EDITORIAL: VEGAN MANIA

updated  8/22 

2018 was definitely the year of the Vegan; veganism went 'mainstream'   faster than expected.

BACKGROUND

You didn't have to look far to find weekend and nighttime vegan food fairs (in London, at Hackney and Broadway).  One could even find vegan wine & cheese  tasting nights run by slightly chi-chi events companies.

Supermarkets, having seen increased sales in Veganuarys since 2014, pulled out the stops to offer more vegan food.  Many restaurants now offer vegan options; vegan restaurants offering seitan (wheat gluten) versions of 'dirty' burgers and 'fried chicken' were popular.  Investment money poured into the development of plant based meat and dairy-free products - the industry was predicted to be worth $40billion by 2020 - but in a world dominated by a Cost of Living Crisis, such investment has stalled.  

WAS BECOMING VEGAN A FAD OR A WORLD CHANGING DEVELOPMENT?

In 2016, the Vegan Society commissioned an Ipsos Mori poll of 10,000 people which extrapolated that Britain's vegan population had shot up sharply from 150,000 to 542,000 over 10 years.  60% were estimated to be female and almost half were 15-34 years old. 

(The Vegetarian Society and NHS estimated just over 1m vegetarians in the UK while a 2019 Grocery Magazine survey suggested it was over 3 million.  Britain's total population is 65 million).    

WHY DID VEGANISM BECOME SO POPULAR?

What's been described as 'an evangelical movement with a strong confrontational message' became trendy.  What was behind it?  

Was it just the inevitable outcome of government advice to include more fruit and veg in daily diets?  

The participants in the Ipsos Mori poll reported three main reasons: personal health, animal welfare and the environment.  Personal health topped the list. 

Animal Welfare & the Environment

Vegan activists quoted in a Guardian article cited so called 'advocacy' films 'exposing' gory scenes in factory farms and slaughterhouses, Jeremy Corbyn's vegetarianism and climate change as major factors.  They think they're riding a wave which will force the food industry worldwide to switch to sustainable, plant-based agriculture.  Some even think they can push the government to abandon tax breaks and subsidies to animal farmers. 

There is no doubt that veganism is a force for good at a time when the food industry needs a jolt.  Change can be slow, and there have been too many food scares and too little care for the income deprived. 

Good Health

Anyone interested in good health will fully support more people, with budgets large and small, taking an interest in plant based foods.  Vegetables add fibre; fibre aids digestion and the absorption of vitamins and minerals and increases well-being.  67 believes meat will always be an important element of many healthy diets but so is making the effort to cut back on quantity and improving the quality of meat, and replacing it with non carnivore options like veg and pulses.

And also?  Some vegan food can taste really really fresh, interesting and good!   


BUT...FULLY FLEDGED VEGANISM IS DIFFICULT 

• B vitamins are vital for physical and mental health.  A vegan diet does not include them and supplements ARE necessary  
• A balanced vegan diet requires careful combinations of foods; new vegans need a lot of advice and feedback 
• Exotic (often expensive) ingredients are added to vegan foods to help meet nutritional needs; they can affect taste and texture - and not necessarily in a good way 

AND...VEGAN FOODS AREN'T ALWAYS GOOD FOR YOU

• Many dairy free milks contain sugar, oils, thickeners and/or other additives.  (2022: New products containing only nuts, water and salt are now on  the market for under £3 a litre ) 

• Unhealthy additives are common in vegan food production and it's just sad to see them in foods marketed on their health-giving properties

• Dairy-free fats often rely on coconut oil; coconut oil contains 85% saturated fat.  Despite claims that coconut oil is 'metabolised differently' from other saturated fats the American Heart Association advises against eating it

• Vegan snacks and sweets such as pulse-based crisps and plant-based energy bars may be healthier than conventional processed snacks but are no substitute for a sensible diet

• Savoury sauces and breakfast cereals that replace sugar with maple syrup are still adding unnecessary calories to the body 

IS THE MEAT INDUSTRY IN DANGER FROM VEGAN FOOD? 

Shoppers have already been thinking about the way we produce food.  Vegan mania could be the spur to encourage more compassionate meat production and greater consumer choice.  Vegan food will become more accessible and more popular.  These are all good things.  

But it's likely that the flexitarian, and not the vegan lifestyle, will dominate the future. 

Here's why...

• Vegan converts all say how good they feel on a vegan diet but new diets have that effect; it's inevitable once the body doesn't have to process junk food and ultra-processed foods.  But for many people (especially the majority who can't afford regular supplements), the body will eventually demand more conventional protein and suffer without it

• Cost will eventually reduce the number of fully-fledged vegans.  Raw nuts, one of the main vegan proteins, are as expensive as quality meat.  Half a kilo/1 pound of vegan favourite, cashews, will set you back £11-12.  Essential Vitamin B12 supplements are not cheap.

• The vegan movement is strongly rooted in a so-called moral/ethical standpoint that is often anti-capitalist and aggressive.  The current movement is more relaxed, reflective and - dare one say it? - virtue-signalling; it's the new 'cool' taken up enthusiastically by the young.  The first group defines the second as a 'lifestyle choice'.  Will the clash between the two put off 'new' vegans?  Vegan advisers in the past have threatened to withdraw dietary advice unless the vegan recruit becomes a part of the 'cause.'

• Almost half the participants in the Ipsos Mori poll were 15-34 years old; in future they will likely always include more plant-based foods in their diets.  How many will remain fully vegan?

• 40% of the females in the Ipsos Mori poll chose to became vegan as a personal health choice.  Health workers raise concerns that veganism will be just another socially acceptable means of cutting out huge food groups.  For these people, being vegan could eventually run its course and be overtaken by another trendy means of controlling food intake.

• The fightback has already begun.  A Canadian chef being picketed by aggressive animal rights activists butchered a leg of venison in front of them.  The plant vs animal debate will open out and questionable statistics and assumptions in 'advocacy' films and articles will come under closer scrutiny. 

AND YET...HURRAY FOR VEGAN CHEESE?

One development worth celebrating is vegan cheeses.  

Dairy Cheese is high in nutrition - calcium, vitamin B12 & high quality protein - but is also high in saturated fat.  It's not recommended for the many with cholesterol/weight issues.  In the UK, however, the unique variety of cheese tastes and textures are difficult to give up.   

Vegan cheeses in the UK are in the early stages.  Two main types dominate the chiller section in organic supermarkets.    

Hard 'cheeses', made mainly from coconut oil, are at the lower end of the price scale (£2-3 a package).  They look like conventional hard cheese - 'cheddar', 'slices', blocks of 'Parmesan'.  But they can be as high, if not higher, in saturated fat than dairy cheese and contain many other products.

Fermented vegan cheese is a more interesting proposition.  Fermented nut milks are treated in a similar way to dairy cheese.  They produce soft cheeses like brie and savoury cream cheese with only a few added natural ingredients.  However, they  cost a staggering £7-8 (2019) for a small packet.    

67 previously experimented with a cream sauce made of cashew nuts; it wasn't successful but 67 has high hopes for vegan cheese.  67 will be undertaking a taste test of vegan fermented cheeses in due course.  A post will follow.

Tips: 

Also see the How to...Page (on the nav bar above) for posts on Peaceful Co-existence at the  dining table,  Is the Vegan movement getting a little out of hand? and Balancing Vegetarian Meals  

Sources:
Supermarket research & interviews by 67goingon50 
Guardian: The Unstoppable rise of veganism: 1/4/18 by Dan Hancox
               UK supermarkets report surge in vegan sales: 2/2/18 by Rebecca Smithers
               Chef butchers venison in front of vegan protestors, 12/4/18 by Calum Marsh
The Times: Peak Vegan, May 2017 by Damien Whitworth 
Why Veganism isn't for everybody BT Home, 11/2016 by Laura Dennison
Is Vegan Cheese Healthy? Stack, 13/11/2017 by 


Notes from previous 67goingon50 posts

Because vegan diets are so restricted (see How to Stay Healthy while Dieting), 67goingon50 does not recommend veganism as a full-time food option.  However, substituting some meat meals with vegan meals is a healthy option.    

Will 67goingon50 go vegan?  No.  67goingon50 is a Flexitarian blog which opts for the healthier choice, recipes that meet the criteria for reducing fat, cholesterol, salt and sugar.  It has always included vegetarian and vegan dishes in the starters, mains, sides, canapés and desserts section of the Recipes pages.  There will be more vegan/vegetarian dishes with a new focus on baking vegan with conventional ingredients. 

B Lee/Bright Sun Enterprises accept no liability for the consequences of any actions taken on the basis of the information provided.