The evolution of veganism

Believe it or not, the concept of veganism began all the way back in 1806, when a few trailblazers decided to reject the consumption of dairy and eggs on ethical grounds. The philosophy has existed for far longer than we might think. But it is in the last decade that veganism has undergone a colossal evolution, particularly over the last year.

I have been vegan for almost four years and, within that time, have witnessed some radical changes in the food industry. Companies have constantly been bettering themselves when it comes to catering for vegans.

After the recent Amazonian forest fires, global warming has become a more prevalent issue than ever before. It has affected how we align ourselves politically, but it has also affected how we consume.

Increasingly, we are becoming conscious of the environmental impact of our lifestyle habits. The way we consume food, fashion, and other products has dramatically changed. And as we become more ethically aware, more brands will release vegan products and veganism will continue to evolve.

 

Veganism in the supermarkets

Supermarkets have always had their ‘free-from’ sections to cater for the coeliac and lactose-intolerant markets. But following the rise of veganism, their product range has developed enormously.

Tesco brought out their Wicked Kitchen range, an inventive line that focuses on new and different flavours. It has expanded to include everything from sandwiches-on-the-go to favourite desserts such as sticky toffee pudding. However, the range has always been a bit on the pricey side. But not to worry, their new Plant Chef range is a lot more affordable, with a simple Margherita costing just £2.50.

Sainsbury’s has accommodated several vegan brands, such as The White Rabbit, Fry’s and BOL (which decided to change its brand and now sells 100% vegan products) in their aisles. Sainsbury’s have also developed their own vegan products, including ready meals and sweet snacks.

Marks & Spencer had offered the odd vegan sandwich here and there, but they amped-up their range last year with the introduction of the Plant Kitchen, offering everything from pizzas to popcorn ‘chicken’.

Waitrose was a bit late to hop on the trend, given its audience are surely more likely to splash the cash on quality food anyway. However, they’ve introduced their own range now including pizzas, Spanish-style ‘sausage’ and creamy onion and chive rolls.

Iceland, however, have shocked us all with their affordable and quality range of frozen vegan substitutes, like their No Chick Strips, which I highly recommend.

 

Big brands and vegan products

A number of big brands have introduced vegan products over the last year, and this has radically changed the scene.

Ben and Jerry’s have released vegan ice cream, and Beyond Meat burgers and sausages have become available in restaurants and supermarkets. And, of course, we have to mention the recent launch of Galaxy’s own vegan chocolate.

 

Vegan options on restaurant and café menus

The list is endless when it comes to the chains and restaurants that have created vegan menus. Wagamama, Zizzi’s and Pret-a-Manger are a few that deserve a mention. Gregg’s made headlines when bringing out their vegan sausage roll this year. At the mere price of a quid and full of flavour, this pretty spot-on substitute will always serve you on-the-go.

 

Finding vegan options on campus

Even campus has seen expansion in its vegan options over the years. Rootes has even introduced its own vegan sausage roll and croissants, which is fantastic given that its range was pretty poor before this year. Curiositea always include a vegan-option on their weekly specials, and usually have a vegan cake on offer. The Library Café even sells a no-turkey Christmas sandwich this time of year. The Dirty Duck, which now even does a meat-free burger, has always been a sure-fire option for vegans and certainly satisfies any meaty craving.

 

Can the same be said internationally?

The States have always been known for mass-consumerism, and it seems as though they’re always the first to have vegan versions of everything you could ever need and imagine, whether in Whole Foods or restaurant hotspots like Veggie Grill.

Within Europe, however, veganism on a grand-scale is still something largely exclusive to the UK. Nonetheless, from my own experience, France and Spain do cater to vegans in their bigger cities, and to a certain extent, in their supermarkets.

Paris, Bordeaux and Nice are only some of the cities that offer a plethora of independent vegan restaurants and cafés. And in my opinion, the options in Spain are even better. Its popular cities Madrid and Barcelona offer vegan tortilla and calamares.

My personal favourite spot in Madrid is Delish Vegan Doughnuts. Smaller towns however, particularly in France, are not up-to-date on the trend. From personal struggles, no one seems to truly understand the concept of what it is not to eat meat or dairy, and even their Starbucks-equivalents like Pat-à-Pain don’t offer vegan options. This can be a shock to the British vegan. Even in Canley there’s a Gregg’s just around the corner!

 

The vegan food market continues to expand rapidly, and with meat substitute sales having grown by 451 percent in Europe over the last four years, it won’t be slowing down anytime soon.