The number of people pledging to go vegan in January as part of the Veganuary campaign have reached a record high of over 50,000 participants. The campaign launched in the United Kingdom in 2014 with the mission of changing public attitudes about the vegan lifestyle and has continued to gain support in subsequent years. The 2015 Veganuary campaign drew in more than 12,000 pledges, which doubled to 23,000 participants in 2016. Restaurants such as Pret A Manger have developed new menu items to serve those interested in eschewing animal products in January. “The support of high street restaurants and well-known brand names has brought a lot of attention to Veganuary, “ the organization’s co-founder Jane Land tells VegNews. “Knowing that good food is easily available makes a huge difference and is part of the reason why more than half of Veganuary participants choose to stay vegan at the end of the month.” In November, the organization launched a 2,000-poster campaign inside the London subway system to encourage residents to adopt a vegan diet, which Veganuary media manager Kate Fowler estimates effectively brought 7,000 new participants on board in 2017.

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