28 December 2021

Veganuary 2021 drew over 500,000 people from all over the world, with 60,000 coming from India, making the country an official campaign hub for the movement beginning in 2022.

Along with Germany, Chile, the United Kingdom, Argentina, and the United States, India is now a part of official Veganuary activities. Veganuary is a campaign that encourages people to eat plant-based foods for 31 days in January. It is a movement to promote and raise awareness about veganism. Veganuary has been running for nearly eight years, and the number of sign-ups has constantly increased.

India has gained third place in the global Veganuary list, with 60,000 participants in 2021. India is collaborating with Ahimsa Trust, a non-profit social development company, as the new vegan campaign center. Soundarya Sharma, a well-known Bollywood actress, has been named the official Veganuary Ambassador for India in 2022. In response, the actress replies, “In these testing times, eating vegan is the best way to take care of yourself and your family. If all Indians adopt a plant-based diet, we will be healthier and reduce national mortality by 23 percent. Shifting to a vegan diet is also the single biggest way to address the climate emergency, as it helps cut your carbon footprint up to 73 percent.”

Other vegan ambassadors for Veganuary include actress Sadaa Sayad, the world's first mountaineer to summit Everest, mountaineer Kuntal Joisher, and basketball star Arvind Krishna.

DELIVERING THE MESSAGE STRONG AND RIGHT

Speaking about India’s achievement in becoming the Veganuary campaign hub along with other world countries, Prashanth Vishwanath India’s Veganuary country manager says, “Our health and the climate emergency is at the forefront of everyone’s mind. One key solution to address both is eating vegan. Indians have shown great interest in plant-based nutrition in recent years. We are thrilled to officially launch Veganuary in India and help people explore this interest. Signing up to Veganuary makes transitioning to vegan much easier as our free pledge is full of helpful tips, advice, and useful material.”

WHAT DO PARTICIPANTS GET?

Participants in the Veganuary campaign will receive meal plans, celebrity cookbooks, guidelines, and coaching emails. The guidance and references are intended for everyone, including those who want to transition. As a result, it is also suitable for beginners. According to the 2021 Veganuary figures, over 84 percent of those who participated in the campaign are willing to make lifestyle changes, and 40 percent have agreed to go vegan. The statistics suggest a promising shift in how veganism is perceived in a country like India.

Read More: 580,000 people have taken the pledge to try vegan this January. Are you joining Veganuary 2022?