Every January since 2014, people have taken on the Veganuary challenge, aiming to go totally—or mostly—plant-based for the whole month, but data from Google Trends indicates the challenge might be becoming less popular.
At least, traffic for the search term "Veganuary" has been steadily declining since around January 2020 and hasn't been this low since January 2018.
This might be indicative of the movement becoming less popular. Food policy researcher Gavin Wren, @gavin.wren, noted in an Instagram reel on the subject that the term "vegan" had also declined over time, while "plant-based" had risen.
"I think that plant-based food is becoming more and more popular, while Veganuary may have lost its sparkle," he said in the video, suggesting that people wanted to eat more plants but with more flexibility than veganism allowed.
Matt de Gruyter, CEO of vegan restaurant chain Next Level, told Newsweek that his business was "happy to support" Veganuary but agreed with Wren.
"Most of us are familiar with the concept of a plant-based diet at this point and the novelty has worn off," said de Gruyter. "More and more folks are incorporating vegan foods into their diet without necessarily embracing the identity or the commitment of being vegan."
Sara Berger, CEO of plant milk brand Sproud, told Newsweek: "Veganuary is certainly less relevant than it was—which is a good thing. Politicizing the vegan movement has grown old.
"It's no longer a question of whether consumers should be vegan, but rather how consumers can integrate vegan products and increase plant-based foods in their daily life.
"The future holds more innovation in the plant-based scene and new generations of products that will inspire consumers instead of making the food choice political and polarized."
Sonia Kholsa, founder of recipe website Love Incredible Recipes, told Newsweek: "I know many individuals who had previously adopted a vegan diet but preferred to have more of a flexible approach based on what works best for their bodies, energy levels and overall health.
"I also think people prefer to move away from strict labels, and sometimes there are also associations with the word 'vegan,' linking with lack of food choices."
But not everyone agreed that Veganuary had grown less popular. Sandra Nomoto, seven-year vegan and owner of Sandro Nomoto Enterprises, told Newsweek that she believed the opposite was true.
Indeed, the charity Veganuary, which started the campaign, reported that 1.8 million people signed up for January 2024—compared to around 700,000 the year before—and estimated that 25 million people took part, based on analysis from U.K. YouGov polls.
However, even Nomoto acknowledged that there was "baggage associated with the word 'vegan,'" telling Newsweek: "Many think it is restrictive. It means not consuming some of the most tasty foods out there."
Kholsa added: "I think it could also be that those who made the switch to becoming vegan now find it the norm and every month is 'Veganuary.'"
Nomoto said: "For those of use who have gone the journey and stuck with it long term, what previously used to be a challenge is now a new normal."
Lower search rates may indicate, too, that more people know about the challenge so don't feel the need to look it up.
Newsweek has reached out to Veganuary via email for comment.
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