Channel 4 has come under fire for a now-deleted post which mocked those taking part in Veganuary.

The broadcaster posted a meme on its Instagram page in which the words "u a******" were spelt out on the Countdown board, accompanied by the caption: “When your friends say they’re doing Veganuary”.

The post was swiftly deleted, but the organisers of Veganuary, a charitable initiative that encourages people to try out veganism during the month of January, are calling for Channel 4 to apologise.

They wrote on their Facebook page: “Apparently, Channel 4– the broadcaster that supposedly champions unheard voices, inspires change and stands up for diversity – thinks it’s cool to insult the 165k people who are doing Veganuary.

“People take part in Veganuary for loads of reasons – to improve their health, to protect animals, or to help the environment. All pretty good things, in our book, and we're surprised Channel 4 disagrees.

“Many people are vegan because of sincerely held beliefs about not causing cruelty – something that's a protected characteristic under the 2010 Equality Act. We hope Channel 4 didn't mean to discriminate – why not tell Channel 4 why you're vegan and ask them to apologise?”

The controversy has seen vegans and supporters of Veganuary comment underneath other pictures on the C4 Instagram account in protest at the original image.

One wrote: “You guys are #a**wipes. Anyone who committed to Veganuary, we stand with you and good for you!!”

While another posted: “Incredibly poor taste and ignorant discrimination by a ‘trusted’ media outlet. I didn’t believe it until I saw the screenshot. Vegans or people exploring it are ‘a******’ for not wanting to kill animals.”

Standard Online has contacted a representative of Channel 4 for comment.