More than 400,000 people pledged to go vegan in January as part of the Veganuary campaign—a sharp increase from last year’s 250,310 pledges. Started in the United Kingdom in 2014, Veganuary expanded its efforts to the United States for the first time in 2020 where more than 50,000 Americans pledged to go vegan for the duration of January. The cities with the most vegan pledges were New York City, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Chicago, and Dallas. More than 50 percent of Americans were motivated by health to go vegan in January, followed by concerns for animals, then the environment. Overall, 47 percent of previous Veganuary participants revealed they would remain vegan after trying it in January. “The response to Veganuary in the US has been overwhelmingly positive. So many Americans are curious about plant-based foods, especially with the climate crisis looming, and the food service industry is responding to that growing demand,” Veganuary US Director Wendy Matthews said. “Restaurants from coast to coast offered Veganuary specials this year to capitalize on an expanding audience seeking vegan options. With the incredible buzz generated around Veganuary this year, I expect we’ll see an explosion of brands, restaurants, and retailers planning exciting vegan product launches for January 2021.” Prior to January, Veganuary estimated that 350,000 people would pledge to go vegan this year—which would save one million animals from slaughter, according to research carried out by University of Oxford researcher James Poore.

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