Veganuary grows in popularity every single year, as veganism becomes one of the fastest-growing lifestyle movements in the UK. In 2019, 1.3 million people in Britain chose to forego animal products during January, ten times more than officially signed-up to Veganuary (source). It was calculated that the total volume of this reduction of meat and dairy was at least 4,452,603kg, equating to approximately 3.6 million animals (source).
This alone makes it easy to understand why so many brands are capitalising on the booming market of veganism. From huge food corporations to hole-in-the-wall establishments, everyone is jumping on the vegan bandwagon. In the world of startups, there is no shortage of brands championing veganism and Veganuary and the positive effect it has on the environment, animals and our health. Here is a roundup of our favourite brands smashing Veganuary.
Meal Delivery
1. allplants
allplants is a London-based startup delivering ready-made vegan meals to homes. Founded in 2017, brothers Alex and Jonathan Petrides believe that “eating 100% plant-based meals should be tasty, easy and convenient”. By freezing their meals immediately after cooking, they ensure nutrition and taste isn’t compromised, making sure it tastes just as great in your kitchen as it does in theirs.
Rather than catering for the small number of people eating perfectly sustainably, they champion millions of people eating imperfectly with a switch to plants one dish or day at a time; supporting the vegan-ish and the Flexitarian. allplants will be raising on our platform, pre-register to invest here!
Supporting Veganuary, they are promoting the allplants challenge – plant-based meals throughout January, or for just two days a week.
2. Huel
Launched in the UK in 2014 by Julian Hearn, Huel (from ‘human’ plus ‘fuel’) offers a variety of nutritional food products designed as a meal replacement for busy, time-pressed people. Not only is the meal convenient, but it also completely nutritionally balanced with the perfect amount of protein, essential fats, carbohydrates, and 26 essential vitamins and minerals your body needs.
Moreover, the products are vegan, lactose-free, soy-free, GMO-free and approved by Registered Nutritionists, perfectly suiting those wishing to reduce their meat and dairy consumption while saving time and money. The ingredients are all sustainably grown, and the brand is very focused on being ethical and environmentally friendly with zero food waste.
Inspiring Veganuary participants, they’re promoting the health benefits of Huel and the five most important vitamins and minerals you need in the depths of winter that can be found in their products.
Product delivery
3. M*lkman
A 21st Century take on the traditional milk-delivery business, but instead of delivering cow’s milk, M*lkman delivers nut milk in recyclable glass bottles to homes, and consumers can leave out their empty bottles after use for the M*lkman float to collect. Championing sustainability and the use of plant-based products, their almond milk contains 12% nuts, which is the highest in the nut milk industry and the business donates 10% of its profits to Greenpeace.
4. Farmdrop
Farmdrop is an online ethical supermarket. Farmdrop pride themselves that 70% of the fresh fruit and vegetables delivered to your door are sourced from within 100 miles of your city. By comparison, only 23% of fresh fruit and veg sold throughout the UK is grown in Britain. This means the produce is fresher, more seasonal, and less carbon-intensive. Farmdrop also pays local and sustainable suppliers a fairer price for their produce, roughly twice as much as they would get from a supermarket or a wholesaler. Because they pay farmers fairly, farmers are not forced to use industrial-scale methods, and they can continue making food in a way that’s good for the animals, good the environment, and good for our health.
Although not a vegan brand, they ensure that all their beef, lamb, poultry and pork is 100% free-range, stating that “all animals are allowed to express their natural instincts in a harmonious environment. The majority are fed on grass and pasture for their whole life because meat fed a natural diet is leaner and contains higher levels of good fats and vitamins.” So, for those who are vegan-ish or Flexitarian, you can ensure that your food is free-range, responsible and sustainable.
To reduce plastic waste, they deliver weighted fruit and veg in brown paper bags or fully home compostable bags and nets, green delivery crates for loose items, returnable glass jars, recyclable or compostable paper trays and films, reusable glass bottles and plastic-free bread packaging.
5. Oddbox
London’s highest rated veg box (4.8/5) that delivers seasonal fruit and veg boxes to London homes with minimal packaging. Focused on reducing food waste, Oddbox works with farmers to rescue fresh, seasonal surplus fruit and veg that don’t meet cosmetic supermarket specifications. Moreover, up to 10% of their rescued produce is donated to charities such as City Harvest to help fight food poverty in London.
Meat Substitute Products
6. THIS
THIS is a UK-based company who claims its plant-based bacon can “fool carnivores”, founded by two former burger chain bosses who decided to turn their work from animal meat to plant-based meat. Now available on Ocado and other online shops such as Holland & Barrett, their plant-based chicken and bacon are also served in over 20 restaurants.
This month, THIS teased fans with a Veganuary surprise by stating that an A-list celebrity might be dropping by to help hand out the meat-free bites from their food truck in London.
7. Beyond Meat
The official sponsor of Veganuary 2020! Based in the US, Beyond Meat produced plant-based meat to address four growing global troubles: human health, climate change, natural resource depletion and animal welfare. For those who want to reduce their meat consumption, but don’t want to compromise on their taste for meat, Beyond Meat might be the answer. Their products are non-GMO and provide greater or equal protein levels than their animal counterparts, no cholesterol, less saturated fat, and no antibiotics or hormones.
According to the University of Michigan, a Beyond Burger uses 99% less water, 93% less land, 90% fewer GHGE and 46% less energy than a beef burger.
8. The Meatless Farm Co.
Based in Leeds, The Meatless Farm Company produce plant-based mince, patties and sausages, helping people reduce their meat consumption by making swapping to meatless easy by not compromising on taste and texture.
Check out their meatless consumption calculator to see what difference you can make by using their meatless alternatives in your favourite meals.
Dairy-free Products
9. Oatly
Swedish company Oatly was founded 25 years ago after food-science professor Rickard Oste developed a technology that uses enzymes to liquefy oats into a rich milk. Unlike the majority of alternative milk brands, Oatly focuses on one thing only: oats. The company strongly argues that oats are the best option, both environmentally and nutritionally, and has since grown an incredibly strong community of brand-ambassadors.
For Veganuary, Oatly began its biggest campaign to date across Brighton, Bristol, Glasgow, London and Manchester, the out-of-home adverts executions contain tongue-in-cheek messages to consumers, including “Just so you know, cracking the flat earth debate is beyond the capabilities of this oat drink poster”.
Food Waste Warrior
10. Rubies in the Rubble
Another Seedrs Alumni, Rubies in the Rubble create products using surplus food that would have otherwise been wasted – not because of their taste, but because they were in the wrong shape, size or colour. Offering an award-winning range of ketchup, mayo’s and relishes, each produced in the fight against food waste. Their mayo is vegan, made with aquafaba, the protein-rich water leftover from cooking chickpeas which would normally be thrown away, as a substitute for eggs. This Veganuary, they’ve partnered with Higgidy Foods as part of a food giveaway competition.
