It’s safe to say that there has been a growing presence of a vegan community and lifestyle in the last few years everywhere one turns. It can be noticed in the vegan alternatives in nearly every restaurant, in newly opened vegan food places, and in the growing amount of videos that pop up on social media, both raising awareness on the topic and offering ideas for vegan recipes.
The change has been occurring mainly in developed and developing countries, but according to The Vegan Society, the UK is the country that has seen the largest growth in vegan products launch and consumption over the last few years. Within the last five years alone, 2014-2019, the number of vegans in the Kingdom has quadrupled.
Newcastle Upon Tyne is no exception to this food revolution. There is a wide range of vegan places for vegans and people who simply appreciate vegan food. Some of the most popular places include The Ship, Karma Kitchen, Junk It Up, Vegano, Sky Apple, among many more.
Speaking to Ana Paula Mendoza, a student at Newcastle University from Chile who has adopted the vegan lifestyle over two years ago, provided more insight into the growth of availability of meatless and dairy-free food in Newcastle.
One of the main reasons people decide to embrace and maintain this popular diet is the increasing availability of information about food: where it comes from, how it’s made, the ethics and morality of obtaining it, and the effects it has on people’s health and bodies and on the environment. Ana is no exception, as she reveals that the documentaries What the Health and Cowspiracy pushed her towards this dietary change. She admits that,
“those documentaries made me realize how eating meat not only plays a major role in the climate crisis but also for our health and the treatment of animals.”
The two key points the Media student talks about are the effects of this lifestyle on her personal health and the environment. She confesses that at times, being vegan may become challenging when going out to eat with friends or when using going out for food as a way to socialize. However, with the increasing number of vegan options around Newcastle, she says this is becoming less of an issue. Comparing it to her life in Chile, she admits that there is an abundance of places in Newcastle to choose from when it comes to vegan food.
“A major difference is that restaurants here, although they might not be specifically for vegans or vegetarians, offer vegan options. Some of them even have a completely separate menu for vegans.”
Her comparing her food experience in Newcastle to the one in Chile truly shows the major difference and further reveals how the statistics on the development and spread of veganism in the UK. The fact that there has been a dramatic increase in people going vegan and, simultaneously, vegan food options increasing, has definitely not gone unnoticed.
Ana Paula calls this rise a “trend,” and one of the clear latest indicators for this popularization is the recent success of Greggs’ vegan sausage roll. Greggs itself was founded in Newcastle Upon Tyne, and there are a whole 29 Greggs stores around the city, so the creation of a popular vegan treat further indicates the popularization of vegan food in the North East, as well as in the whole United Kingdom.
The release of a “vegan sausage” roll was considered controversial amongst many meat consumers, but it defied any expectations after its launch when it surged sales enough to help the pastry company reach an all-time high value. The contrasting reactions regarding its release gave the new roll a strong exposure boost. Well-known names such as Piers Morgan, the Good Morning Britain presenter, tweeted, “Nobody was waiting for a vegan bloody sausage, you PC-ravaged clowns.” However, Greggs used every negative review or comment as a PR opportunity, including this harsh tweet. To Morgan they replied humorously, “Oh hello Piers, we’ve been expecting you,” turning the hateful words into a laughable over-dramatization.
The exposure of a vegan treat this popular also piqued the interest of many who may have previously not considered veganism. It served as an instance that meat and dairy-free food can still taste good and be filling.
Other than for one’s health and that of the environment, many adopt this given lifestyle for moral and ethical reasons regarding animals and their treatment. Anyone walking around Newcastle’s city centre ever so often has surely encountered Animal Rebellion – a group of protesters fighting against animal cruelty through veganism and public protests. Holding a presentation and demonstrative exercises in one of the busiest streets of Newcastle’s city centre, Grey’s Street, they aim to educate and raise awareness on the way animals are treated and how veganism can help. Other groups of vegan protesters have also been spotted in the city’s center before, such as the Animal Welfare Cooperative. They hold yearly demonstrations on Grainger Street, urging people to avoid buying animal products. One of their slogans, “Animals are just as equal as us,” helps understand their standpoint and reason for being vegan.
Going back to Ana Paula, she says she has not participated in those demonstrations, but she does support them. She notes their significance on raising awareness and increasing the active vegan community in Newcastle. “Newcastle doesn’t have such a large vegan community in comparison to other places in England, such as London,” which she hopes will soon change.
The reasons people adopt this now popular lifestyle varies from health to climate to ethics, with each idea being just as valid as the former. The rise of veganism is just getting started, and Newcastle is one of the places with a wide variety of vegan foods, places, and alternative products.
The future is looking bright for those who may find looking for the right vegan foods challenging, with the abundance of new places opening and existing places adapting to this food revolution.
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