Research conducted by Roy Morgan has found that the trend in vegetarian eating continues to grow — with 2.5 million people (12.1% of the population) in Australia now eating all or almost all vegetarian.

The 2018 data shows a continued growth in people choosing kinder, more sustainable meals — up from 2.1 million people (11.2%) eating all or almost all vegetarian in 2016, and 1.7 million people (9.7%) in 2012.

That's an additional 400,000 individuals choosing meat-free meals in Australia since 2016 alone! This works out to 1 person deciding to eat less meat or go meat-free every 5 minutes!

This great news reflects the exciting shift towards plant-based eating across Australia — with one in three people already eating vegetarian or actively reducing meat.

Here's how 400,000 new vegetarians will help create a kinder, more sustainable world:

Every year, up to 11 million more farmed animals will be spared from slaughter, and many millions more marine animals.

Every day, an additional 760 million litres of water will be saved — in other words more than 300 Olympic swimming pools worth of fresh water each day.

Every new vegetarian, will enjoy the health benefits that come with cutting meat, including a reduced risk of obesity, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer, and the prospect of a longer life expectancy.

As the number of people making these healthy, compassionate choices grows, so too will the benefits. When researchers from Oxford looked into what would happen if the whole world ate completely plant-based by 2050, the results were staggering! See for yourself:

These stats speak for themselves: the single most powerful thing we can do for animals, the planet and for our health is to reduce or replace meat with tasty plant-based cuisine. So, big thanks to the 2.5 million Aussies (and growing) who are already eating for a kinder world.

As the demand for meat-free and dairy-free food grows, supermarkets and restaurants have been responding by adding more plant-based options to shelves and menus. So every day, as more and more caring Aussies take animals off their plate, it becomes easier and more delicious to be part of this growing movement.

Ready to discover a healthier, kinder way to eat?