There’s no virtue in Veganuary

Despite appearances, the word ‘Veganuary’ is not a part of the female anatomy – nor is it a venereal disease. It’s probably as irritating as the latter, however, and I dare say just as resistant to even the most powerful antibiotics.

In case you are unfamiliar with this unsavoury neologism, its refers to an annual initiative, first launched in 2014, to get people to forgo meat, poultry, fish and dairy products for the first 31 days of the year.

That’s right, it’s like an especially joyless form Dry January dreamt up for masochists – those seeking the black-belt in self-denial, and a sure-fire way to usher in the January blues.

Despite this, it’s been more successful than you’d suppose. So far Veganuary’s organisers claim millions of people have given it a go over the years, with some 500,000 alone signing up for the 2021 ‘one month vegan pledge’. Veganuary, also the name of the organisation behind the drive, explicitly calls it a campaign because that’s what it is – this advocacy group wants nothing less than ‘a fully vegan world’, not just in January but also ‘beyond’.