya Kundakunda, Umaswati, Samantabhadra, and Valluvar, as well as the Indian emperors Chandragupta Maurya and Ashoka.<ref>For Valluvar, see Kamil Zvelebil, The Smile of Murugan: On Tamil Literature of South India Template:ISBN, E. J. Brill, 1973, pp. 156–171.Template:PbP. S. Sundaram, Tiruvalluvar Kural, Penguin, 1990, p. 13. Template:ISBNTemplate:PbA. A. Manavalan, Essays and Tributes on Tirukkural (1886–1986 AD) (1 ed.). Chennai: International Institute of Tamil Studies, 2009, pp. 127–129.</ref> The earliest recorded vegans, who predated the term "vegan" but were explicitly vegan as opposed to vegetarian, include al-Ma'arri (who predated the word vegan by a millennium)<ref name="vegan">Template:Cite web In poem #14</ref> and Lewis Gompertz.<ref name="ODNB">Template:Cite ODNB</ref>

The term 素 (sù) is the most commonly used word for "vegetarian" or "vegan" in China. This character is first seen in bronze inscriptions from the Western Zhou Dynasty (1027–771 BCE), though it is likely older. It originally meant "undyed silk", but evolved to refer to simplicity more generally, and then to the humble diet of the poor, and then to Buddhist diet which requires abstinence from meat and animal products.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Buddha stated that monks could eat meat so long as they had no reason to believe the animal was killed in order to feed them.<ref name="welch">Template:Cite book</ref> In Theravada countries, monks given meat while begging were permitted to eat it; however in China monks did not beg, and dietary restrictions on meat eating predated Buddhism.<ref name="welch"/> By itself, the term does not distinguish between vegetarian and vegan diets, and has many other meanings.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In modern Chinese the terms 纯素 (chún sù, "pure vegetarian/vegan") or 全素 (quán sù, “totally vegetarian/vegan”) are used to mean 'vegan', especially when referring to non-food vegan goods, and 纯净素 (chún jìng sù, "pure Buddhist vegetarian/vegan") is used to refer to the Buddhist diet, which is more restrictive than the vegan diet.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Initially centered on abstaining from meat, this concept evolved to include the exclusion of all animal by-products, such as clothing, household items, and medicinal remedies, and extends to doing no harm in thought or action towards all sentient beings, natural habitats or ecosystems.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Greek philosophers associated with the practice include Empedocles, Theophrastus, Plutarch, Plotinus, and Porphyry, along with the Roman poet Ovid and the playwright Seneca the Younger.<ref name="Dombrowski1984">Template:Cite journalTemplate:Pb Daniel A. Dombrowski, The Philosophy of Vegetarianism, University of Massachusetts Press, 1984, 2.</ref> The Greek sage Pythagoras may have advocated an early form of strict vegetarianism,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> but his life is so obscure that it is disputed whether he ever advocated any form of vegetarianism.<ref name="Zhmud">Template:Cite book</ref> He almost certainly prohibited his followers from eating beans<ref name="Zhmud" /> and wearing woolen garments.<ref name="Zhmud" /> Eudoxus of Cnidus, a student of Archytas and Plato, writes, "Pythagoras was distinguished by such purity and so avoided killing and killers that he not only abstained from animal foods, but even kept his distance from cooks and hunters".<ref name="Zhmud" /> One of the earliest known vegans was the Arab poet al-Ma'arri, famous for his poem "I No Longer Steal From Nature". (Template:C.).<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>Template:Efn Their arguments were based on health, the transmigration of souls, animal welfare, and the view—espoused by Porphyry in Template:Lang ("On Abstinence from Animal Food", Template:C.)—that if humans deserve justice, then so do animals.<ref name="Dombrowski1984" />

Development in the 19th century

photograph of Fruitlands

Fruitlands; a short-lived vegan community established in 1844 by Amos Bronson Alcott in Harvard, Massachusetts

Vegetarianism established itself as a significant movement in 19th-century Britain and the United States.<ref>James Gregory, Of Victorians and Vegetarians, I. B. Tauris, 2007. Template:ISBN</ref> A minority of vegetarians avoided animal food entirely.<ref name="MedicalTimes" /> In 1813, the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley published A Vindication of Natural Diet, advocating "abstinence from animal food and spirituous liquors", and in 1815, William Lambe, a London physician, said that his "water and vegetable diet" could cure anything from tuberculosis to acne.<ref>James C. Whorton, Crusaders for Fitness: The History of American Health Reformers, Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2014, 69–70: "Word of these cures of pimples, consumption, and virtually all ailments in between was widely distributed by his several publications ..."Template:Pb Percy Bysshe Shelley, A Vindication of Natural Diet, London: F. Pitman, 1884 [1813]; William Lambe, Joel Shew, Water and Vegetable Diet, New York: Fowler's and Wells, 1854 [London, 1815].</ref> Lambe called animal food a "habitual irritation" and argued that "milk eating and flesh-eating are but branches of a common system and they must stand or fall together".<ref>Lambe 1854, 55, 94.</ref> Sylvester Graham's meatless Graham diet—mostly fruit, vegetables, water, and bread made at home with stoneground flour—became popular as a health remedy in the 1830s in the United States.<ref>Andrew F. Smith, Eating History, New York: Columbia University Press, 2013, 29–35 (33 for popularity); Whorton 2014, 38ff.</ref> The first known vegan cookbook was Asenath Nicholson's Kitchen Philosophy for Vegetarians, published in 1849.<ref>"Key facts". The Vegan Society. Retrieved 12 July 2023.</ref>

Several vegan communities were established around this time. In Massachusetts, Amos Bronson Alcott, father of the novelist Louisa May Alcott, opened the Temple School in 1834 and Fruitlands in 1844,<ref>Hart 1995, 14; Francis, Fruitlands: The Alcott Family and their Search for Utopia, 2010.</ref>Template:Efn and in England, James Pierrepont Greaves founded the Concordium, a vegan community at Alcott House on Ham Common, in 1838.<ref name="Latham1999p168">J. E. M. Latham, Search for a New Eden, Madison: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1999, 168.</ref><ref>Gregory 2007, 22.</ref>

Vegetarian etymology

The term "vegetarian" has been in use since around 1839 to refer to what was previously called a vegetable regimen or diet.<ref>Rod Preece, Sins of the Flesh: A History of Ethical Vegetarian Thought, Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 2008, 12 Template:ISBN</ref> Its origin is an irregular compound of vegetable and the suffix -arian (in the sense of "supporter, believer" as in humanitarian).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="VegetusMyth">Template:Cite web</ref> The earliest known written use is attributed to actress, writer and abolitionist Fanny Kemble, in her Journal of a Residence on a Georgian plantation in 1838–1839.Template:Efn

Formation of the Vegetarian Society

File:Northwood Villa, Ramsgate.png

Northwood Villa; the site of the 1847 Ramsgate conference where the Vegetarian Society was founded.

In 1843, members of Alcott House created the British and Foreign Society for the Promotion of Humanity and Abstinence from Animal Food,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> led by Sophia Chichester, a wealthy benefactor of Alcott House.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Alcott House also helped to establish the British Vegetarian Society, which held its first meeting in 1847 in Ramsgate, Kent.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The Medical Times and Gazette in London reported in 1884:

An article in the Society's magazine, the Vegetarian Messenger, in 1851 discussed alternatives to shoe leather, which suggests the presence of vegans within the membership who rejected animal use entirely, not only in diet.<ref>"History of Vegetarianism: The Origin of Some Words", International Vegetarian Union, 6 April 2010.</ref> Henry S. Salt's 1886 A Plea for Vegetarianism and Other Essays asserts, "It is quite true that most—not all—Food Reformers admit into their diet such animal food as milk, butter, cheese, and eggs..."<ref name="salt">Template:Cite book</ref> Salt also argued that the primary objective of the vegetarian movement should be to eliminate meat, while contending that dairy and eggs are also unnecessary and could be phased out over time.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Development in the 20th century

photograph of Gandhi and Salt

Mahatma Gandhi, London Vegetarian Society, 20 November 1931, with Henry S. Salt on his rightTemplate:Efn

C. W. Daniel published an early vegan cookbook, Rupert H. Wheldon's No Animal Food: Two Essays and 100 Recipes, in 1910.<ref name="Leneman1999">Template:Cite journal</ref> The consumption of milk and eggs became a battleground over the following decades. There were regular discussions about it in the Vegetarian Messenger; it appears from the correspondence pages that many opponents of veganism were vegetarians.<ref name="Leneman1999" /><ref name="WatsonAutumn1965" />

During a visit to London in 1931, Mahatma Gandhi—who had joined the London Vegetarian Society's executive committee when he lived in London from 1888 to 1891—gave a speech to the Society arguing that it ought to promote a meat-free diet as a matter of morality, not health.<ref name=Gandhispeech>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Lacto-vegetarians acknowledged the ethical consistency of the vegan position but regarded a vegan diet as impracticable and were concerned that it might be an impediment to spreading vegetarianism if vegans found themselves unable to participate in social circles where no non-animal food was available. This became the predominant view of the Vegetarian Society, which in 1935 stated: "The lacto-vegetarians, on the whole, do not defend the practice of consuming the dairy products except on the ground of expediency."<ref name=Leneman1999/>

Vegan etymology

In August 1944, several members of the Vegetarian Society asked that a section of its newsletter be devoted to non-dairy vegetarianism. When the request was denied, Donald Watson, secretary of the Leicester branch, set up a new quarterly newsletter, The Vegan News, in November 1944.<ref name=WatsonInterviews>Template:Cite interviewTemplate:PbTemplate:Cite interview</ref> The word vegan was invented by Watson and Dorothy Morgan, a schoolteacher he later married.<ref name="VeganSociety2014">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Davis2016"/> The word is based on "the first three and last two letters of 'vegetarianTemplate:'-" because it marked, in Watson's words, "the beginning and end of vegetarian".<ref name="WatsonInterviews"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Vegan News asked its readers if they could think of anything better than vegan to stand for "non-dairy vegetarian". They suggested allvega, neo-vegetarian, dairyban, vitan, benevore, sanivores, and beaumangeur.<ref name=WatsonInterviews/><ref>Donald Watson, Vegan News, February 1945, 2–3.</ref>

According to Joanne Stepaniak, the word vegan was first published independently in 1962 by the Oxford Illustrated Dictionary, defined as "a vegetarian who eats no butter, eggs, cheese, or milk".<ref>Stepaniak 2000, 3.</ref>

Founding of The Vegan Society

The first edition of The Vegan News attracted more than 100 letters, including from George Bernard Shaw, who resolved to give up eggs and dairy.<ref name="WatsonAutumn1965">Donald Watson, "The Early History of the Vegan Movement", The Vegan, Autumn 1965, 5–7; Donald Watson, Vegan News, first issue, November 1944.</ref> The Vegan Society held its first meeting in early November at the Attic Club, 144 High Holborn, London. In attendance were Donald Watson, Elsie B. Shrigley, Fay K. Henderson, Alfred Hy Haffenden, Paul Spencer and Bernard Drake, with Mme Pataleewa (Barbara Moore, a Russian-British engineer) observing.<ref name="Farhall1994">Richard Farhall, "The First Fifty Years: 1944–1994", iii (full names of members on following pages), published with The Vegan, 10(3), Autumn 1994, between pp. 12 and 13.</ref> World Vegan Day is held every 1 November to mark the founding of the Society, and the Society considers November World Vegan Month.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

photograph of Moore in 1961

Barbara Moore attended the first meeting of The Vegan Society as an observer.<ref name="Farhall1994" />

The Vegan News changed its name to The Vegan in November 1945, by which time it had 500 subscribers.<ref>The Vegan, 1(5), November 1945; for 500, The Vegan, 10(3), Autumn 1994, iv.</ref> It published recipes and a "vegan trade list" of animal-free products, such as toothpastes, shoe polishes, stationery and glue.<ref>For an example of the vegan trade list, The Vegan, 2(2), Summer 1946, 6–7.</ref> Vegan books appeared, including Vegan Recipes by Fay K. Henderson (1946)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and Aids to a Vegan Diet for Children by Kathleen V. Mayo (1948).<ref>Joanne Stepaniak, The Vegan Sourcebook, McGraw Hill Professional, 2000, 5; The Vegan, Autumn 1949, 22.</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The Vegan Society soon made clear that it rejected the use of animals for any purpose, not only in diet. In 1947, Watson wrote: "The vegan renounces it as superstitious that human life depends upon the exploitation of these creatures whose feelings are much the same as our own".<ref name=Cole2014p203/> From 1948, The VeganTemplate:'s front page read: "Advocating living without exploitation", and in 1951, the Society published its definition of veganism as "the doctrine that man should live without exploiting animals".<ref name=Cole2014p203>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=Cross1951>Template:Cite journal</ref> In 1956, its vice-president, Leslie Cross, founded the Plantmilk Society and in 1965, as Plantmilk Ltd and later Plamil Foods, it began production of one of the first widely distributed soy milks in the Western world.<ref name=Mather1986>Template:Cite interviewTemplate:PbTemplate:Cite webTemplate:Pb"The Plantmilk Society", The Vegan, X(3), Winter 1956, 14–16.</ref>

Spread to the United States

The first vegan society in the U.S. was founded in 1948 by Catherine Nimmo and Rubin Abramowitz in California, who distributed Watson's newsletter.<ref>Stepaniak 2000, 6–7; Linda Austin and Norm Hammond, Oceano, Arcadia Publishing, 2010, 39.</ref><ref name="AVS50">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 1960, H. Jay Dinshah founded the American Vegan Society (AVS), linking veganism to the concept of ahimsa, "non-harming" in Sanskrit.<ref name="AVS50" /><ref>Stepaniak 2000, 6–7; Preece 2008, 323.</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Definition

Distinctions may be made between several categories of veganism. Dietary vegans, also known as "strict vegetarians", refrain from consuming meat, eggs, dairy products, and any other animal-derived substances.Template:Efn An "ethical vegan" is someone who not only excludes animal products from their diet but also tries to avoid using animals,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> animal products,Template:Efn and animal-tested products,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> when practical.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Another term is "environmental veganism", which refers to the avoidance of animal products on the grounds that the industrial farming of animals is environmentally damaging and unsustainable.<ref name=environmental>Template:Cite interviewTemplate:Pb Matthew Cole, "Veganism", in Margaret Puskar-Pasewicz (ed.), Cultural Encyclopedia of Vegetarianism, ABC-Clio, 2010 (239–241), 241.</ref> Another motivation for veganism is concern about animal welfare.

Since 1988, The Vegan Society gives two definitions of veganism:

The first definition by The Vegan Society is accepted among ethical and environmental vegans and the second definition by The Vegan Society is accepted among dietary vegans.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

The European Commission was granted the power to adopt an implementing act on food information related to suitability of a food for vegans by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union in article 36 of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The German consumer protection minister conference approved a definition for food suitable for vegans on 22 April 2016.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The European Vegetarian Union adopted this text for a proposal for a legally binding definition based on Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 in July 2019.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2021, the International Organization for Standardization published standard ISO 23662 on "definitions and technical criteria for foods and food ingredients suitable for vegetarians or vegans and for labelling and claims".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> ISO 23662 was rejected by Nederlandse Vereniging voor Veganisme who found the standard inconsistent with their vision.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Increasing interest

History of alternative food movements

Wheat gluten, originally called miànjīn (麵筋), is a preparation of wheat that has been documented in China since the 6th century and continues to be used today. It is widely used as a meat substitute by both monastic and lay Chinese Buddhists. The oldest reference to wheat gluten appears in the Qimin Yaoshu, a Chinese agricultural encyclopedia written by Jia Sixie in 535.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> This encyclopedia mentions noodles prepared from wheat gluten called bótuō (餺飥). Wheat gluten was known as miànjīn (麵筋) by the Song dynasty (960–1279).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

In the 1960s and 1970s, a vegetarian food movement emerged as part of the counterculture in the United States that focused on concerns about diet, the environment, and a distrust of food producers, leading to increasing interest in organic gardening.<ref name=VA>Iacobbo, Karen and Michael Iacobbo. "Chapter 9: Peace, Love, and Vegetarianism: The Counterculture of the 1960s and 1970s", In Vegetarian America: A History. Westport: Praeger, 2004.</ref><ref>Andrew F. Smith, Eating History, New York: Columbia University Press, 2013, 197; Wright 2015, 34.</ref> One of the most influential vegetarian books of that time was Frances Moore Lappé's 1971 Diet for a Small Planet.<ref name="npr16">Template:Cite news</ref> It sold more than three million copies and suggested "getting off the top of the food chain".<ref>Frances Moore Lappé, Diet for a Small Planet: How to Enjoy a Rich Protein Harvest by Getting Off the Top of the Food Chain, Friends of the Earth/Ballantine, 1971; Smith 2013, 197.</ref>

The following decades saw research by a group of scientists and doctors in the U.S., including Dean Ornish, Caldwell Esselstyn, Neal D. Barnard, John A. McDougall, Michael Greger, and biochemist T. Colin Campbell, who argued that diets based on animal fat and animal protein, such as the Western pattern diet, were unhealthy.<ref>For health professionals' interest in vegetarian diets in the last quarter of the 20th century: Donna Maurer, Vegetarianism: Movement or Moment?, Temple University Press, 2002, 23; for Ornish and Barnard, 99–101.Template:Pb For McDougall: Karen Iacobbo, Michael Iacobbo, Vegetarians and Vegans in America Today, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2006, 75.Template:Pb For Ornish, Campbell, Esselstyn, Barnard, and Greger: Kathy Freston, Veganist, Weinstein Publishing, 2011. Ornish, from 21; Campbell, 41; Esselstyn, 57; Barnard, 73; Greger, 109.</ref> They produced a series of books that recommend vegan or vegetarian diets, including McDougall's The McDougall Plan (1983), John Robbins's Diet for a New America (1987), which associated meat eating with environmental damage, and Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease (1990).<ref>For McDougall Plan: Iacobbo and Iacobbo 2006, 75; for Robbins: Wright 2015, 35, and Preece 2008, 327; for Ornish: Maurer 2002, 99–101.</ref> In 2003 two major North American dietitians' associations indicated that well-planned vegan diets were suitable for all life stages.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> This was followed by the film Earthlings (2005), Campbell's The China Study (2005), Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin's Skinny Bitch (2005), Jonathan Safran Foer's Eating Animals (2009), and the film Forks Over Knives (2011).<ref>For Freedman and Barnouin: Wright 2015, 104; for Earthlings: Wright 2015, 149.Template:Pb For Campbell and Esselstyn: Template:Cite webTemplate:Pb For Eating Animals: Template:Cite newsTemplate:Pb For Esselystyn and Forks Over Knives: Template:Cite web</ref>

In the 1980s, veganism became associated with punk subculture and ideologies, particularly straight edge hardcore punk in the U.S.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> and anarcho-punk in the United Kingdom.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> This association continues into the 21st century, as evidenced by the prominence of vegan punk events such as Fluff Fest in Europe.<ref name="sober">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="bandcamp">Template:Cite web</ref>

Into the mainstream

The vegan diet became increasingly mainstream in the 2010s,<ref name="Early2010sMainstreaming">Template:Cite webTemplate:PbTemplate:Cite webTemplate:PbTemplate:Cite web</ref><ref name="Late2010sMainstreaming">Template:Cite newsTemplate:PbTemplate:Cite newsTemplate:PbTemplate:Cite newsTemplate:PbTemplate:Cite news</ref><ref name=Pendergrast>Nick Pendergrast, "Environmental Concerns and the Mainstreaming of Veganism", in T. Raphaely (ed.), Impact of Meat Consumption on Health and Environmental Sustainability, IGI Global, 2015, 106.</ref> especially in the latter half.<ref name="Late2010sMainstreaming"/><ref name="Hancox2018">Template:Cite news</ref> The Economist declared 2019 "the year of the vegan".<ref name="parkerECON">Template:Cite news</ref> Chain restaurants began marking vegan items on their menus and supermarkets improved their selection of vegan-processed food.<ref>Rynn Berry, "Veganism", The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink, Oxford University Press, 2007, 604–605</ref>

The global mock-meat market increased by 18 percent between 2005 and 2010,<ref name=Burt18May2012>Template:Cite web</ref> and in the U.S. by eight percent between 2012 and 2015, to $553 million a year.<ref name=Shah8Jan2016>Template:Cite news</ref> The Vegetarian Butcher (Template:Lang), the first known vegetarian butcher shop, selling mock meats, opened in the Netherlands in 2010,<ref name=Burt18May2012/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> while America's first vegan butcher, the Herbivorous Butcher, opened in Minneapolis in 2016.<ref name=Shah8Jan2016/><ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:PbTemplate:Cite news</ref> Since 2017, more than 12,500 chain restaurant locations have begun offering Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods products, including Carl's Jr. outlets offering Beyond Burgers and Burger King outlets serving Impossible Whoppers. Plant-based meat sales in the U.S. grew 37% between 2017 and 2019.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

photograph of Patrik Baboumian

German strongman Patrik Baboumian, who starred in the 2018 documentary The Game Changers to demonstrate that athletes can thrive on a vegan diet

In 2011, Europe's first vegan supermarkets appeared in Germany: Veganz in Berlin and Vegilicious in Dortmund.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Mesure8Dec2013">Template:Cite news</ref> In 2013, the Oktoberfest in Munich (traditionally a meat-heavy event) offered vegan dishes for the first time in its 200-year history.<ref name=Guttman4Oct2013>Template:Cite news</ref>

By 2016, 49% of Americans were drinking plant milk, and 91% still drank dairy milk.<ref name="MintelApril2016">Template:Cite news</ref> In the U.K., the plant milk market increased by 155 percent in two years, from 36 million litres (63 million imperial pints) in 2011 to 92 million (162 million imperial pints) in 2013.<ref name="Khomami8Feb2015">Template:Cite news</ref> There was a 185% increase in new vegan products between 2012 and 2016 in the U.K.<ref name="Hancox2018" /> In 2017, the United States School Nutrition Association found 14% of school districts across the country were serving vegan school meals compared to 11.5% of schools offering vegan lunch in 2016.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In total, Template:As of, the largest share of vegan consumers globally currently reside in Asia Pacific with nine percent of people following a vegan diet.<ref name="MarketGrowth2016"/> In 2017, veganism rose in popularity in Hong Kong and China, particularly among millennials.<ref name="HongKong2017">Template:Cite news</ref> China's vegan market was estimated to rise by more than 17% between 2015 and 2020,<ref name="HongKong2017"/><ref name="MarketGrowth2016">Template:Cite newsTemplate:PbTemplate:Cite web</ref> which is expected to be "the fastest growth rate internationally in that period".<ref name="HongKong2017"/> This exceeds the projected growth in the second and third fastest-growing vegan markets internationally in the same period, the United Arab Emirates (10.6%) and Australia (9.6%) respectively.<ref name="MarketGrowth2016"/><ref name="Cormack2016">Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2018, Jacy Reese Anthis's book The End of Animal Farming argued that veganism will completely replace animal-based food by 2100.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The book was featured in The Guardian,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The New Republic,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and Forbes, among other newspapers and magazines.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The growth of schools serving vegan school meals has increased in recent years with the lunches added by Los Angeles, California in 2018, Portland, Maine in 2019, and New York City in 2022.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In January 2021, 582,538 people from 209 countries and territories signed up for Veganuary, breaking the previous year's record of 400,000.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> That month, ONA in France became the first vegan restaurant in the country to receive a Michelin star.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> That year, 79 more plant-based restaurants around the world received Michelin stars.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At the end of the year, a poll conducted by The Guardian showed that a new high of 36% of the British public were interested in veganism.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Prevalence by country

• Template:Flag: Australians topped Google's worldwide searches for the word "vegan" between mid-2015 and mid-2016.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A Euromonitor International study concluded the market for packaged vegan food in Australia would rise 9.6% per year between 2015 and 2020, making Australia the third-fastest growing vegan market behind China and the United Arab Emirates.<ref name="MarketGrowth2016"/><ref name="Cormack2016"/>
• Template:Flag: Template:As of Kurier estimated that 0.5 percent of Austrians practised veganism, and in the capital, Vienna, 0.7 percent.<ref>Barbara Reiter, Anita Kattinger, "Total Vegan", Kurier, 28 May 2013.</ref>
• Template:Flag: A 2016 iVOX online study found that out of 1000 Dutch-speaking residents of Flanders and Brussels of 18 years and over, 0.3 percent were vegan.<ref>Template:In lang "Minder vlees eten steeds meer ingeburgerd", Vilt, 16 February 2016.</ref>
• Template:Flag: According to research by IBOPE Inteligência published in April 2018, 14% of Brazilians, or about 30 million people, considered themselves vegetarians, 7 million of them vegans.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Template:Flag: In 2018, one survey estimated that 2.1 percent of adult Canadians considered themselves as vegans.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Template:Flag: A government-commissioned survey indicates that Template:As of, 2% of German residents follow a vegan diet.Template:Efn<ref>Template:Cite web
• Template:Cite web</ref>Template:Better source needed
• Template:Flag: In the 2005–06 National Health Survey, 1.6% of the surveyed population reported never consuming animal products. Veganism was most common in the states of Gujarat (4.9%) and Maharashtra (4.0%).<ref name="Agrawal 2014">Template:Cite journal</ref>
• Template:Flag: Five percent (approx. 300,000) in Israel said they were vegan in 2014, making it the highest per capita vegan population in the world.<ref name=Sales2014>Template:Cite newsTemplate:PbTemplate:Cite newsTemplate:Pb

Template:Cite news</ref> A 2015 survey by Globes and Israel's Channel 2 News similarly found 5% of Israelis were vegan.<ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref> Veganism increased among Israeli Arabs.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Israeli army made special provision for vegan soldiers in 2015, which included providing non-leather boots and wool-free berets.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Pb Template:Cite web</ref> Veganism also simplifies adherence to the Judaic prohibition on combining meat and milk in meals.

• Template:Flag: Between 0.6 and 3 percent of Italians were reported to be vegan Template:As of.<ref>Template:In lang Vera Schiavazzi, "Addio carne e pesce: in aumento il popolo dei vegetariani e vegani in Italia", La Repubblica, 2 October 2015.</ref>
• Template:Flag: In 2018, the Dutch Society for Veganism (Template:Lang) estimated there were more than 100,000 Dutch vegans (0.59 percent), based on their membership growth.<ref>Template:In lang NVV, "Vegan jaaroverzicht 2017" Template:Webarchive, 2018.</ref> In July 2020 the NVV estimated the number of vegans in the Netherlands at 150,000. That is approximately 0.9% of the Dutch population.<ref name=2020NLvegans>Hoeveel veganisten zijn er (in Dutch), Nederlandse Vereniging voor Veganisme</ref>
• Template:Flag: Followers of the Romanian Orthodox Church keep fast during several periods throughout the ecclesiastical calendar amounting to a majority of the year. In the Romanian Orthodox tradition, devotees abstain from eating any animal products during these times. As a result, vegan foods are abundant in stores and restaurants; however, Romanians may not be familiar with a vegan diet as a full-time lifestyle choice.<ref name="auto">Template:Cite news</ref>
• Template:Flag: Four percent said they were vegan in a 2014 Demoskop poll.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• Template:Flag: Market research company DemoSCOPE estimated in 2017 that three percent of the population was vegan.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Template:Flag: A 2016 Ipsos MORI study commissioned by the Vegan Society, surveying almost 10,000 people aged 15 or over across England, Scotland, and Wales, found that 1.05 percent were vegan; the Vegan Society estimates that 542,000 in the UK follow a vegan diet.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> According to a 2018 survey by Comparethemarket.com, the number of people who identify as vegans in the United Kingdom has risen to over 3.5 million, which is approximately seven percent of the population, and environmental concerns were a major factor in this development.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> However, doubt was cast on this inflated figure by the UK-based Vegan Society, who perform their own regular survey: the Vegan Society themselves found in 2018 that there were 600,000 vegans in Great Britain (1.16%), which was seen as a dramatic increase on previous figures.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> YouGov reported 3% vegans in 2021.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• Template:Flag: Past estimates of vegans in the U.S. varied from 2% (Gallup, 2012)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> to 0.5% (Faunalytics, 2014).<ref name=":1" /> According to the latter, 70% of those who adopted a vegan diet abandoned it.<ref name=":1">"Study of Current and Former Vegetarians and Vegans", Faunalytics, December 2014, 4; "How Many Former Vegetarians and Vegans Are There?", Faunalytics, 2 December 2014.</ref> But Top Trends in Prepared Foods 2017, a report by GlobalData, estimated that "6% of US consumers now claim to be vegan, up from just 1% in 2014."<ref name="TopTrends2017">Template:Cite newsTemplate:PbTemplate:Cite web Template:Closed access</ref> In 2020, YouGov published results of 2019 research that showed that 2.26% reported being vegan, including 2% of men and 2.5% of women.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> According to Gallup, black Americans are three times as likely to be vegan and vegetarian as whites as of July 2018 (9% compared to 3%).<ref name="BBC11sep2020"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The city with the most vegan restaurants per resident in 2021 according to data collected from HappyCow was Chiang Mai (Thailand), followed by Ubud (Bali, Indonesia), Phuket (Thailand), Tel Aviv (Israel), and Lisbon (Portugal).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Vegan diets, substitutions, and meat analogues

Vegan diets are based on grains and other seeds, legumes (particularly beans), fruits, vegetables, edible mushrooms, and nuts.<ref>Reed Mangels, Virginia Messina and Mark Messina, The Dietitian's Guide to Vegetarian Diets, Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2011, 7.</ref> The main difference between a vegan and vegetarian diet is that vegans exclude dairy products, eggs, and honey.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

File:002-soymilk.jpg

Soy milk

Meat substitutes

Vegan meat alternatives are commonly sold in forms like vegetarian sausage, mince, or veggie burgers.<ref name="bw">Template:Cite web</ref> They are often made from soybeans, seitan (wheat gluten), beans, lentils, rice, mushrooms or vegetables.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Meat substitutes have been made in China since at least the Tang dynasty (618 to 907 common era), including mock duck made from seitan. They are much newer to Western countries.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Some famous Western producers of vegan meat alternatives include Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat. But in the late 2010s many meat producers and supermarkets also started making their own brands of vegan meat substitutes.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Plant milk and dairy product alternativesTemplate:Anchor

Plant milks—such as soy milk, almond milk, cashew milk, grain milks (oat milk, flax milk and rice milk), hemp milk, and coconut milk—are used in place of cow or goat milk.Template:Efn Soy milk provides around 7 g (Template:Fracoz) of protein per cup (240 mL or 8 fl oz), compared with 8 g (2/7oz) of protein per cup of cow's milk. Almond milk is lower in dietary energy, carbohydrates, and protein.<ref name="Reinagel2011p20-21">Monica Reinagel, Nutrition Diva's Secrets for a Healthy Diet, Macmillan 2011, 20–21.</ref> Soy milk should not be used as a replacement for breast milk for babies. Babies who are not breastfed may be fed commercial infant formula, normally based on cow milk or soy. The latter is known as soy-based infant formula or SBIF.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Butter and margarine can be replaced with alternate vegan products.<ref name="coscarelli">Template:Cite book</ref> Vegan cheeses are made from seeds, such as sesame and sunflower; nuts, such as cashew,<ref name="cashewbrie">Template:Cite web</ref> pine nut, and almond;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and soybeans, coconut oil, nutritional yeast, tapioca,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and rice, among other ingredients; and can replicate the meltability of dairy cheese.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Nutritional yeast is a common substitute for the taste of cheese in vegan recipes.<ref name="coscarelli" /> Cheese substitutes can be made at home, including from nuts, such as cashews.<ref name="cashewbrie" /> Yoghurt and cream products can be replaced with plant-based products such as soy yoghurt.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Various types of plant cream have been created to replace dairy cream, and some types of imitation whipped cream are non-dairy.

In the 2010s and 2020s, a number of companies have genetically engineered yeast to produce cow milk proteins, whey, or fat, without the use of cows. These include Perfect Day, Novacca, Motif FoodWorks, Remilk, Final Foods, Imagindairy, Nourish Ingredients, and Circe.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Nutritional content of cows', soy, and almond milk
	Cows' milk (whole, vitamin D added)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Soy milk (unsweetened; fortified)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	Silk almond milk (unsweetened original; fortified)<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Dietary energy per 240 mL cup	Template:Convert	Template:Convert	Template:Convert
Protein (g)	7.69	6.95	1
Fat (g)	7.93	3.91	2.5
Saturated fat (g)	4.55	0.5	0
Carbohydrate (g)	11.71	4.23	1
Fibre (g)	0	1.2	1
Sugars (g)	12.32	1	0
Calcium (mg)	276	301	451
Potassium (mg)	322	292	36
Sodium (mg)	105	90	170
Vitamin B12 (μg)	1.10	2.70	3
Vitamin A (IU)	395	503	499
Vitamin D (IU)	124	119	101
Cholesterol (mg)	24	0	0

Egg replacements

Template:Further As of 2019 in the U.S., many vegan egg substitutes were available, including products used for "scrambled" eggs, cakes, cookies, and doughnuts.<ref name="zimb">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="huffpost">Template:Cite web</ref> Baking powder, silken (soft) tofu, mashed potato, bananas, flaxseeds, and aquafaba from chickpeas can also be used as egg substitutes. Which one of these works depends on the egg property the replacement is meant to emulate. Scrambled tofu, for instance, replaces scrambled eggs, but tofu does not act as a binding agent for cakes like raw eggs, flaxseeds or bananas do.<ref name="coscarelli" /><ref name="huffpost" /><ref name="vegansoc">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Raw veganism

Raw veganism, combining veganism and raw foodism, excludes all animal products and food cooked above Template:Convert. A raw vegan diet includes vegetables, fruits, nuts, grain and legume sprouts, seeds, and sea vegetables. There are many variations of the diet, including fruitarianism.<ref>Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina, Becoming Raw: The Essential Guide to Raw Vegan Diets, Summertown: Book Publishing Company, 2010, 4.</ref>

Animal products

photograph of mock meats in Vienna

Mock meats in a supermarket in Vienna

General

Like vegetarians, vegans do not eat meat (including beef, pork, poultry, seafood, fowl, and game).

While vegans broadly abstain from animal products, there are many ways in which animal products are used, and different individuals and organizations that identify with the practice of veganism may use some limited animal products based on philosophy, means or other concerns. Philosopher Gary Steiner argues that it is not possible to be entirely vegan, because animal use and products are "deeply and imperceptibly woven into the fabric of human society".<ref>Gary Steiner, Animals and the Limits of Postmodernism, New York: Columbia University Press, 2013, 127–128.</ref>

Animal Ingredients A to Z (2004) and Veganissimo A to Z (2013) list which ingredients might be animal-derived. The British Vegan Society's sunflower logo and PETA's bunny logo mean the product is certified vegan, which includes no animal testing. The Leaping Bunny logo signals no animal testing, but it might not be vegan.<ref name=VAcert>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:PbTemplate:Cite web</ref> The Vegan Society criteria for vegan certification are that the product contain no animal products, and that neither the finished item nor its ingredients have been tested on animals by, or on behalf of, the manufacturer or by anyone over whom the manufacturer has control. Its website contains a list of certified products,<ref name=VTS/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> as does Australia's Choose Cruelty Free (CCF).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The British Vegan Society will certify a product only if it is free of animal involvement as far as possible and practical, including animal testing,<ref name=VTS>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=AmVeg>Template:Cite web</ref> but "recognises that it is not always possible to make a choice that avoids the use of animals",<ref name=VSmedications>Template:Cite web</ref> an issue that was highlighted in 2016 when it became known that the UK's newly introduced £5 note contained tallow.<ref name="Guardian 29 November 2016">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="BBC News 8 December 2016">Template:Cite web</ref>

photograph of farm hens in battery cages

Modern methods of factory farming are considered highly unethical by most vegans.

Clothing

Many clothing products may be made of animal products such as silk, wool (including lambswool, shearling, cashmere, angora, mohair, and a number of other fine wools), fur, feathers, pearls, animal-derived dyes, leather, snakeskin, or other kinds of skin or animal product. Most leather clothing is made from cow skins. Vegans discourage the use of leather but may continue to wear leather they bought before adopting the diet on the grounds that they are not financially supporting the meat industry.<ref>Template:Cite web Alt URL</ref> However, vegans try to work towards a point where they no longer own animal products.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Ethical vegans may wear clothing items and accessories made of non-animal-derived materials such as hemp, linen, cotton, canvas, polyester, artificial leather (pleather), rubber, and vinyl.<ref name="Stepaniak">Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Rp Leather alternatives can come from materials such as cork, piña (from pineapples), cactus, and mushroom leather.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Some vegan clothes, in particular leather alternatives, are made of petroleum-based products, which has triggered criticism because of the environmental damage involved in their production.<ref>Stepaniak 2000, 20, 115–118, 154.</ref>

Toiletries

photograph of vegan soap bar

Vegan soaps can be made from olive oil. Other soap is sometimes made from tallow (animal fat).

While dietary vegans might use animal products in toiletries, ethical veganism extends not only to matters of food but also to the use of animal products, and rejects the commodification of animals altogether.<ref name="Francione2010"/>Template:Rp Ethical vegans replace personal care products and household cleaners containing animal products with vegan products. Animal ingredients are ubiquitous because they are relatively inexpensive. After animals are slaughtered for meat, the leftovers are put through a rendering process and some of that material, particularly the fat, is used in toiletries. Vegans also avoid using sea sponges.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Common animal-derived ingredients include tallow in soap; collagen-derived glycerine, which used as a lubricant and humectant in many haircare products, moisturizers, shaving foams, soaps and toothpastes;<ref name=toiletries/> lanolin from sheep's wool, often found in lip balm and moisturizers; stearic acid, a common ingredient in face creams, shaving foam and shampoos (like glycerine, it can be plant-based, but is usually animal-derived); lactic acid, an alpha-hydroxy acid derived from animal milk, used in moisturizers; allantoin—from the comfrey plant or cow urine—found in shampoos, moisturizers and toothpaste;<ref name=toiletries>Animal Ingredients A to Z, E. G. Smith Collective, 2004, 3rd edition; Lars Thomsen and Reuben Proctor, Veganissimo A to Z, The Experiment, 2013 (first published in Germany, 1996).Template:PbTemplate:Cite web</ref> and carmine from scale insects, such as the female cochineal, used in food and cosmetics to produce red and pink shades;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Raymond Eller Kirk, Donald Frederick Othmer, Kirk-Othmer Chemical Technology of Cosmetics, John Wiley & Sons, 2012, 535.</ref>

Beauty Without Cruelty, founded as a charity in 1959, was one of the earliest manufacturers and certifiers of animal-free personal care products.<ref>Linzey, Andrew. "Dowding, Lady Muriel", Encyclopedia of Animal Rights and Animal Welfare. Greenwood, 1998, 139Template:PbTemplate:Cite web</ref>

Hair extensions

Hair extensions are generally avoided by ethical vegans since they are made from human hair, but ethical vegans may use synthetic alternatives. Environmental vegans avoid synthetic hair extensions due to their biodegradability.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Insect products

Vegans disagree about insect products.<ref name="Slate">Template:Cite journal</ref> Neither the Vegan Society nor the American Vegan Society considers honey, silk, and other insect products suitable for vegans.<ref name=AmVeg/><ref name="VeganSoc">Template:Cite web</ref> Some vegans believe that exploiting the labor of bees and harvesting their energy source is immoral, and that commercial beekeeping operations can harm and even kill bees.<ref name=WashingtonPost>Template:Cite news</ref> Insect products can be defined much more widely, as commercial bees are used to pollinate about 100 different food crops.<ref name="Slate"/>

Pet food

File:Number and years of publication of studies involving dogs and cats fed vegan diets.png

Number and years of publication of studies involving dogs and cats fed vegan diets<ref name="Veterinary Sciences 2023"/>

Some environmental vegans do not use meat-based pet food to feed their pets due to its environmental impact,<ref name="PetFoodEnvironment">Template:Cite newsTemplate:PbTemplate:Cite newsTemplate:Pb</ref><ref name="Rastogi2010">Template:Cite magazine</ref> and ethical vegans do not use meat-based pet food.Template:RefnTemplate:Refn This is particularly true for domesticated cats<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and dogs,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> for which vegan pet food is available.<ref name="Rastogi2010"/><ref name="Eluxe"/><ref name="Knight2015"/>

This practice has been met with caution and criticism,<ref name="Eluxe"/><ref name="VeganPetFoodCriticism">Template:Cite webTemplate:PbTemplate:Cite webTemplate:PbTemplate:Cite webTemplate:PbTemplate:Cite webTemplate:PbTemplate:Cite news</ref> especially regarding vegan cat diets because, unlike omnivorous dogs, felids are obligate carnivores.<ref name="Capps2015"/><ref name="Eluxe"/><ref name="VeganPetFoodCriticism"/> A 2015 study found that 6 out of 24 commercial vegan pet food brands do not meet the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) labeling regulations for amino acid adequacy.<ref name="AVMA2015">Template:Cite journal</ref>Template:Update inline A 2023 systematic review found no evidence of considerable effects on health; however, it was pointed out that there were issues with selection bias, studies not being long term, and low sample sizes and recommended larger scale studies.<ref name="Veterinary Sciences 2023">Template:Cite journal</ref>

Other products and farming practices

Template:See also A concern is the case of medications, which are routinely tested on animals to ensure they are effective and safe,<ref name=FDAdrugs>Template:Cite web</ref> and may also contain animal ingredients, such as lactose, gelatine, or stearates.<ref name=VSmedications/> There may be no alternatives to prescribed medication or these alternatives may be unsuitable, less effective, or have more adverse side effects.<ref name=VSmedications/> Experimentation with laboratory animals is also used for evaluating the safety of vaccines, food additives, cosmetics, household products, workplace chemicals, and many other substances.<ref name=NRC2004>Template:Cite book</ref> Vegans may avoid certain vaccines, such as the flu vaccine, which is commonly produced in chicken eggs.<ref name=flublok/> An effective alternative, Flublok, is widely available in the United States.<ref name="flublok">Template:Cite web</ref>

Farming of fruits and vegetables may include fertilizing the soil with animal manure Template:Ndash even on organic farms,<ref name="charles">Template:Cite web</ref> possibly causing a concern to vegans for ethical or environmental reasons.<ref name="barkham">Template:Cite news</ref> "Vegan" (or "animal-free") farming uses plant compost only.<ref name=barkham/>

Animal use

General

Vegans oppose the use of animals for any purpose, including food, clothing, toiletries, testing, and places that use animals for entertainment.<ref>Template:Cite document</ref>

Horseback riding

Vegans oppose horseback riding on the basis that it is unnecessary and exploitative. While The Vegan Society acknowledges that there are ways to minimize cruelty in "breaking" a horse, they believe that the fact that horses need to be broken at all shows that horses do not naturally expect to be ridden. The Vegan Society also points out that in the modern age, horseback riding is a hobby rather than a legitimate means of transportation.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Zoos and aquariums

Vegans avoid visiting zoos and aquariums on the belief that they exploit animals for entertainment. Some vegans may visit animal sanctuaries as an alternative.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Pets

Vegans do not purchase pets but may adopt or rescue a domestic animal that cannot live independently.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Vegans do not keep exotic pets, such as birds, tortoises, and fish, believing that because they have not been domesticated, they do not belong in captivity.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Research and guidance

Vegan dish

Vegan dish

Conclusions in scientific review articles range from stating benefits, to concluding that evidence is not yet sufficient, to identifying possible health problems. One review reported moderate evidence that adhering to a vegan diet for at least 12 weeks may be effective in individuals with overweight or type 2 diabetes to induce a meaningful decrease in body weight and improve glycemia.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> A second reported that vegetarian diets, including vegan diets, are associated with lower risk for vascular disease, obesity, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> A third indicated that a vegan diet may be effective for reducing body weight, lowering the risk of cancer, and providing a lower risk of all-cause mortality. People on a vegan diet with diabetes or cardiovascular diseases may have lower levels of disease biomarkers.<ref name="sel">Template:Cite journal</ref>

A Cochrane review of randomized controlled trials found that there is "currently insufficient information to draw conclusions about the effects of vegan dietary interventions on cardiovascular disease risk factors".<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> There is inconsistent evidence for vegan diets providing an effect on metabolic syndrome.<ref name="ReferenceA">Template:Cite journal</ref> A meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies concluded that vegan diets are associated with reduced risk of ischemic heart disease, but no clear association was found for cardiovascular disease and stroke.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> There is tentative evidence of an association between vegan diets and reduced risk of cancer.<ref name="dinu">Template:Cite journal</ref> Vegans may be at risk of low bone mineral density.<ref name="CraigMay2009" /><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Positions of dietetic and government associations

File:Vegan Plate.svg

Healthy vegan meal composition shown using the food plate method

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and Dietitians of Canada say that properly planned vegetarian or vegan diets are appropriate for all life stages, including pregnancy and lactation.<ref name="MelinaCraig2016"/><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The Australian National Health and Medical Research Council similarly recognizes a well-planned vegan diet as viable for any age,<ref name="Vegan Australia2">Template:Cite press release</ref> as does the British Dietetic Association,<ref>"British Dietetic Association confirms well-planned vegan diets can support healthy living in people of all ages". bda.uk.com. Retrieved 22 November 2021.</ref> British National Health Service<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the Canadian Pediatric Society.<ref name="pmid215327962">Template:Cite journal</ref>

As of 2024 the Template:Ill (DGE) holds that for healthy adults a vegan diet can be healthful, when B₁₂ is supplemented and the diet is well-planned so that critical nutrients are provided. Because data is lacking the DGE does not recommend for or against vegan diets for vulnerable groups like children, young people, elderly and pregnant or breastfeeding women. If individuals in these groups decide for a vegan diet, they are suggested to seek professional advice, as planning the diet in these cases is complex and irreversible consequences cannot be ruled out, when the diet is not well planned. The DGE highlights that a vegan diet is exceptionally environmental friendly and can reduce greenhouse cases by about 70-80%, while having other environmental benefits, too.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As of 2022, 45% of government nutritional guidelines discuss vegan meat or milk alternatives, or both.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Pregnancy, infants and children

Template:Further The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics consider well-planned vegetarian and vegan diets "appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, adolescence, older adulthood, and for athletes.<ref name="MelinaCraig2016"/> The German Society for Nutrition cautioned against a vegan diet for pregnant women, breastfeeding women, babies, children, and adolescents.<ref name="GermanyDGE">Template:Cite journal</ref> The position of the Canadian Pediatric Society is that "well-planned vegetarian and vegan diets with appropriate attention to specific nutrient components can provide a healthy alternative lifestyle at all stages of fetal, infant, child and adolescent growth. It is recommended that attention should be given to nutrient intake, particularly protein, vitamins B₁₂ and D, essential fatty acids, iron, zinc, and calcium.<ref name="pmid215327962" />

Nutrients and potential deficiencies

File:Granola oatmeal with soymilk flickr user daisybush.jpg

Granola oatmeal with soy milk. Oatmeal is a rich source of manganese and a moderate source of protein, fiber, phosphorus, and zinc.

Vegan diets tend to be higher in dietary fiber, magnesium, folic acid, vitamin C, vitamin E, iron, and phytochemicals, and lower in dietary energy, saturated fat, cholesterol, omega-3 fatty acid, vitamin D, calcium, zinc, and vitamin B₁₂.Template:Efn As a result of the elimination of all animal products, a poorly planned vegan diet can lead to nutritional deficiencies that counteract its beneficial effects and cause serious health issues,<ref name=CraigMay2009 /><ref name="DiGenovaGuyda2007">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="RizzoLagana2016">Template:Cite journal</ref> some of which can only be prevented with fortified foods or dietary supplements.<ref name="CraigMay2009"/><ref name="MelinaCraig2016">Template:Cite journal</ref> Vitamin B₁₂ supplementation is important because its deficiency can cause blood disorders and potentially irreversible neurological damage; this danger is also one of the most common in poorly planned non-vegan diets.<ref name=RizzoLagana2016 /><ref name="HannibalLysne2016">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="Gille2015rev">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=CraigMay2009/> The American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics states that special attention may be necessary to ensure that a vegan diet provides adequate amounts of vitamin B₁₂, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, calcium, iodine, iron, and zinc. It also states that concern that vegans and vegan athletes may not consume an adequate amount and quality of protein is unsubstantiated.<ref name="melina2">Template:Cite journal</ref>

These nutrients are available in plant foods, with the exception of vitamin B₁₂, which can be obtained only from B₁₂-fortified vegan foods or supplements. Vitamin B₁₂ deficiency occurs in up to 80% of all vegans in some Asian countries.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Iodine may also require supplementation, such as using iodized salt.<ref name="melina2" /><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Philosophy

Ethical veganism

photograph of pigs in barn

Pigs, as well as chickens and cattle, often have their movement restricted.

Ethical veganism is based on opposition to speciesism, the assignment of value to individuals based on (animal) species membership alone. Divisions within animal rights theory include the utilitarian, protectionist approach, which pursues improved conditions for animals. It also pertains to the rights-based abolitionism, which seeks to end human ownership of non-humans. Abolitionists argue that protectionism serves only to make the public feel that animal use can be morally unproblematic (the "happy meat" position).<ref name="Francione2010"/>Template:Rp A common argument used while advocating for ethical veganism is the argument from marginal cases. The argument presents the idea that if negative rights are prescribed to human infants, cognitively and/or physically disabled humans, then by logical extension, animals should also be granted the same negative rights as no morally relevant characteristics exist between animals and marginal-case human beings.

Donald Watson, co-founder of The Vegan Society, asked why he was an ethical vegan, replied, "If an open-minded, honest person pursues a course long enough, and listens to all the criticisms, and in one's own mind can satisfactorily meet all the criticisms against that idea, sooner or later one's resistance against what one sees as evil tradition has to be discarded."<ref name="vegansociety">Template:Cite web</ref> Of bloodsports, he has said that "to kill creatures for fun must be the very dregs" and that vivisection and animal experimentation "is probably the cruelest of all Man's attack on the rest of Creation." He has also said, "vegetarianism, whilst being a necessary stepping-stone between meat eating and veganism, is only a stepping stone."<ref name="vegansociety"/>

Alex Hershaft, co-founder of the Farm Animal Rights Movement and Holocaust survivor, says he "was always bothered by the idea of hitting a beautiful, living, innocent animal over the head, cutting him up into pieces, then shoving the pieces into [his] mouth" and that his experiences in the Nazi Holocaust allowed him "to empathize with the conditions of animals in factory farms, auction yards, and slaughterhouses" because he "knows firsthand what it's like to be treated like a worthless object."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Several animal rights activists, including Isaac Bashevis Singer, Gary Yourofsky and Karen Davis, have compared the cruel treatment of animals in CAFOs and slaughterhouses to the Holocaust.<ref>Patterson, Charles. Eternal Treblinka, Lantern Books, 2002.</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Law professor Gary Francione, an abolitionist, argues that all sentient beings should have the right not to be treated as property, and that veganism must be the baseline for anyone who believes that non-humans have intrinsic moral value.Template:Efn<ref name="Francione2010" />Template:Rp Philosopher Tom Regan, also a rights theorist, argues that animals possess value as "subjects-of-a-life", because they have beliefs, desires, memory and the ability to initiate action in pursuit of goals. The right of subjects-of-a-life not to be harmed can be overridden by other moral principles, but Regan argues that pleasure, convenience and the economic interests of farmers are not weighty enough.<ref>Tom Regan, The Case for Animal Rights, University of California Press, 1983, 243, 333–339.</ref> Philosopher Peter Singer, a protectionist and utilitarian, argues that there is no moral or logical justification for failing to count animal suffering as a consequence when making decisions, and that killing animals should be rejected unless necessary for survival.<ref>Peter Singer, Practical Ethics, Cambridge University Press, 1999, 50; Singer 1999, 60–61.</ref> Despite this, he writes that "ethical thinking can be sensitive to circumstances" and that he is "not too concerned about trivial infractions".<ref>Peter Singer and Jim Mason, The Way We Eat, Rodale, 2006, 281–282.</ref>

An argument by Bruce Friedrich, also a protectionist, holds that strict veganism harms animals because it focuses on personal purity rather than encouraging people to give up whatever animal products they can.<ref>Bruce Friedrich, "Personal Purity vs. Effective Advocacy", PETA, 2006.</ref> For Francione, this is similar to arguing that, because human-rights abuses can never be eliminated, we should not defend human rights in situations we control. By failing to ask a server whether something contains animal products, we reinforce that the moral rights of animals are a matter of convenience, he argues. He concludes from this that the protectionist position fails on its own consequentialist terms.<ref name="Francione2010"/>Template:Rp

Philosopher Val Plumwood maintained that ethical veganism is "subtly human-centred", an example of what she called "human/nature dualism", because it views humanity as separate from the rest of nature. Ethical vegans want to admit non-humans into the category that deserves special protection rather than recognize the "ecological embeddedness" of all.<ref>Val Plumwood, "Gender, Eco-Feminism and the Environment", in Robert White (ed.), Controversies in Environmental Sociology, Cambridge University Press, 2004, 52–53.</ref> Plumwood wrote that animal food may be an "unnecessary evil" from the perspective of the consumer who "draws on the whole planet for nutritional needs"—and she strongly opposed factory farming—but for anyone relying on a much smaller ecosystem, it is very difficult or impossible to be vegan.<ref>Val Plumwood, The Eye of the Crocodile, edited by Lorraine Shannon, Canberra: Australian National University E Press, 2012, 87.</ref>

Bioethicist Ben Mepham,<ref name=FEC>Template:Cite web</ref> in his review of Francione and Garner's book The Animal Rights Debate: Abolition or Regulation?, concludes, "if the aim of ethics is to choose the right, or best, course of action in specific circumstances 'all things considered', it is arguable that adherence to such an absolutist agenda is simplistic and open to serious self-contradictions. Or, as Farlie puts it, with characteristic panache: 'to conclude that veganism is the "only ethical response" is to take a big leap into a very muddy pond'."<ref name=Mepham2011>Template:Cite journal</ref> He cites as examples the adverse effects on animal wildlife derived from the agricultural practices necessary to sustain most vegan diets and the ethical contradiction of favoring the welfare of domesticated animals but not that of wild animals; the imbalance between the resources that are used to promote the welfare of animals as opposed to those destined to alleviate the suffering of the approximately one billion human beings who undergo malnutrition, abuse and exploitation; the focus on attitudes and conditions in Western developed countries, leaving out the rights and interests of societies whose economy, culture and, in some cases, survival rely on a symbiotic relationship with animals.<ref name=Mepham2011 />

David Pearce, a transhumanist philosopher, has argued that humanity has a "hedonistic imperative" not merely to avoid cruelty to animals caused by humans but also to redesign the global ecosystem such that wild animal suffering in nature ceases to exist.<ref>Thweatt-Bates, Jeanine (2016). Cyborg Selves: A Theological Anthropology of the Posthuman. London: Routledge, 100–101 (first published 2012).</ref> In pursuit of abolishing suffering, Pearce promotes predation elimination among animals and the "cross-species global analogue of the welfare state". Fertility regulation could maintain herbivore populations at sustainable levels, "a more civilised and compassionate policy option than famine, predation, and disease".<ref name=Dvorsky2014>Template:Cite interview</ref> The increasing number of vegans and vegetarians in the transhumanism movement has been attributed in part to Pearce's influence.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

A growing political philosophy that incorporates veganism as part of its revolutionary praxis is veganarchism, which seeks "total abolition" or "total liberation" for all animals, including humans. Veganarchists identify the state as unnecessary and harmful to animals, both human and non-human, and advocate for the adoption of veganism in a stateless society. The term was popularized in 1995 by Brian A. Dominick's pamphlet Animal Liberation and Social Revolution, described as "a vegan perspective on anarchism or an anarchist perspective on veganism".<ref name="Brian">Dominick, Brian. Animal Liberation and Social Revolution: A vegan perspective on anarchism or an anarchist perspective on veganism, third edition, Firestarter Press, 1997, pp. 5–6.</ref>

Direct action is a common practice among veganarchists (and anarchists generally) with groups like the Animal Liberation Front (ALF), the Animal Rights Militia (ARM), the Justice Department (JD) and Revolutionary Cells – Animal Liberation Brigade (RCALB) often engaging in such activities, sometimes criminally, to further their goals.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Steven Best, animal rights activist and professor of philosophy at the University of Texas at El Paso, advocates this approach, and has been critical of vegan activists like Francione for supporting animal liberation but not total liberation, which would include not only opposition to "the property status of animals" but also "a serious critique of capitalism, the state, property relations, and commodification dynamics in general." In particular, he criticizes the focus on the simplistic and apolitical "Go Vegan" message directed mainly at wealthy Western audiences, while ignoring people of color, the working class and the poor, especially in the developing world, noting that "for every person who becomes vegan, a thousand flesh eaters arise in China, India and Indonesia." The "faith in the singular efficacy of conjectural education and moral persuasion," Best writes, is no substitute for "direct action, mass confrontation, civil disobedience, alliance politics, and struggle for radical change."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Donald Watson has said he "respects the people enormously who do it, believing that it's the most direct and quick way to achieve their ends."<ref name="vegansociety"/> Sociologist David Nibert of Wittenberg University posits that any movement towards global justice would necessitate not only the abolition of animal exploitation, particularly as a food source for humans, but also transitioning towards a socioeconomic alternative to the capitalist system, both of which dovetail into what he calls the animal–industrial complex.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Some vegans also embrace the philosophy of anti-natalism, as they see the two as complementary in terms of "harm reduction" to animals and the environment.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Vegan social psychologist Melanie Joy described the ideology in which people support the use and consumption of animal products as carnism,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> as a sort of opposite to veganism.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>

Exploitation concerns

Template:Further The Vegan Society has written, "by extension, [veganism] promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Many ethical vegans and vegan organizations cite the poor working conditions of slaughterhouse workers as a reason to reject animal products.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The first vegan activist, Donald Watson, has asked, "If these butchers and vivisectors weren't there, could we perform the acts that they are doing? And, if we couldn't, we have no right to expect them to do it on our behalf. Full stop! That simply compounds the issue. It means that we're not just exploiting animals; we're exploiting human beings."<ref name="vegansociety"/>

Dietary veganism

Some people follow a vegan diet but not other aspects of veganism. Dietary veganism is limited to following a plant-based diet.<ref>"Can employers force veganism on employees?". herrington-carmichael.com. Retrieved 6 December 2023.</ref><ref>"Ethical veganism is a Protected Belief". hrsolutions-uk.com. Retrieved 6 December 2023.</ref><ref>"What is ethical veganism?". parissmith.co.uk. Retrieved 6 December 2023. "Dietary vegans eat a plant-based diet but ethical vegans will try to exclude all forms of animal exploitation as far as possible. Dietary veganism is therefore incorporated into ethical veganism but not vice-versa."</ref> Dietary veganism is in contrast to ethical veganism which is defined as a philosophical belief that is a protected characteristic under the UK's Equality Act 2010.<ref>"Veganism is a philosophical belief". hcrlaw.com. Retrieved 6 December 2023.</ref> Authors like Richard Twine and Breeze Harper argue that dietary veganism cannot be called veganism, as veganism is more than a diet.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Gary L. Francione has argued that the promotion of "dietary veganism" lacks the moral imperative expressed by Leslie J. Cross, an early and influential vice-president of The Vegan Society, who said in 1949 that veganism was "the abolition of the exploitation of animals by man".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The Vegan Society of Canada have criticized dietary veganism stating, "since veganism is not a list of ingredients there is also no such thing as a dietary vegan. Veganism cannot be split into sub-components; this is a case where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts".<ref>"Veganism". vegancanada.org. Retrieved 6 December 2023.</ref> Others have suggested that the arguments for dietary veganism can be extended to support ethical veganism.<ref>Hooley, Daniel; Nobis, Nathan. (2015). A Moral Argument for Veganism. In Andrew Chignell, Matthew Halteman, Terence Cuneo. Philosophy Comes to Dinner: Arguments about the Ethics of Eating. Routledge. pp. 92-108. Template:ISBN</ref>

Environmental veganism

File:Land-use-of-different-diets-Poore-Nemecek.png

The amount of globally needed agricultural land would be reduced by three-quarters if the entire population adopted a vegan diet.<ref name="Carrington2018">Template:Cite news</ref>

Environmental vegans focus on conservation, rejecting the use of animal products on the premise that fishing, hunting, trapping and farming, particularly factory farming, are environmentally unsustainable. According to a 2006 United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization report, Livestock's Long Shadow, around 26% of the planet's terrestrial surface is devoted to livestock grazing.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The report also concluded that livestock farming (mostly of cows, chickens and pigs) affects the air, land, soil, water, biodiversity and climate change.<ref>Steinfeld et al. 2006, 3, 74.</ref> Livestock consumed 1,174 million tonnes of food in 2002—including 7.6 million tonnes of fishmeal and 670 million tonnes of cereals, one-third of the global cereal harvest.<ref>Steinfeld et al. 2006, 12, 42. The roots, vegetables and pulses are mostly cassava, potatoes, sweet potatoes, cabbage, plantain, peas, and beans.</ref> Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society called pigs and chicken "major aquatic predators", because livestock eat 40 percent of the fish that are caught.<ref name="environmental" /> A 2010 UN report, Assessing the Environmental Impacts of Consumption and Production, argued that animal products "in general require more resources and cause higher emissions than plant-based alternatives".<ref name="UNEP2010">Assessing the Environmental Impacts of Consumption and Production, International Panel for Resource Management, United Nations Environment Programme, June 2010.</ref>Template:Rp It proposed a move away from animal products to reduce environmental damage.Template:Efn<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Pb"Energy and Agriculture Top Resource Panel's Priority List for Sustainable 21st Century" Template:Webarchive, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Brussels, 2 June 2010.Template:PbFor an opposing position, Simon Fairlie, Meat: A Benign Extravagance, Chelsea Green Publishing, 2010.</ref>

File:Wynes Nicholas CO2 emissions savings.svg

Reduction of one's carbon footprint for various actions. A plant-based diet in this study referred to a lacto-ovo vegetarian diet. Vegan diets are known to have lower carbon footprints.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

A 2015 study determined that significant biodiversity loss can be attributed to the growing demand for meat, a significant driver of deforestation and habitat destruction, with species-rich habitats converted to agriculture for livestock production.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A 2017 World Wildlife Fund study found that 60% of biodiversity loss can be attributed to the vast scale of feed crop cultivation needed to rear tens of billions of farm animals, which puts enormous strain on natural resources, resulting in extensive loss of lands and species.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2017, 15,364 world scientists signed a warning to humanity calling for, among other things, "promoting dietary shifts towards mostly plant-based foods".<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

A 2018 study found that global adoption of plant-based diets would reduce agricultural land use by 76% (3.1 billion hectares, an area the size of Africa) and cut total global greenhouse gas emissions by 28%. Half of this emissions reduction came from avoided emissions from animal production including methane and nitrous oxide, and half from trees re-growing on abandoned farmlands that remove carbon dioxide from the air.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="Carrington2018" /> The authors conclude that avoiding meat and dairy is the "single biggest way" to reduce one's impact on Earth.<ref name=":4">Template:Cite web</ref>

The 2019 IPBES Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services found that industrial agriculture and overfishing are the primary drivers of the extinction crisis, with the meat and dairy industries having a substantial impact.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 8 August 2019, the IPCC released a summary of the 2019 special report which asserted that a shift towards plant-based diets would help to mitigate and adapt to climate change.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

A 2022 study found that for high-income nations alone 100 billion tons of carbon dioxide could be removed from the air by the end of the century through a shift to plant-based diets and re-wilding of farmlands. The researchers coined the term double climate dividend to describe the effect that re-wilding after a diet shift can have.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> But they note: "We don't have to be purist about this, even just cutting animal intake would be helpful. If half of the public in richer regions cut half the animal products in their diets, you're still talking about a massive opportunity in environmental outcomes and public health".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

A 2023 study published in Nature Food found that a vegan diet vastly decreases the impact on the environment from food production, such as reducing emissions, water pollution and land use by 75%, reducing the destruction of wildlife by 66% and the usage of water by 54%.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Feminist veganism

Pioneers

One leading activist and scholar of feminist animal rights is Carol J. Adams. Her premier work, The Sexual Politics of Meat: A Feminist-Vegetarian Critical Theory (1990), noted the relationship between feminism and meat consumption. Since its release, Adams has published several other works, including essays, books, and keynote addresses. In one of her speeches, "Why feminist-vegan now?"<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>—adapted from her original address at the "Minding Animals" conference in Newcastle, Australia (2009)—she said, "the idea that there was a connection between feminism and vegetarianism came to [her] in October 1974". Other authors have echoed Adams's ideas and expanded on them. Feminist scholar Angella Duvnjak wrote in "Joining the Dots: Some Reflections on Feminist-Vegan Political Practice and Choice" (2011) that she was met with opposition when she pointed out the connection between feminist and vegan ideals, even though the connection seemed more than obvious to her and other scholars.<ref name="uwa">Template:Cite journal</ref>

Animal and human abuse parallels

One of the central concepts that animates feminist veganism is the idea that there is a connection between the oppression of women and the oppression of animals. For example, Marjorie Spiegal compared the consumption or servitude of animals for human gain to slavery.<ref name="uwa"/> This connection is further mirrored by feminist vegan writers like Carrie Hamilton, who wrote that violent "rapists sometimes exhibit behavior that seems to be patterned on the mutilation of animals", suggesting there is a parallel between rape and animal cruelty.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite journal</ref>

Capitalism and feminist veganism

Feminist veganism also relates to feminist thought through the common critique of the capitalist means of production. In an interview, Carol J. Adams highlighted "meat eating as the ultimate capitalist product, because it takes so much to make the product, it uses up so many resources".<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> This extensive use of resources for meat production is discouraged in favor of using that productive capacity for other food products that have a less detrimental impact on the environment.

Religious veganism

Template:FurtherStreams within a number of religious traditions encourage veganism, sometimes on ethical or environmental grounds. Scholars have especially noted the growth in the 21st century of Jewish veganism,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> as well as Jain veganism.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Some religious interpretations, such as Christian vegetarianism,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Hindu vegetarianism,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Buddhist vegetarianism,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> also recommend or mandate a vegan diet. Donald Watson argued, "If Jesus were alive today, he'd be an itinerant vegan propagandist instead of an itinerant preacher of those days, spreading the message of compassion, which, as I see it, is the only useful part of what religion has to offer and, sad as it seems, I doubt if we have to enroll our priest as a member of the Vegan Society."<ref name="vegansociety"/>

Black veganism

Template:Main In the U.S., Black veganism is a social and political philosophy as well as a diet.<ref name="seversonNYT28nov2017">Template:Cite news</ref> It connects the use of nonhuman animals with other social justice concerns such as racism, and with the lasting effects of slavery, such as the subsistence diets of enslaved people enduring as familial and cultural food traditions.<ref name="seversonNYT28nov2017" /><ref name="BBC11sep2020">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":12">Template:Cite web</ref> Dietary changes caused by the Great Migration also meant former farmers, who had previously been able to grow or forage vegetables, became reliant on processed foods.<ref name="shahTHRILL26jan2018">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":12" />

According to Oakland activist AshEL Eldridge, the movement is about the Black community reclaiming its food sovereignty and "decolonizing" Black Americans' diet.<ref name="reileyWAPO24jan2020">Template:Cite news</ref> According to Shah, the area where most vegans of color feel the greatest rift with mainstream veganism is in its failure to recognize the intersectionality with other social justice issues, such as food access.<ref name="shahTHRILL26jan2018" />

Politics and activism

File:Marsz Wyzwolenia Zwierzat - Go Vegan.jpg

Participant of the Animal Liberation March in Warsaw encouraging veganism, 2022

File:Vegan activism Madrid.jpg

Vegan activism sticker in Madrid: My body is not meal

In 2021, vegan climate activist Greta Thunberg called for more vegan food production and consumption worldwide.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Parties like Tierschutzpartei in Germany and PACMA in Spain have pro-vegan agendas. They cooperate via Animal Politics EU.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> In the European Union, meat producers and vegans debate whether vegan food products should be allowed to use terms like "sausages" or "burgers".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The EU bans labeling vegan products with dairy-related words like "almond milk", a rule instated in 2017.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:As of, six countries in Europe apply higher value-added tax (VAT) rates to vegan plant milk than to cow milk, which pro-vegan activists have called discrimination.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Demographics

One out of 10 Americans over 18 consider themselves vegan or vegetarian as of January 2022.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A study comparing personality traits of vegans, vegetarians and omnivores found that vegans were higher in openness and agreeableness than omnivores.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> In the below chart, polls with larger sample sizes are preferred over those with smaller sample size.

Veganism by demographic subgroup

Subgroup							Sample size	Ref
Gender	Male	Female					Over 8,000	<ref name=":3">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
	21%	79%
Religion (general)	Atheist or Agnostic	Spiritual but not religious	Major religion				Over 8,000	<ref name=":3"/>
	43%	45%	11%
Religion (specific)	Christianity	Judaism	Other religion				287, American	<ref name=":2">Template:Cite journal</ref>
	8%	7%	12%
Political orientation	Liberal	Apolitical	Conservative				Over 8,000	<ref name=":3"/>
	62%	33%	5%
Motivation	Animal rights	Other					Over 8,000	<ref name=":3"/>
	69%	31%
Parenting	Don't want or have children	Might have children	Is raising vegan children				Over 8,000	<ref name=":3"/>
	39%	33%	10%
Age	18 to 25	24 to 35	35 to 44	45 to 54			287, American	<ref name=":2"/>
	22%	35%	21%	14%
How long vegan	Five years or more	One to five years	Less than one year				287, American	<ref name=":2"/>
	49%	42%	8%
Sexual orientation	Heterosexual	Bisexual	Homosexual	Queer/other			287, American	<ref name=":2"/>
	65%	13%	7%	15%
Race (United States)	White	Hispanic	Black	Asian	Native American	Mixed	287, American	<ref name=":2"/>
	79%	5%	2.5%	6%	1%	5%
Area type	Urban	Suburban	Rural				287, American	<ref name=":2"/>
	52%	40%	8%
Income	Under $35,000	$35,000 to $55,000	$56,000 to $75,000	$76,000 to $100,000	over $100,000		287, American	<ref name=":2"/>
	29%	18%	13%	14%	25%

Vegan rights

In some countries, vegans have some rights to meals and legal protections against discrimination.

• The German police sometimes provides on-duty staff with food. After not being provided a vegan option in this context, a vegan employee has been granted an additional food allowance.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• In Portugal, starting in 2017, public administration canteens and cafeterias such as schools, prisons and social services must offer at least one vegan option at every meal.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• In Ontario, a province of Canada, there were reports<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> that ethical veganism became protected under the Ontario Human Rights Code, following a 2015 update to legal guidance by the Ontario Human Rights Commission. However, said body later issued a statement that this question is for a judge or tribunal to decide on a case-by-case basis.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
• In the United Kingdom, an employment tribunal ruled in 2020 that the Equality Act 2010 protects "ethical veganism", a belief it defined as veganism that extends beyond diet to all areas of life and is motivated by a concern for animals.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
• In the United Kingdom, prisoners who are vegan must be given a vegan meal with enough nutrients to sustain a healthy life. Vegan prisoners should also be given clothing which is made from non-animal materials. This also applies to toiletries, medication and it also means that they should not have to work on prison farms involving animals.<ref>The Vegan Society, Guide for vegan prisoners, Catering for Everyone, C4E_Prison_12pp Booklet_V3 https://www.vegansociety.com/sites/default/files/uploads/downloads/C4E_Prison_12pp%20Booklet_FINAL.pdf</ref>

Symbols

photograph of circle-A and circle-V graffiti on wall

Vegan graffiti showing an enclosed V below a circle-A in Lisbon, Portugal

Multiple symbols have been developed to represent veganism. Several are used on consumer packaging, including the Vegan Society trademark<ref name=VTS/> and the Vegan Action logo,<ref name=VAcert/> to indicate products without animal-derived ingredients.<ref name="Yacoubou">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="Basas">Template:Cite journal</ref> Various symbols may also be used by members of the vegan community to represent their identity and in the course of animal rights activism,Template:Citation needed such as a vegan flag.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Media depictions

Veganism is often misrepresented in media. Some argue that veganism has been dismissed in news media<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> or that clickbait culture often portrays feminists and vegans as "irrational extremists."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> This is because in Western societies, "meat-based diets are the norm" with those who avoid meat still representing "a small minority,"<ref name="Consumer Attitudes Towards Environm">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> with more women than men as vegan and vegetarian, with women being "under-represented in the mass media," the latter influencing more to be vegetarians.<ref>Template:Cite thesis</ref> Others have noted those who are vegetarian and vegan are met with "acceptance, tolerance, or hostility" after they divulge they are vegetarian or vegan.<ref>Template:Cite thesis</ref> There are a number of vegan stereotypes, including claims they hate meat-eaters, are always hungry, weak, angry, or moralistic.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The hatred of vegans has been termed as vegaphobia by some individuals. Farhad Manjoo, in 2019, stated that "preachy vegans are something of a myth," and argued that in pop culture, and generally, it is "still widely acceptable to make fun of vegans."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Literature

Often vegan or vegetarian characters are portrayed as fringe characters, although other novels cast them as protagonists or encourage people to become vegetarians or vegans.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Some have argued that there are more vegan cookbooks than "vegan literature"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> There are also books that introduce "vegan identity to children"<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> or encourage people to "write for" animals.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Also, Bruce Banner in Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk<ref name="Gerber">Template:Cite web</ref> and Karolina Dean in Runaways, who is also known as Lucy in the Sky or L.S.D., are vegans. The latter is a lesbian, a vegan, and "an ardent animal lover...committed to a life completely free of meat and dairy."<ref name="Gerber" /><ref name="Dean">Template:Cite web</ref>

TV shows

Jessica Cruz / Green Lantern, a lead character in the animated series, DC Super Hero Girls is not only pacifist, but also a vegan and environmentalist,<ref>Template:Cite web Although Faust calls her a vegetarian, Cruz has expressed she is a vegan multiple times. For instance, she says in the episode "#Retreat" that she is vegan and "eats plants for breakfast."</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> resulting in her becoming friends with Pam Isley. She often professes her commitment to the environment and plant-based meals.<ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref><ref>Template:Cite tweet</ref>

The series City of Ghosts featured a chef, Sonya, who runs a vegan cafe in Leimert Park, Los Angeles.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Draculaura in Monster High has also been called "one of the very few outspoken vegan cartoon characters out there".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Social media

By the 2010s, social media sites like Instagram became prominent in the promotion of veganism, more than a fad, with people trying to "change the world by being vegan" as stated by various media outlets.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Economics of veganism

Template:See alsoThe U.S. market for vegan food was valued at $3.9 billion in 2017 and at $8.1 billion in 2023.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Vegan veto vote

The vegan veto vote happens when a mixed group of non-vegan and vegans dine out together and the vegans in the group veto restaurants with few vegan options and steer the group to a restaurant with many vegan menu items. Restaurants report that adding more vegan items increases their business. Journalist Avery Yale Kamila reported that Maine restaurants were using the vegan veto vote to fill restaurant seats in the slow winter months.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The vegan veto vote has been recognized by market researchers since 2007.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Industry magazine QSR reported: "As customers demand more complex menus, healthier options, and increased convenience, brands have to work harder to eliminate possible veto votes."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Vegetarian Resource Group reported in 2003 that 50 restaurant owners at that year's National Restaurant Association Show mentioned the vegan veto vote affecting their businesses.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Potential economic impact

According to a 2016 study, if everyone in the U.S. switched to a vegan diet, the country would save $208.2 billion in direct health-care savings, $40.5 billion in indirect health-care savings, $40.5 billion in environmental savings, and $289.1 billion in total savings by 2050. The study also found that if everybody in the world switched to a vegan diet, the global economy would save $684.4 billion in direct health-care savings, $382.6 billion in indirect health-care savings, $569.5 billion in environmental savings, and $1.63 trillion in total savings by 2050.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

See also

• Ahimsa
  • Ahimsa in Jainism
  • Diet in Hinduism
• al-Ma'arri
• Animal rights movement
  • Abolitionist veganism
  • List of animal rights advocates
• Buddhist ethics
  • Buddhist cuisine and vegetarianism
  • Engaged Buddhism
  • Sentient beings
• List of diets
• List of vegan media
• List of vegetarian and vegan organizations
• Organic food
• Raw veganism
• Sustainable food system
• Vegan nutrition
• Vegan school meal
• Vegetarian and vegan symbolism

Bibliography

• Monbiot, George (2022). Regenesis: Feeding the World without Devouring the Planet. London. Penguin Books. Template:Isbn.
• Williams, Howard (2019). The Ethics of Diet: A Catena of Authorities Deprecatory of the Practice of Flesh Eating. Czechia. Good Press. Template:Isbn.

External links

• Template:Official website of The Vegan Society