Is veganism a trend or a real change in values? I keep hearing the argument from meat eaters that "vegan is just a trend". A trend is a recognizable direction of development - so my counterpart is not entirely wrong. But aren't there an almost infinite number of Reasons for veganism? There must be more behind the plant-based lifestyle than just a short-lived fashion trend.
Definitely! In this article, I would therefore like to explain to you why veganism is not just a trend, but a future-oriented movement. Let's go!
"Vegan is just a trend" is a weak argument
Around 200 new vegans and around 2,000 new vegetarians are added every day.₁ Sales of plant-based alternatives in food retail, for example, also increased by 30 percent between 2017 and 2018.₂ And the term veganism has been around since 1944, when the Vegan Society was founded.₃ So there is definitely a trend towards a plant-based diet. Nevertheless, the philosophy behind veganism is much more than just a trend in the long term, as it has so many Challenges of our time with one stone.
I would like to use three aspects to explain why veganism is developing from a trend into a world-changing movement.
Ethics
From an ethical point of view, veganism primarily counteracts the exploitation of animals, which has long since ceased to be in keeping with the times and has basically never been in keeping with human development. For example, those who eat a vegan diet help to ensure that the egg industry does not exploit animals. male chicks are no longer shredded or gassed immediately after birth or that cows are no longer raped and artificially impregnated so that they give milk without interruption.
Environment
From an ecological point of view, as a vegan you are above all global warming and the likewise climate-impacting Deforestation of the rainforests against. Quite simply because your diet no longer requires ruminants to graze on pastures that emit the climate-impacting gas methane. But also, of course, because you no longer need to import soybean meal as animal feed, the land-intensive cultivation of which is responsible for around 88 percent of the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest.₄
Society
Veganism also has its effect from a social point of view. For example, against world hunger, because we can use the plants that would otherwise be given to animals in the Factory farming simply eat it themselves. Don't you find it strange that we have enough food to feed 56 billion farm animals every year₅ - but that at the same time more than 800 million people in the world are going hungry?₆
Tip: You can find more facts under Veganism statistics.
Vegan is not a trend - it's a rousing movement!
This graphic from Google Trends should make everyone realize that there is more to veganism than just a trend towards eating more plants.
All motives for veganism are future-oriented and focused on ensuring that we do not exploit animals, other people or our planet through our everyday behavior. The movement is based on pillars such as Justice, non-violence and Freedom. It therefore makes no sense to relativize it as a passing fad just to justify continuing to eat meat. That simply makes it too easy to avoid having to deal with it any further. So if veganism is not a trend, what reason is there for continuing to eat the body parts of animals?
Do you have any questions about the article? Or would you like to share your own experiences with the "vegan is just a trend" argument? Then write me a comment as always.
Stay sustainable,
PS: If you are just now becoming a vegan, be sure to check out the post for the Start into vegan life. And if you're still not convinced, I recommend these vegan documentaries!
References:
₁,₂ ProVeg e.V.: Vegan-Trend - Facts and figures on the veggie market, available at https://t1p.de/jkx0. [15.07.2020].
₃ Leah Leneman: No Animal Food - The Road to Veganism in Britain, 1909-1944. in: Society & Animals. Vol. 7, No. 3, January 1, 1999, pp. 219 - 228.
₄ DEUTSCHER TIERSCHUTZBUND e.V.: du und das tier, Rinter als Klimasünder (offprint), available at https://t1p.de/zpkd. [07.05.2020].
₅ M. P. Rowland: 11 Facts About Your Food That Will Shock You (as of 03.01.2017), available at https://t1p.de/2sr1. [14.07.2020].
₆ Deutsche Welthungerhilfe e.V.: Hunger: Spread, causes & consequences (as of 04.05.2020). https://t1p.de/ijuj. [07.05.2020].
