Since launching Better Nature at the start of Veganuary five years ago, it’s been a focal point in the calendar for us. It’s been our biggest marketing push every year, and we’ve proudly championed the Veganuary campaign.
But this year is different. This year, we won’t be talking about it.
That’s not because we don’t believe in what Veganuary is trying to achieve or the team behind it. Or because we can’t see the huge impact it’s had on the conversation around veganism and plant-based food in the UK and beyond. The stats speak for themselves: more than 75% of Brits have heard of Veganuary, and 6% have taken part (over four million people).
It’s because we think the conversation is changing.
Gone are the days when people were either vegan, vegetarian or ardent meat-eaters. Instead, we’re seeing a much higher percentage reducing their meat and animal product intake. Almost 60% of UK consumers have made some effort to eat less meat and almost 40% now use dairy alternatives. Health is the main driver, followed by the environment.
At the same time, the UPF debate has hit the category hard. It’s simply misleading to tarnish an entire category with one brush: plant-based is hugely varied, with different brands serving different needs. But the impact of UPF fears is hard to deny. Vegan products have lost their health halo. And because of this, the pull of a vegan diet isn’t as strong anymore for a mainstream audience, which is mainly driven by health, more than the environment or animal welfare.
Plus, more people than ever want to genuinely want to cut down on their animal product intake and eat more healthily, yet these people wouldn’t be ready to consider going vegan. The notion itself would put them off from engaging.
As a brand, our aim has always been to have the greatest impact on the health of people, the planet, and animals. We’ve always been open to learning and adapting how we do that.
So in recent years, we’ve focused on a broader audience that is looking to reduce their animal product consumption and eat more plant-based whole foods – as we all should be doing for our health, meat-eaters or not.
In doing so, we’ve taken an approach that is much less focused on plant-based. We position Better Nature as a supercharged alternative to chicken – because it’s the easiest swap in people’s minds, in terms of how you cook it and what you serve it with. However, it’s not the vegan alternative, it’s the healthier alternative: a protein staple supercharged with gut health benefits, fibre and delicious versatility. Being plant-based is a feature, but it’s not the defining one.
For us, it’s not just about what we ideologically believe. It’s about what we think will create the greatest behavioural change. And we don’t think that leading with vegan is drawing in the masses anymore. For the vast majority of people, rightly or wrongly, they need a clear added value beyond a food being vegan. That’s how we’ll get people genuinely excited about healthy, delicious, and accessible plant-based foods.
I’m excited about this shift, as it’s how we’ll create long-term societal change, which will have the greatest impact on people, the planet and animals. For us, that means leaving Veganuary behind.
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