MIND SHIFT: Veganuary isn’t ‘veganism’, and why this matters

Veganuary is advocacy primarily aimed at non-vegans. It is the most impactful form of ‘boycott’ in supporting and encouraging the withdrawal of personal consumer funding from animal exploitation. While veganism is not about dietary practice — it is one practice which follows from the principle — it helps to explain why dietary entry points can assist in challenging cognitive dissonance. For most of us, food is the first point at which we are taught — and form — the perception that animals exist ‘for us(e)’. Breaking that cultural conditioning is fundamental to challenging this dominant mindset.

HELEN LLOYD: Veganuary is not “veganism” nor does it claim to be. It began in 2014 as an outreach tool, created by vegans to reach people who weren’t engaging with veganism at all. It was designed as an entry point for people whose moral questioning is in its infancy…

Veganuary is a time-limited campaign targeted mainly at non-vegans, designed to support a practical move away from animal use, specifically relative to dietary practice.

Non-vegans who sign up are primarily being encouraged to eat animal-free for 31 days — enough time to demonstrate that long-standing habits, and the perceptions that sustain them, can be broken.

It also introduces ethical questions around animal exploitation, whether for food or other uses, while allowing individuals to experience non-use in practice, supported by guidance on nutritional swaps and health.

Participation in Veganuary does not require endorsement of every partnership or purchase of any product associated with the program. The core nutritional advice focuses on whole-foods, encourages ‘local and seasonal’ within that framework, and is supported by meal plans and recipes which inspire cooking from scratch.

Animal-use industries are ultimately dependent on consumer demand: without sufficient buyers (consumer funding) animals wouldn’t be objectified for profit, and the system would collapse.

The crux is this: for advocacy aimed at non-vegans, the most impactful form of ‘boycott’ is supporting and encouraging the withdrawal of personal consumer funding from animal exploitation. Other boycotts may be chosen for other reasons, but they operate indirectly and should not undermine tools designed to encourage removal of funding of animal use at scale…

For most of us, food is the first point at which we are taught — and form — the perception that animals exist ‘for us(e)’. Breaking that cultural conditioning is fundamental to challenging the dominant mindset. While veganism is not ‘about’ dietary practice — that is just one practice which follows from the principle — this helps explain why dietary entry points can assist in challenging cognitive dissonance. SOURCE

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