The Vegan Stamp: for health or for wealth?

With veganism on the rise, features writer Isabelle offers some insight into whether all is as innocent as it seems.

In the past few years, veganism has seen a surge in popularity, especially amongst young people. When I first heard the term ‘vegan’, I saw it as a lifestyle for those who were advocates for animal rights and opposed to the use and consumption of animal

products. However, today it has grown into much more. The

‘vegan stamp’ has increasingly appeared on supermarket products with 16% of food products launched in the UK in 2018 having a vegan or ‘no animal’ ingredients claim, doubling from just 8% in 2015. These products take the form not only of food, but makeup and clothes too, all claiming to offer a ‘better’ lifestyle.

Nowadays, a vegan diet and lifestyle seems to have become more of a mainstream ‘trend’. Once upon a time it was the lifestyle of a minority that were stereotypically and negatively linked to radical animal activism, yet now it is associated more with its health benefits. Since revelations about health and the environment have surfaced, people have been more likely to swap to a meat free diet, records in 2018 showing that 92% of plant-based meals consumed in the UK were eaten by non-vegans.

However, this sudden increase in vegan products makes me wonder whether it is for the right reasons: do supermarkets want to promote a healthier lifestyle and offer more options to a wider range of customers OR are these companies just capitalising on this current trend for their own gain?

“The ‘vegan stamp’ has increasingly appeared on supermarket products with 16% of food products launched in the UK in 2018 having a vegan or ‘no animal’ ingredients claim, doubling from just 8% in 2015”

“Food companies have picked up on this trend and attempted to fuel it further by adding more product lines just to increase their profit”

Nowadays, as vegan and plant-based options have become more common, food companies have picked up on this trend and attempted to fuel it further by adding more product lines just to increase their profit. It is not hard to notice that vegan products are usually much more expensive than normal meat and dairy products, meaning that if people want to have a more plant-based diet and take part in this current trend, they must pay more. For example, in Sainsburys, a 450g pack of chicken nuggets costs £1.75 compared to £3 for a 400g pack of ‘chicken free’ ones! For younger people (and particularly students) a vegan diet is usually a lot less cost-effective, therefore it might discourage people from switching to this lifestyle.

“It is unfair that to support a lifestyle which has proven to be more beneficial to the environment and people’s health, we are having to spend more money”

Isabella Raikes Page Design by Natasha Phang-Lee We are becoming increasingly worried about the effects of the meat industry on the environment and our own health. However, people have to pay an extra couple of pounds to partake, which in turn makes these companies more money, and adds an elitist quality to being ‘vegan’. It is unfair that to support a lifestyle which has proven to be more beneficial to the environment and people’s health, we are having to spend more money. I think that in future, instead of adding more ‘meat-free’ products, supermarkets and companies should work to create cheaper, healthier options that everybody can benefit from. We should all be able to help save the planet, regardless of our pay cheque.