The Modern Vegan Era

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about this site and what I want the future to look like for Veggie in the 6ix.

While doing so I decided that I wanted to come up with a term that can describe how I see the vegan movement at the current time. I came up with The Modern Vegan Era because I believe that we are on the cusp of a major breakthrough in the Western World.

There are many other societies that have been living this way for a very long time but it is the western part of the world that is stuck in traditions or ways of creating food that is immoral, outdated, and just plain wrong. For the purpose of this article, I am talking about Western Society.

With each day that passes, I feel veganism is growing in strength and more and more people are adopting a plant-based lifestyle. This gives me hope and promise for the future. Here are a few stats that support this view:

• In 2021, the vegan food market was worth over $16 billion. (Statista)
• The vegan market is expected to reach $22 billion by 2025. (Statista)
• Between 2014–2019, the Number of UK Vegans Quadrupled. (Plant Based News)
• The US plant-based milk market is worth $2.5 billion alone. (Good Food Institute). That’s a 20% market growth since 2019. Additionally, it makes up 15% of all retail milk sales.
• Between 2019–2020 the plant-based meat market increased by $430 million, making it worth $1.4 billion.(Good Food Institute)
• Canadian Google Searches for Vegan-Related Info Have Increased by 117% Since 2016. What’s more, vegan leather searches have risen by 94% between 2018 and 2019. (Live Kindly)
• There are an estimated 79 million vegans now in the world (The Guardian)
• There were 700,000 People Worldwide Signed Up for a Veganuary in 2023 and there are 500,000 People who took part in Veganuary in the UK in 2020, up from 400,000 in 2020 and 250,000 in 2019. (The Guardian)
• The forecast size of the global vegan food market by 2026 is $24.3bn, with cosmetics worth $20.8bn. (The Guardian)
• In Canada, there has been a 250% increase in vegetarians. There are now over 2.3 million vegetarians and 850,000 vegans, according to 2020 data. (Statista).
• The province with the most overall plant-based eaters is British Columbia. And in Canada’s Dietary Guidelines, most recently published in 2019, there is an emphasis on eating plant-based foods.

These are just some of the encouraging statistics of the growing movement we call veganism. There are many challenges ahead, for sure, but it is important to recognize the progress that has been achieved.

I believe approaching a tipping point. A moment where the movement will grow exponentially from here on because we are reaching a critical mass.

Gone are the days when a vegan has to feel like an outsider and be ridiculed for simply deciding not to consume animal products.

There is no need to sacrifice taste in the name of ethical considerations. And it is no longer as difficult to wear any clothing you want that is free from the smear of abuse, torture, and death.

We now have Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, and milk that is identical to cow’s milk but made from plants. Also, vegan leather is just as durable as animal skin.

Leading the Way to the Modern Vegan Era:

I believe the way to really change human behaviour quickly is through influence and sometimes trend-setting examples.

I want to further the narrative that vegans do not have to give up anything in order to live the way they see is correct and ethical.

As a vegan, I am not giving anything up. I am actually gaining. I am living a life free from death, abuse, and torture of animals for my food, clothing, and daily needs.

I feel inspired to be a part of this vast historical progression of compassion and consideration of our fellow beings on this earth and I am determined to add what I can to achieve the ultimate goal of universal animal emancipation.

We can achieve this without sacrificing luxury and all the perks of modern advancements, the two do not have to be mutually exclusive.

We can live comfortable, modern lives while giving animals rights and seeing them just as worthy of protection as humans.

This movement is changing quickly and I can’t wait to see what’s to come next. I hope that you will follow along with me as I find my place and purpose within this revolution.