From awareness to action: making World Vegan Month count
Every November, World Vegan Month offers a powerful moment to spotlight the growing momentum behind vegan and plant-rich lifestyles. It’s a chance for the foodservice sector to lead the way – not just by offering vegan options, but by shaping narratives around taste, health, sustainability and innovation.
Mike Meek, allmanhall’s Procurement & Sustainability Director, and Tess Warnes, Registered Dietitian, explore more below…
The origins of World Vegan Month
November is a big month for The Vegan Society, which started in November 1944 when the founding members coined the word ‘vegan’. The first World Vegan Day was created to mark the 50th anniversary of the society, held on 1 November 1994. This was later extended to become World Vegan Week and, as we now know it, World Vegan Month.
The UK’s vegan market
The UK boasts one of Europe’s largest plant-rich food retail markets, according to the Good Food Institute Europe. Between 2020 and 2022, the market grew by 9%, reaching £963.8 million, and is set to surpass £1 billion by the end of 2025.
Among the various categories, plant-based meat is the most developed. Although there was a dip in 2022, the UK still ranks second in Europe after Germany for total plant-based meat sales, and third for spend per capita, behind the Netherlands and Sweden.
The second largest category, plant-based milk, continues a strong upward trend. Sales rose 24% between 2020 and 2022, with unit sales up 17%. In contrast, conventional milk saw a 6% decline in the same period.
Changing priorities are driving the growth of veganism
Changing consumer priorities are steering this shift. Analysis conducted in January 2025 by finder.com found that 6.4% of people in the UK planned to follow a vegan diet. Generational differences are stark: 50% of Gen Z and 36% of millennials intended to eat meat-free in 2025, versus only 10% of baby boomers. Younger demographics are clearly aligning food choices with sustainability values.
Economic pressures are also prompting change. British beef prices surged in 2024, following years of steady increases. Reduced livestock numbers, linked to rising feed, energy and transport costs, have driven up farmgate prices. Chicken prices rose 7.3% year-on-year due to avian flu, further adding to the pressure.
These economic and ethical drivers are contributing to a clear shift towards plant-rich eating. But what are the benefits?
The Eatwell Guide offers a practical and inspiring framework for a healthy, balanced diet. At its core is variety: aiming for at least five portions of fruit and vegetables each day, choosing wholegrains and higher-fibre starchy foods, and shifting protein sources towards more plant-rich options. That means incorporating beans, lentils, and other pulses, as well as plant-rich meat alternatives and, if safe to do so, nutrient-rich nuts.
Importantly, it’s about balance – enjoying nourishing foods while keeping those high in fat, salt, and sugar to a minimum.
A recent study found that if everyone in the UK consumed a diet in line with these recommendations, it would lead to significantly less type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke and cancer.
Protein is often the nutrient of concern when switching to a more sustainable diet. However, the BDA’s The One Blue Dot report confirms that plant-rich diets meet both protein quality and quantity requirements.
Tess Warnes, allmanhall’s Registered Dietitian, highlights that “This is true even if meat and dairy are totally excluded. Beans and lentils are particularly nutritious, often described as powerhouses for nutrition as they are high in protein, fibre and micronutrients as well as having the bonus of being cheap.”
- Plant-based ingredients are lower in saturated fats
- Some brands are fortified with iron, B12 (meat is high in these nutrients)
- Some are high in salt so use plain mycoprotein (Quorn), soya mince/pieces and tofu wherever possible, as these are less processed and lower in salt
Environmentally, the impact is profound:1kg beef emits the equivalent of 60kg of carbon dioxide, whereas 1kg of root vegetables is equivalent of 400g of carbon dioxide, 150 times less carbon-intensive than beef.
In fact, 70% of deforestation is linked to our agricultural practices, with some of our most biodiverse and species-rich places being replaced with single species crop plantations. 62% of biodiversity loss is attributed to agriculture.
Mike Meek, Procurement & Sustainability Director at allmanhall, explains why replacing meat in your dishes with plant-based alternatives is so crucial.
“With strong evidence to support the overconsumption of meat being harmful to human and environmental health, adopting a more plant-based diet will make food systems more sustainable”.
The Eat-Lancet planetary health diet mirrors this approach, recommending a diverse, plant-forward diet that supports both health and sustainability. It emphasises a plant-rich diet where wholegrains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes comprise a greater proportion of foods consumed.
Meat-free innovation
Innovation is at the heart of allmanhall’s sustainable sourcing, finding meat replacements which are delicious, cost-effective and sustainable. allmanhall and Epsom College worked closely in 2024, together with Redefine Meat, to develop and trial a new product – The Brighter Burger.
The Brighter Burger has 6% of the carbon equivalent impact of a standard beef burger, with impressive nutrition credentials (5g of fibre per patty compared to only 1g for a standard beef patty) and a great taste. This went down very well with pupils, of whom 74% said they would like to see it featured on menus.
“At Epsom College, we are continually looking at the ways in which we can become more sustainable and teach our pupils about the food that they eat, where it comes from and the environmental impact of food choices.
When people think about sustainability, often packaging and supply chains spring to mind, which of course is important, but we need to look
at the food itself and this was a key reason why we chose to enter into this partnership with allmanhall and Redefine Meat.”
Mrs Bev Spencer, Director of Catering at Epsom College
There are now so many sustainable product innovations that mimic meat – great ideas that don’t cost the earth. Through their partnership with Vegetarian Express, allmanhall were delighted to find Eat Curious. Eat Curious is a plant-based food development company dedicated to providing innovative and sustainable solutions to the foodservice industry. They are committed to creating versatile products that are minimally processed, have a good nutritional profile and are full of flavour.
Made from just three ingredients – pea and fava bean protein, and salt, the Eat Curious range is produced without the use of isolates. That means no chemical shortcuts, contributing to a cleaner product. The dehydrated products are stored ambient, so they are affordable and often more cost-effective than animal proteins. And what’s even more impressive from a sustainability angle? The climate impact of the ambient ingredients when hydrated is just over 1 Kg CO2e/kg of product. From cottage pies to Moroccan salads, Eat Curious brings versatility to plant-rich menus
The future of plant-rich eating
One word: algae.
Requiring less land, less water, and emitting fewer greenhouse gases, algae may be the next big protein source. Algae also grow continuously and can be harvested in greater numbers than other sources of plant-based protein.
The World Economic Forum has calculated that producing one kilogram of beef-sourced essential amino acids requires 148,000 litres of freshwater and 125 square metres of fertile land. In contrast, producing the same amount from the microalgae nannochloropsis oculate, raised in an open pond with brackish water, requires only 20 litres of freshwater and 1.6 square metres of non-fertile land.
However, algae are best used as an ingredient when dried, as their protein per weight is higher than when fresh.
Currently, research is investigating whether the nutrients in algae are bio-accessible, meaning they can be released from the food in our intestines, or bio-available, meaning they will be absorbed by our bodies.
While scalability remains a challenge, the potential is undeniable.
How to get your vegan offer right
Perception is everything.
Effective marketing can reshape attitudes and drive uptake. Reframing dishes as exciting and flavourful, not ‘meat-free’, can help shift the mindset from sacrifice to opportunity.
Tess shares practical strategies to encourage uptake:
- Positioning: A study from Cambridge University found that placing plant-rich dishes first, but near meat options, increased take-up by 25-40%.
- Naming: Avoid labels like ‘vegan curry’. Instead, use evocative names like Sri Lankan Curry or The Brighter Burger for broader appeal.
- Rebranding Meat-free Monday: Having a meat-free day is great and proven to lower catering emissions. However, naming this something like ‘Save the Planet Tuesday’, or ‘Green Wednesday’ is more emotive and will help engagement. It’s not a sacrifice, it’s an opportunity to do something good for yourself and for the planet. And why does it have to be just one day?!
Looking ahead: make November a launchpad
World Vegan Month is a chance to test, learn and evolve. Why not:
- Feature a different vegan dish each week – use allmanhall’s two volumes of Hero Recipes for plant-rich inspiration
- Run a tasting event like Marwell Zoo recently did with their innovative Graze Burger
- Share the journey on your social media
By reframing plant-rich eating as aspirational, nutritious, and planet-friendly, we can make it a compelling part of foodservice all year round.
Stay tuned for more delicious and sustainable recipes in the next volume of Hero Recipes to be published in January or speak with us now for support developing your plant-rich offering.
In the meantime, here’s a sneaky peek at one of our new Hero Recipes…
Chickpea & sweet potato curry (veg)
Child (primary school): 15 portions
Adult/Secondary school student: 12 portions
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 55 mins
Total time: 65 mins
Ingredients:
- 4 ½ tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil
- 3 large onions, finely diced
- 9 garlic cloves, crushed
- 3 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 4 ½ tbsp medium curry powder
- 3 tsp ground coriander
- 3 tsp ground cumin
- 1 ½ tsp smoked paprika
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tsp black pepper
- 6 medium sweet potatoes (approx. 1.3–1.4 kg), peeled and cut into cubes
- 3 x 400g cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 3 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
- 3 tbsp tomato purée
- 3 x 400ml cans coconut milk
- 180g baby spinach (around 6 packed cups)
Method:
- Heat the oil in a large catering-sized pan. Add the onions and cook for about 5–7 minutes until softened.
- Stir in the garlic and ginger, followed by the spices, salt, and pepper. Cook gently for 1 minute.
- Add the sweet potatoes, chickpeas, chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, and coconut milk. Mix well and bring to a simmer.
- Cook uncovered for around 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potatoes are tender. Add a little water or stock if the
curry becomes too thick. - Stir through the spinach and allow it to wilt. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve with rice or naans.
Top Tip: Save time on prep by using frozen sweet potato chunks. They cook straight from frozen and soften beautifully in the sauce, helping the curry hold a lovely thickness. Plus, they’re prepped evenly, so you’ll get consistent cooking without all the peeling and chopping.