Shuttered restaurants, burgers uneaten: why vegan products are being left on the shelf | Jennifer Yule

Have the new vegans had enough of being called soy boys'? I suspect the reason is far simpler

It would be easy to assume that the rise of vegan diets and products is now inevitable. More than 700,000 people signed up to the official Veganuary campaign in 2023, more than four times as many as in 2018. Vegans used to be seen as humourless, sanctimonious and moralistic, but a new generation has changed the diet's image, bringing a fun, vibrant, health-conscious slant to a vegan lifestyle that eschews some of the stricter elements, and appeals to young, climate-conscious consumers. Terms and trends such as flexitarian", pescatarian", meatless Monday" and Veganuary" have become popularised, as consumers abstain from meat in more relaxed and less all-consuming ways.

Influencers such as the broadcaster Fearne Cotton and reality TV star Lucy Watson share easy vegan recipes and lifestyle content, and impress upon their audiences that moving to a vegan diet is relatively simple, focusing less on why the diet is the right ethical choice. As a result, what once seemed extreme and out of reach for many is now far easier to absorb into an existing lifestyle.

Dr Jennifer Yule is a lecturer in marketing at the University of Edinburgh Business School, who researches consumer behaviour in the health and wellbeing domain