Less meat more plants - 3rd January 2024

January's become a popular month for veganism. In many countries, people are replacing meat with plants for 31 days. This is called 'Veganuary'.

Veganuary's increased in popularity in the last few years. More and more people are choosing a vegetarian or vegan diet. Germany's known for sausages and schnitzel. But more Germans are reducing the amount of meat in their diet.

In 1989, each German ate 60 kilograms of meat in a year. But in 2023, that number dropped to 52 kilograms each. Head of 'Pro-Veg International' Sebastian Joy's pleased with this.

Sebastian Joy: "On the one hand, it's good for the animals in factory farming, it's good for climate change and it's better for consumer health."

People are changing to a plant-based diet for many reasons. Some of these reasons are animal abuse, drugs used in animal farming, climate change and the environment. Vegan festival goers in Berlin shared their reasons.

Britta Lange: "Why do I eat less meat? The main reason is animals, because in recent years we've learned a lot more about how they're killed, how they're treated and where they come from."

Vera: "Animals are living beings. They feel pain just like we do which is why I'm turning away from meat. And then there are all these toxic substances that go into food like antibiotics. I think it's very bad, but it's been like that for decades."

Florian Bussmann: "I think everyone has a responsibility towards the climate. Reducing your meat consumption is a good contribution to protecting the environment and animals too. Plus, it's better for your health."

In 2022, 629,000 people from 228 countries participated in Veganuary. Thirty-six percent of these people became vegans after a month. Many others decided to decrease the amount of meat they eat. They also said they'd probably become vegans in the future.