Veganuary, the vegan charity encouraging people to take the 31-day commitment to be vegan, is now prompting MPs to take the pledge.
From today, the charity is calling upon parliamentarians to remove animal products from their diets, and comes after climate minister Claire Perry told the BBC that it wasn’t the government’s job to tell people to reduce meat intake, despite the overwhelming evidence of animal agriculture’s contribution to climate change.
Veganuary CEO Simon Winch said: “In an age where we have a sugar levy to encourage people to eat healthily, why shouldn’t we be promoting plant-based diets to improve health and tackle climate change?”
Veganuary are expected to launch their marketing campaign today, too, focusing on the commuter hubs of London, asking Prime Minister, Theresa May, to take part in the month-long commitment.
Rich Hardy, Head of campaigns at Veganuary, added: “Switching to vegan alternatives in the cafeterias of parliament would be a simple step to take for our leaders to lead by example.”
Veganuary is expected to reach 300,000 worldwide sign-ups for 2019, as the campaign reaches its fifth year of being successful in helping people go vegan.
Zoe West, corporate outreach manager for Ipsos Mori, said: “Convenience is key to make it easy for people to transition. We we’ve been speaking with own label food-to-go specialists Bakkavor, Greencore and Samworth Borhters, who are expecting a surge in demand for their vegan options come January.”
One retailer making it easier for those taking the pledge is WH Smith. The newsagents will be displaying the Veganuary logo, making it easier for people to know where they can buy vegan food.