It's not (just) about the f-ckin' animals: How veganism is changing, and why that matters

This chapter examines how the discourses surrounding veganism, and the public perceptions of those who follow vegan diets, are changing. It will argue that entertainment has played a central role in the growth of this dietary and culinary culture, has catalysed a significant shift in in the public perceptions of veganism, and fostered a heightened awareness of the broader implications of those dietary choices. Popular documentaries such as Cowspiracy, Forks Over Knives, and What the Health have catalysed attention to both the environmental and health benefits of vegan diets, and moved the focus away from the more traditional animal cruelty arguments, on which those aforementioned negative connotations were largely formed. Meanwhile, media producers and personalities like Rich Roll have also helped popularise plant-based diets in recent years, and helped to re-define the links between meat and masculinity. This chapter argues that this ‘vegan sphere’ requires further analysis to understand how it might be expanded and further popularised to facilitate continued bottom-up cultural change for positive environmental and public health outcomes.

Stephen Harrington, Christy Collis, Ozgur Dedehayir  (2019) It's not (just) about the f-ckin' animals: How veganism is changing, and why that matters. Alternative Food Politics: From the Margins to the Mainstream, pp. 135-150 .

The intense agricultural activity required to satisfy the greater demand of an increasing global population relies on nonrenewable resources, such as fossil fuels and land. Given that 33% of the planet’s arable land is used to grow crops for animal feed (Adams 2010), and approximately 70% of agricultural land on this planet is devoted to livestock production (Deckers 2009; Judge and Wilson 2015), the meat and dairy industry accounts for a significant part of this problem. While notable attention has been afforded to technological solutions for increasing the efficiency of land use and reduction of harmful emissions in the meat and dairy industry – hence, “supply-side” solutions – this entry considers solutions that can arise from the “demand-side,” in other words, from the consumers themselves. To this end, the entry turns its attention to the ethical eating advocated by “veganism,” which strives to alleviate the suffering of animals, particularly those subjected to ill-treatment in the meat and dairy industry (Singer 1990), by abstaining from the consumption of goods that have used animals at any stage of their production. The entry argues that veganism not only protects animal rights but may also offer a solution to some of the systemic problems of the global food system.

Although individuals following a vegan lifestyle form a minority in the developed world, recent trends indicate notable growth in their numbers. For instance, the number of vegans in the USA has increased from 300,000–500,000 in 1997 to 2.5–6 million in 2012 (1–2% of the population). Similar ratios and trends have been reported in other countries, such as Israel (5%), the UK (2%), Australia (1%), and Germany (1%). Given the ethical motivations underlying veganism, the products and services (e.g., food, clothing, and cosmetics) adopted by vegans must be absent of animal sourced ingredients (see Singer 1990, for a comprehensive review). This requirement has inevitably created niches within different markets (e.g., Greenebaum 2012), with the noted growth in these niches attracting new business ventures to serve the greater demand through new vegan products and services (i.e., vegan innovations).

Against this backdrop, the entry aims to understand the factors that can drive the dissemination of vegan innovations, specifically, new products in vegan food manufacturing and retail, beyond these niche segments into the mainstream market. To acquire an understanding of these factors, the investigation is anchored in the “diffusion of innovations” (DOI) theory developed by Everett Rogers in his book with the same title first published in 1962. Rather than a relatively smooth “bell-curved” pattern theorized by Rogers, however, it is anticipated that the diffusion pattern of vegan food innovations will demonstrate a noticeable disparity between existing niche segments that predominantly serve vegan consumers, and the much larger segments that comprise non-vegans. This expectation of a “dual-market” pattern resulting from the “chasm” (or “saddle”) separating the early and main markets (Moore 1991; Kohli et al. 1999; Muller and Yogev 2006) is premised on (i) constrained design principles of vegan food innovations that limit their alignment with the consumption paradigm of traditional (i.e., non-vegan) segments; (ii) the negative sentiments of the mainstream media’s coverage of veganism that may discourage adoption considerations of the main market (Cole and Morgan 2011; Taylor 2013); and (iii) the innate rejection of vegan food innovations by a significant portion of potential adopters, namely, males (Adams 2010; Potts and Parry 2010; Ruby 2012). Under these circumstances, the entry’s ambition is to shed light on how vegan food innovations can propagate within the entire social system that includes both vegan and non-vegans, and the strategies available for businesses to navigate the disparity between the early and main markets.

Dedehayir O., Riverola C., Velasquez S., Smidt M. (2019) Diffusion of Vegan Food Innovations: A Dual-Market Perspective. In: Leal Filho W., Azul A., Brandli L., Özuyar P., Wall T. (eds) Responsible Consumption and Production. Encyclopedia of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Springer, Cham.

We all love a BBQ, but a small but growing segment of our society – vegans – question the ethical side of the great Aussie tradition. 

 Ozgur Dedehayir and Peter O'Connor,  26 JAN 2017, SBS Food