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Australia is now the third-fastest
growing vegan market in the world,
after the United Arab Emirates and
China, with the packaged vegan food
market alone worth around $136
million a year, and tipped to go well
over the $210 million mark by 2020.
Globally, it’s estimated that there
are more than three million people
practising a vegan diet, with experts
predicting that this number could triple
in the next 15 years.
“Veganism has become ‘trendy’,
which is something I didn’t think I’d
see in my lifetime,” says Katrina Fox,
author of Vegan Ventures: Start and
Grow an Ethical Business ($16.52,
veganbusinessmedia.com). “I’d
become used to vegans being mocked
and vilified. Seeing so many positive
stories in the past couple of years has
been exciting.
“I love knowing that I’m doing the
best I can to not contribute to animal
suffering and exploitation. The health
and environmental benefits are a bonus.
And I love connecting with others who
share similar values.”
It is these shared values that have the
food industry watching their collective
backs while clamouring to hop on
board at the same time. And, after being
ostracised for so long, vegans are finally
ready to bite back.Vegan pioneers
The term ‘vegan’ was first termed in
1944 by a rebellious bunch of members
from Britain’s Vegetarian Society.
Forced to break away after their views
were blocked from publication, the
group formed the new ‘Vegan Society’,
after considering – and rejecting –
alternative words for vegan, including
neo-vegetarian, dairyban, vitan and
benevore.
The final decision came down to
a combination of the first three and
last two letters of ‘vegetarian’ because,as the Vegan Society said, “Veganism
starts with vegetarianism and carries
it through to its logical conclusion”.
From its inception, the group rejected
the use of animals for any purpose,
and grabbed the nation’s attention with
the first ‘vegan trade list’ of animal-
free products.“The science of nutrition was
young, and some nutrients of specific
concern to vegans hadn’t even been
identified yet,” says Jack Norris,
author of Vegan for Life ($29.99,
bookdepository.com). “Nobody had
ever heard of veganism, so it stands to
reason that resources like cookbooks
were non-existent.”
Fast-forward 73 years and the
story is radically different.
Unfortunately, the food
industry has also
undergone considerable
change, not all of it
for the better.Going
cruelty-free
With modern
animal-based
food production
growing
to ballistic
proportions,
veganism has
never been more
topical or relevant.
“Today’s farm
is less likely to be
a friendly familyenterprise and more likely to be a factory
where efficiency takes precedence over
respectful treatment of animals,” says
Norris. “The plain and simple – and
uncomfortable – fact is that production
of animal foods (even dairy and eggs)
contributes to animal suffering.”
In fact, a core philosophy behind
veganism is that any appropriation
of animals is, by its nature, cruel.
In a country with such abundance
as Australia, the consumption of
animal products could also be seen
as unnecessary.
“Being a vegan is not the most
we can do for the animals, it’s the
very least we can do for them,” says
Renata Peters, a personal trainer who
has been vegan for 20 years. “Being a
vegan is the bare minimum standard
of decency. It’s not compassionate or
kind to be vegan any more than it
is considered a kind act simply not
to beat up“I love knowing that
I’m doing the best I
can to not contribute
to animal suffering
and exploitation.”naturalhealthmag.com.au AUSTRALIAN NATURAL HEALTH | 49