Protein Politics: An anti-vegan backlash is brewing. Why?

Recent news headlines suggest that an anti-vegan backlash has begun. It comes just as research shows that the popularity of veganism today has returned to pre-2020 levels. So how did we got to this point? And is it truly all over for vegans? One of the biggest criticisms of vegan meat alternative products today is that they’re processed. Then there’s the protein brigade. Aligned with the narrative pedaled by the meat industry, led by influential political figures such as Elon Musk, alpha males and ultra-masculine gym bros are leading the carnivorous diet charge. These arguments have been successful enough in turning people against and away from meat alternatives, gutting sales and sometimes entire businesses. But it doesn’t mean veganism is dead. As media investigations and social media continue to shine a harsh light on how we treat animals – which remains shocking, cruel and inhumane – and the true environmental impact of farming them, it’s likely the philosophy of veganism will continue to attract adherents. Long live veganism!

ANAY MRIDUL: Recently, mainstream news media The Daily Telegraph and Financial Times suggested that an “anti-vegan backlash” has begun… In response, The Spectator came out with its own take: “Blame vegans for the ‘anti-vegan backlash’.” It comes just as research shows that the popularity of veganism today has “returned to pre-2020 levels”, according to food magazine Chef’s Pencil…

To make matters worse, sales of plant-based meat fell by 9% between July 2023 and 2024 in the US (though it’s still selling better than pre-pandemic levels), and 7% in the UK. And yes, a host of vegan restaurants have closed, including those owned or backed by celebrities, while others have put meat on their menu and then closed…

So how have we got to this point? And is it truly all over for vegans?.. One of the biggest criticisms of vegan meat alternative products today is that they’re processed… Then there’s the protein brigade. For as long as they’ve been around, plant-based products have been attacked for not having enough protein. It doesn’t matter that most meat analogues actually match the protein levels of the products they’re trying to replace, and some overtake them…

But politics plays its part. Spearheaded by figures like Elon Musk – never one to shy away from a culture war – the pro-meat movement is reflective of the larger political landscape, one where wokeism is unwelcome and DEI policies are blamed for plane crashes.

But it’s not just alpha males and ultra-masculine gym bros who are leading the carnivorous diet charge – women from their late 20s to early 40s make up the majority of the market for brands like Equip Foods, which sells products like grass-fed beef protein and colostrum gummies, as per the Financial Times.

Then there’s the backlash against climate change. With President Donald Trump back in the White House, the US is once again pulling out of the Paris Agreement, which should come as no surprise given that the climate-denying president did so in his first term too. Moreover, Trump has demanded all mentions of the climate crisis be scrubbed from government websites.

He may be flanked by former environmentalists in Musk and Robert F Kennedy Jr, but these two are figureheads for the people who’ve put personal power over the planet. The former has raised doubts over the scientifically established climate harms of animal agriculture and added information from a climate alarmism think tank on his Department of Government Efficiency website. The latter, now the health secretary, has railed against “fake meat” products despite their environmental superiority.

It aligns with the narrative pedalled by the meat industry, which would have you believe that plant-based food isn’t sustainable, despite animal agriculture accounting for up to a fifth of global emissions. In addition, the meat lobby will dupe you into thinking that overlong ingredient lists are 1. universally bad (they’re not) and 2. only found in vegan products (they’re not)…

These arguments have been successful in turning people against and away from meat alternatives, gutting sales and sometimes entire businesses. But it doesn’t mean veganism is dead… Vegan population numbers have remained steady over the years at 1.5% worldwide… However, veganism has been growing in Asia too. In 2021, a tenth of Indians identified as vegan, and this has remained steady this year too. Similarly, the number of vegans in Singapore has grown from 7% in 2020 to 9% today.

But perhaps the most crucial misconception of this argument is that veganism is all about diet – it’s not. Veganism is, as The Vegan Society explains, a “philosophy and way of living” that excludes all forms of animal exploitation – for food, clothing and other purposes.

It’s why we see companies making animal-free leather and silk, cruelty-free cosmetics, and vegan toothpaste and shampoos. Veganism isn’t dead – if it were, investors and companies wouldn’t still be spending hundreds of millions of dollars on these products.

Most of the population may not change their way of living. But as media investigations and social media continue to shine a harsh light on how we treat animals – which remains shocking, cruel and inhumane – and the true environmental impact of farming them, it’s likely the philosophy of veganism will continue to attract adherents. SOURCE…

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