Veganuary from the perspective of a British produce supplier

The ‘Veganuary’ campaign encourages people to forgo animal products during January to highlight and attempt to address the meat industry's current issues. Most notably, environmental impacts, animal cruelty and population health concerns.

However, January sees British vegetable production at its lowest, primarily roots (beets, parsnips, carrots, etc.) which alone would not provide enough nutritional value and be very boring! Therefore, vegetables are often imported from overseas, thus contradicting the principle of doing ‘Veganuary’ for climate reasons. It has also been proven that people trying veganism are more likely to purchase ready meals. These processed vegan foods are often low in nutritional value, thus not supporting the health motive. Additionally, the imported products and packaging used to create them will negatively impact the climate.

We are by no means disregarding the vegan diet, but it has highlighted the need for more education in this area. If you take away anything from this post, please consider trying your ‘Veganuary’ in the summer when British fruit and vegetable production is at its optimum. This will not only support British farming but also decrease the environmental impact of importing goods. Most importantly, speak to a professional about optimising your nutrition. With an enormous number of fruit and vegetable varieties across the UK, keeping healthy doesn't need to be boring!

Don’t delay; get educated today!